Senior Automation Engineer - Substations

Qualus; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Qualus seeks a Senior Automation Engineer to join our Protection & Control team in Canada. You will lead automation, protection, control, and communications systems for high-voltage substations on projects from concept through commissioning, while mentoring others and driving technical ownership.

This role offers long-term workload stability and exposure to a diverse portfolio with utility and renewable-energy clients across 12 kV–500 kV environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from a recognized university.
• Eligible for (or current) P.Eng. registration in Canada.
• 8–15 years of utility automation, protection, control & metering engineering experience.
• Experience with SCADA, RTUs, PLCs, HMIs, telemetry, and substation communications.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership delivering automation, protection, control, and communications for high-voltage substations.
• Serve as Technical Lead guiding designs from conceptual planning through construction and commissioning.
• Develop and review automation philosophies, documents, and system configurations.
• Review one-lines, schematics, wiring diagrams, and panel layouts; support FAT/SAT and field inspections.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to continuous improvement of standards and practices.

Skills

Automation design

Protection & control

SCADA systems

Substation experience

Technical leadership

Mentoring

IEC 61850

HMI

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

PLC configurations

RTU configurations

HMI

Telemetry systems

Job description

Power your future with Qualus in our Transmission & Distribution Canada business. We are seeking a Senior Automation Engineer to join our well-established Protection & Control team of engineers and designers in Canada. This role offers long-term workload stability, exposure to a diverse portfolio of projects, and the opportunity to provide technical leadership across utility and renewable energy clients.

You will work on projects ranging from 12 kV to 500 kV, supporting designs from early concept through construction and commissioning. This opportunity is ideal for a senior engineer who enjoys technical ownership, mentoring others, and solving complex technical challenges.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership to engineers and designers delivering automation, protection, control, and communications systems for high-voltage substations
• Serve as Technical Lead on assigned projects, guiding automation designs from conceptual planning through construction and commissioning
• Develop and review a utomation philosophies and application documents
• Develop and review RTU, PLC, HMI, SCADA, and communications system configurations and documentation
• Develop and review One-lines, schematics, logic diagrams, panel layouts, and wiring diagrams
• Support automation system integration for utility transmission and distribution substations
• Lead or participate in engineering design reviews, factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and field inspections
• Support construction, outage planning, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities
• Participate in client technical meetings, Safety by Design reviews, and constructability reviews
• Prepare or review project scopes, feasibility studies, estimates, and definition-phase deliverables
• Act as a technical point of contact for clients and external partners on assigned projects
• Mentor and develop junior engineers while contributing to the continuous improvement of automation standards, tools, and engineering practices

Minimum Qualifications

• 8-15 years of utility-focused automation, protection, control, and metering engineering experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from a recognized university
• Eligibility for (or current) Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registration in Canada
• Experience with utility automation systems including SCADA, RTUs, PLCs, HMIs, telemetry systems, and substation communications
• Working knowledge of utility communications protocols such as DNP3, Modbus, and IEC 61850
• Experience reviewing and developing automation design deliverables including: l ogic diagrams, RTU and PLC configurations, c ommunications architecture drawings, One-lines, schematics, panel layouts, and wiring diagrams
• Familiarity with integrating automation systems into high-voltage transmission and distribution substations
• Practical knowledge of substation construction, commissioning, and outage planning
• Experience supporting system testing, troubleshooting, and field commissioning activities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience on EPC projects, and familiarity with utility maintenance and operational practices, are considered strong assets

Benefits & Compensation

Qualus offers a competitive benefits package for eligible employees, which may include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, Retirement Savings Plans (including employer matching where applicable), Flexible Spending and/or Health Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), Parental Leave, Paid Time Off, and Company Holidays. Benefits offerings may vary based on position, work location, and eligibility requirements.

The compensation range for this position is provided in accordance with applicable laws and market practices. The final base salary offered may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, internal equity, performance, and business needs. Compensation ranges are subject to change at the Company's discretion and as permitted by applicable law.

Company Overview

Qualus is a leading pure-play power solutions firm and innovator at the forefront of power infrastructure transformation, with differentiated capabilities across grid modernization, resiliency, security, and sustainability. The firm partners with utilities, commercial, industrial, data center, and government clients, and renewable and energy storage developers, offering comprehensive solutions through boutique and integrated advisory, planning, engineering, digital solutions, program management, energy efficiency and specialized field services. Qualus also provides software and technology enabled services and develops breakthrough solutions for critical power industry challenges such as distributed and variable resource integration, emergency management, and secure data exchange. The firm has over 2,000 professionals, with offices throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace and do not discriminate on any grounds protected by applicable human rights legislation across Canada and the US.

We are committed to a secure and transparent hiring process. We do not request payment or sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers or banking details, during the application process. Please use caution and verify opportunities through our official channels.