Senior Automation Engineer – Substations

Qualus Corporation; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualus Corporation in Canada seeks a Senior Automation Engineer to join the Protection & Control team. You will lead automation design for 12 kV–500 kV projects and mentor engineers while guiding concepts through commissioning.

You will collaborate with utilities and renewable energy clients, delivering robust automation, protection, and communications solutions and contributing to project scopes, estimates, and deliverables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• 8–15 years in utility automation, protection, control, and metering engineering.
• P.Eng. registration in Canada or eligibility.
• Experience with SCADA, RTUs, PLCs, HMIs, and substation comms.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for automation, protection, control, and communications at high-voltage substations.
• Lead projects from concept through commissioning as Technical Lead.
• Develop automation philosophies, One-lines, schematics, and wiring diagrams.
• Support system integration, FAT/SAT, inspections, and field commissioning.
• Mentor junior engineers and improve automation standards.

Skills

Automation engineering

Protection & control

Substation experience

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

SCADA

RTU

PLC

HMI

Telemetry systems

IEC 61850

Job description

Position Overview

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 automation 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 activitiesParticipate 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: logic diagrams,RTU and PLC configurations, communications 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

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Benefits & Compensation

Qualus benefits offered include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays, for those who qualify.

The final salary awarded for this role may vary from the above range based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. The salary range provided in this job posting may be subject to change for business purposes.

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.

EEO

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.