Protocol Developer

Survalent; Toronto; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Survalent Technology is seeking a talented Protocols Developer to design, develop, test, and maintain communication protocols for ADMS and related utilities. You will enable real-time data exchange between field devices, control centers, and cloud-based systems, ensuring reliability and interoperability.

The role requires 5+ years in professional software development, with strong C# and/or C++ experience, and a solid understanding of TCP/IP networking, protocols, and software design patterns.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in CS/SE/EE/Power Engineering.
• 5+ years of professional software development, preferably real-time/industrial/utility software.
• Production-quality software development using C# and/or C++.
• Experience with communication protocols or system integration.
• Understanding of real-time software requirements and networking (TCP/IP, UDP, TLS).
• Knowledge of OO design, patterns, version control, debugging, and performance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain communication protocols and interfaces for ADMS and related utility applications.
• Build real-time data exchange solutions between field devices, control centers, and external systems.
• Translate requirements into reliable software designs prioritizing reliability, performance and scalability.
• Participate in code reviews and drive improvements in development practices and quality.
• Collaborate with developers, QA, product management, support, and customers to deliver robust solutions.

Skills

C# / C++

Real-time systems

TCP/IP networking

Protocol development

Interoperability

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, power engineering, or related discipline

Tools

.NET Framework

WPF

Windows Forms

Job description

Survalent Technology is seeking a talented and experienced Software Developer to join our Protocols team as a Protocols Developer. This is an exciting opportunity to develop the communication interfaces that enable reliable, secure, and real-time data exchange between intelligent field devices, control centers, advanced applications, and cloud-based systems. As part of the Protocols team, you will design, develop, test, troubleshoot, and maintain high-quality communication interfaces and protocol applications that form a critical connectivity layer within Survalent’s ADMS ecosystem. This role is ideal for a software developer with a strong interest in communication protocols, real-time systems, interoperability, and electric utility technology who enjoys solving complex technical challenges and turning requirements into reliable software solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

Software Development & Protocols

• Design, develop, test, and maintain communication protocols and interfaces for ADMS and related utility applications.
• Build reliable and efficient solutions for real-time data exchange between field devices, control centers, advanced applications, and external systems.
• Translate functional and technical requirements into maintainable software designs and implementation solutions, considering reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Develop protocol functionality in accordance with industry standards, specifications, and customer requirements, while resolving implementation ambiguities and interoperability challenges.
• Take end-to-end ownership of assigned functionality from requirements and technical design through implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

Testing, Troubleshooting & Quality

• Investigate and resolve complex software, communication, and interoperability issues using logs, protocol traces, network captures, debugging tools, and systematic root-cause analysis.
• Develop and maintain automated and manual tests to validate protocol behavior, interoperability, error handling, performance, and edge cases.
• Participate in code reviews and technical design discussions, and contribute to improvements in development practices, testing strategies, and software quality.
• Collaborate with developers, QC, Product Management, Support, Professional Services, and customers to deliver complete and reliable solutions.
• Support the investigation and resolution of high-priority customer issues and communicate technical findings and solutions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Contribute to technical documentation, knowledge sharing, mentoring, and team development, while staying current with relevant communication standards and technologies.

Education, Experience, Knowledge & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of professional software development experience, preferably in real-time, distributed, industrial, utility, or communication software.
• Professional experience developing production-quality software using C# and/or C++.
• Experience working with communication protocols or system integration.
• Understanding of real-time or near-real-time software applications and their operational requirements.
• Good understanding of TCP/IP, UDP, TLS, client/server architectures, sockets, network troubleshooting, and communication reliability.
• Knowledge of object-oriented design, design patterns, version control, debugging, exception handling, performance considerations, and maintainable code.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues and communicate findings clearly.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with utility communication standards such as IEEE 1815 (DNP3), IEC 60870-5-101/104, IEC 61850, ICCP/TASE.2, Modbus, OPC UA, IEEE 2030.5, or similar protocols.
• Experience with WPF, Windows Forms, and the .NET Framework 3.5/4/4.5 or higher.
• Experience developing automated tests and debugging distributed, server-side, communication, or real-time applications.
• Experience in the electric utility, SCADA, ADMS, EMS, DMS, DER, or industrial automation domain.
• Understanding of secure communication concepts such as certificates, authentication, encryption, TLS, and secure key management.
• Experience integrating software with external systems, devices, APIs, databases, or enterprise applications.

This is a full-time permanent position reporting to the Team Lead, Protocol. The salary range for this role is $80,000–$110,000.

About Us:

Survalent Technology Corporation is the leading provider of real-time smart grid management system for enabling visualization, optimization, and improved operations for utilities. For six decades, we have helped more than 800 utilities use operational data to increase reliability, efficiency, and customer service. With our proven and reliable SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), Distribution Management System (DMS), Outage Management System (OMS), and Substation Automation (SA) solutions, utilities transform data into actionable intelligence. We partner with utilities across the globe to create mission critical solutions that will achieve the promise of the Smart Grid.

Survalent values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of all races, color, creed, ancestry, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, marital status, family status, and those with disabilities to apply. We use AI tools to help streamline parts of our recruitment process, but every application is reviewed by a member of our team. Survalent is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing accommodations for persons with disabilities. If you require accommodation, we will work with you to meet your needs.

While we appreciate the interest of all applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.