Commissioning Engineer — Nationwide

Ziggurat Automation Inc.; Field; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Ziggurat Automation Inc. is seeking a commissioning and field execution engineer to lead FAT/SAT and witness testing across multi-vendor protection and controls equipment for data center power systems.

You will execute staged cutovers, verify protection schemes, and coordinate transfer testing with owner representatives on nationwide projects. Expect 60–80% travel and field-heavy site work, with high focus on safety, NFPA 70E compliance, and turnover packages.

Qualifications

• 5+ years commissioning experience on medium-voltage critical power systems (data centers, substations, industrial).
• FAT/SAT procedure development and execution for protection relays and generator controllers.
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets.
• Transfer testing including ATS open/closed transition and generator paralleling.

Responsibilities

• Develop FAT/SAT/IST test procedures for protection relays, generator controllers, ATS, and SCADA systems.
• Perform functional testing: protection verification, trip coordination, interlock validation.
• Plan staged commissioning with board-by-board or zone-by-zone cutovers and rollbacks.
• Lead transfer and black-start testing, witnessing with owner representatives, and turnover documentation.

Skills

Commissioning experience

Field experience

NFPA 70E compliance

Arc-flash PPE knowledge

Education

NETA Level III or IV certification

Tools

Omicron test sets

Doble test sets

ACSELerator QuickSet

ACSELerator RTAC

Job description

Commissioning & Field Execution

Nationwide (Field-Heavy)

Hiring ENG III

ZA-35007
Nationwide (Field-Heavy)
Field-Heavy
Compensation discussed during final conversation

Why This Role Exists

We deliver P&C scopes that end with owner witness testing — the commissioning engineer is the person standing in front of the switchgear when the protection system has to prove it works. This role exists because the engineer who commissions the system should understand what the relay settings, automation logic, and mode sequencing are supposed to do. You execute L1–L5 commissioning on Tier III/IV data center power systems: FAT/SAT scripts, functional performance tests, staged cutovers, and witness testing across multi-vendor protection and controls equipment. Nationwide travel — you go where the projects are.

What You Own

• FAT/SAT/IST test procedures for protection relays, generator controllers, ATS, and SCADA systems
• Functional performance testing: protection scheme verification, trip coordination, interlock validation
• Staged commissioning planning: board-by-board or zone-by-zone cutover with deterministic rollback
• Transfer testing: open-transition and closed-transition sequences, retransfer with time delay
• Black-start drill execution and verification of automatic recovery sequencing
• Punch-list management through closeout and owner acceptance
• Turnover packages: commissioning records, as-built documentation, O&M manuals

Systems You'll Touch

Vendor Platforms

SEL Woodward CAT (Caterpillar) Omicron Doble

Software Tools

AcSELerator QuickSet AcSELerator RTAC

Standards

NFPA 70E IEEE 1584

Test Phases

Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) Site Acceptance Test (SAT) Secondary injection testing Functional performance testing Witness testing Staged commissioning / cutover

Site Activities

Automatic mode transitions Automatic black-start sequencing ATS control (open/closed transition)

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

• Completed commissioning or witness testing on at least one active project site
• Developed FAT or SAT test procedures for a protection relay or controller scope
• Demonstrated familiarity with the firm's commissioning documentation standards and turnover package requirements

First 180 Days

• Leading commissioning execution on a data center project — writing test procedures, executing tests, managing punch lists
• Independently conducting witness testing sessions with owner representatives present
• Contributing to staged cutover planning for live-site commissioning

Required Background

• 5+ years commissioning experience on medium-voltage critical power systems (data centers, substations, industrial)
• FAT/SAT procedure development and execution for protection relays and generator controllers
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets
• Transfer testing experience: ATS open/closed transition, generator paralleling, load bank testing
• NFPA 70E compliance: arc-flash PPE, approach boundaries, LOTO procedures on energized equipment
• Punch-list management and turnover documentation experience

Preferred Background

• NETA Level III or IV certification
• SEL relay commissioning (QuickSet, 751/700G/2440 families)
• Woodward generator controller commissioning (easYgen 3400, LS-6, DTSC-200)
• Staged commissioning on live critical infrastructure with rollback planning
• IEC 61850 GOOSE verification and PRP network failover testing

What to Expect in the Field

Travel 60–80% during active commissioning. Nationwide deployment — you go where the projects are.

Site Hours Site hours during commissioning phases: early starts, weekend milestones, off-hours energization windows. Flexible between projects.

Customer-Facing Direct interface with prime contractor commissioning leads, owner witness testing coordinators, and site safety personnel

Documentation Heavy — test procedures, commissioning records, punch lists, as-built documentation, turnover packages

Field Safety NFPA 70E compliance mandatory — arc-flash PPE (Cat 2+ typical for MV), approach boundaries, daily safety briefings, LOTO management

Why Ziggurat

• You commission what we designed — the relay settings, the automation logic, the coordination curves all come from the same firm
• Multi-vendor commissioning: SEL, Woodward, CAT, ABB — not locked into one OEM's equipment portfolio
• Your commissioning feedback improves the next design — direct loop between field reality and engineering office
• Small firm means your commissioning expertise directly shapes standards, procedures, and turnover quality

Hiring Process

1

Screen

Background review against role requirements — vendor platform experience, relevant certifications, project types, and standards familiarity. Quick assessment of baseline alignment before investing either party's time.

Resume review + 15-min intro call

2

Technical Review

Deeper evaluation of technical depth. We review sample work — relay settings files, protection study reports, commissioning test procedures, or SCADA configuration packages — depending on the role. If samples aren't shareable, we discuss specific project scenarios in detail.

Async work-sample review or 45-min technical call

3

Interview

Scenario-based conversation with the principal engineer. Real project situations: how you'd approach a coordination study for a complex switchgear lineup, sequence a commissioning plan across multiple vendor platforms, or troubleshoot a protection scheme failure during site acceptance testing.

60-min video call with founder

4

Exercise / Artifact Review

A practical evaluation matched to the role. Engineering roles receive a take-home exercise — review and mark up a set of relay settings, identify gaps in a protection study, or develop a test procedure for a specific scheme. Field-focused roles walk through a commissioning package or test report they've delivered, explaining their methodology and decisions.

Take-home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)

5

Final Conversation

Role scope, current project pipeline, working arrangements, and compensation. This is a two-way conversation — we want to confirm the role fits your goals, not just the other way around.

30-min call

This role supports our testing commissioning and end to end service scopes.

Questions about this role? Email us at [e-mail]

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General interest Protection & Relay EngineeringPower System Studies & DesignCommissioning & Field ExecutionIntegration & ControlsProject & Deployment Management

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