Lead Engineer, System Protection & Controls

MatchBox Consulting Group; Calgary; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

MatchBox Consulting Group in Calgary is seeking a Lead Engineer – System Protection & Controls for a permanent role. This senior technical leadership position focuses on protection, control, coordination and reliability engineering across Alberta's electricity system.

You will lead protection studies, coordination reviews, disturbance investigations, interconnection reviews, reliability initiatives and standards development, working across transmission, generation, distribution, and large-load

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited institution.
• P.Eng registration with APEGA or eligibility for registration.
• Minimum 12 years of progressive engineering experience within the electric utility industry, with a strong focus on Protection & Controls.
• Extensive experience conducting protection system studies, coordination reviews, and protection performance assessments.
• Strong technical knowledge of protection systems for transmission and power system infrastructure.
• Expertise in protection coordination, remedial action schemes (RAS), anti-islanding, synch-check, power swing and out-of-step protection, effective grounding, and protection system performance analysis.
• Experience investigating protection system operations, disturbances, and reliability events.
• Experience working with transmission operators, transmission owners, generation owners, utilities, regulators, or reliability organizations.
• Experience leading complex technical initiatives and working across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of reliability standards, technical rules, compliance requirements, and regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to provide senior technical guidance, influence engineering decisions, and communicate complex technical information to different stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical expert for system protection, control, coordination, and reliability engineering.
• Lead technical reviews for transmission, generation, distribution, and large-load interconnection projects.
• Evaluate proposed protection schemes and coordination practices and provide technical recommendations.
• Lead complex protection and coordination studies involving transmission lines, transformers, buses, reactors, capacitor banks, generation facilities, and other power system assets.
• Evaluate protection system performance under contingencies, abnormal operating conditions, and emerging reliability risks.
• Lead technical investigations of protection system operations and disturbance events, identify root causes, and recommend reliability improvements.
• Develop and maintain protection philosophies, engineering practices, technical requirements, and standards.
• Provide technical expertise related to HVDC facilities, renewable generation, inverter-based resources, and emerging grid technologies.
• Support protection requirements associated with remedial action schemes, anti-islanding, synch-check, power swing and out-of-step protection, and effective grounding.
• Support the development, implementation, compliance, and audit readiness of applicable technical rules and reliability standards.
• Review technical rule waivers, variances, and other protection and control compliance matters.
• Provide engineering expertise to connection projects, system planning, operational engineering, power system modelling, and other strategic initiatives.
• Lead and participate in industry working groups, standards committees, and technical stakeholder engagements.
• Review engineering studies, reports, analyses, and technical recommendations.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical oversight and coaching.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry practices to support grid modernization, system reliability, and operational excellence.

Skills

Senior technical leadership

Protection & Controls engineering

Grid reliability engineering

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

P.Eng registration with APEGA or eligibility

Tools

RTDS tools

Job description

MatchBox Consulting Group is seeking a Lead Engineer – System Protection & Controls on behalf of our client for a permanent position in Calgary. This is a senior technical leadership role focused on protection, control, coordination, and reliability engineering across Alberta's electricity system.

The successful candidate will serve as a senior technical expert, leading complex protection studies, coordination reviews, disturbance investigations, interconnection reviews, reliability initiatives, and technical standards development. This role will work across transmission, generation, distribution, and large-load projects while providing technical leadership on emerging grid technologies, renewable integration, HVDC, and inverter-based resources.

This opportunity is best suited for a senior Protection & Controls engineer with 12+ years of electric utility experience who wants to remain deeply technical while influencing system-wide engineering practices, reliability standards, and strategic decisions.

• Location: Calgary, AB – Hybrid (in office Tuesday–Thursday; Monday and Friday flexible)
• Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical expert for system protection, control, coordination, and reliability engineering.
• Lead technical reviews for transmission, generation, distribution, and large-load interconnection projects.
• Evaluate proposed protection schemes and coordination practices and provide technical recommendations.
• Lead complex protection and coordination studies involving transmission lines, transformers, buses, reactors, capacitor banks, generation facilities, and other power system assets.
• Evaluate protection system performance under contingencies, abnormal operating conditions, and emerging reliability risks.
• Lead technical investigations of protection system operations and disturbance events, identify root causes, and recommend reliability improvements.
• Develop and maintain protection philosophies, engineering practices, technical requirements, and standards.
• Provide technical expertise related to HVDC facilities, renewable generation, inverter-based resources, and emerging grid technologies.
• Support protection requirements associated with remedial action schemes, anti-islanding, synch-check, power swing and out-of-step protection, and effective grounding.
• Support the development, implementation, compliance, and audit readiness of applicable technical rules and reliability standards.
• Review technical rule waivers, variances, and other protection and control compliance matters.
• Provide engineering expertise to connection projects, system planning, operational engineering, power system modelling, and other strategic initiatives.
• Lead and participate in industry working groups, standards committees, and technical stakeholder engagements.
• Review engineering studies, reports, analyses, and technical recommendations.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical oversight and coaching.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry practices to support grid modernization, system reliability, and operational excellence.

Qualifications - Must-Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited institution.
• P.Eng. registration with APEGA or eligibility for registration.
• Minimum 12 years of progressive engineering experience within the electric utility industry, with a strong focus on Protection & Controls.
• Extensive experience conducting protection system studies, coordination reviews, and protection performance assessments.
• Strong technical knowledge of protection systems for transmission and power system infrastructure.
• Expertise in protection coordination, remedial action schemes (RAS), anti-islanding, synch-check, power swing and out-of-step protection, effective grounding, and protection system performance analysis.
• Experience investigating protection system operations, disturbances, and reliability events.
• Experience working with transmission operators, transmission owners, generation owners, utilities, regulators, or reliability organizations.
• Experience leading complex technical initiatives and working across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of reliability standards, technical rules, compliance requirements, and regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to provide senior technical guidance, influence engineering decisions, and communicate complex technical information to different stakeholders.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with Alberta Reliability Standards, ISO Rules, and NERC reliability requirements.
• Experience with inverter-based resources and renewable generation integration.
• Experience with HVDC systems and digital substations.
• Experience with facility modelling and Real-Time Digital Simulation (RTDS) tools.
• Experience with Project Development Update Processes (PDUPs).
• Experience developing technical standards, engineering policies, and regulatory documentation.
• Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Power Systems Engineering or a related discipline.
• Previous experience mentoring engineers or providing technical leadership across large-scale utility programs.

About MatchBox

Headquartered in downtown Vancouver and serving clients nationally, MatchBox is one of the leading recruitment and solutions firms that specializes in the fields of IT & Technology, Engineering & Technical, Real Estate & Construction, and Accounting & Finance. We offer unrivaled expertise with our team's extensive experience in the recruitment and professional services industry. We are dedicated to building great connections and creating strong opportunities within the workforce and the labor market.

Equal Opportunities

MatchBox is committed to providing equal opportunities for all applicants. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including members of minority groups such as racialized individuals, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Indigenous peoples. It is a priority for us that all candidates are treated fairly and without discrimination. Our recruitment teams receive ongoing training on using objective criteria for evaluating candidates and other related topics to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.

Work Permits

Please note that we require all interested candidates to obtain the necessary work permits from the Government of Canada prior to submitting an application. This position is open exclusively to individuals residing in Canada and legally authorized to work in Canada. Applications not meeting these criteria will not be considered.

Further Consideration

We receive a high volume of applications and are only able to contact candidates who are selected for further consideration.