Validation Engineer

First Recruitment Group; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm in the UK seeks a Validation Engineer to perform testing on protection and control schemes for grid automation. The role demands over 5 years of experience in embedded firmware testing and familiarity with tools like Omicron CMC2/356. The ideal candidate will also be proficient in both manual and automated testing. This position offers a 6-month contract based in Stafford.

Qualifications

• Understanding and testing protection systems for electrical grid components.
• Familiarity with IEC61850 communication standard is a plus.
• Experience as a Commission Engineer preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and review test plans and validation reports.
• Create test setups using IEDs and Power System Simulators.
• Perform both manual and automated testing.

Skills

Testing protection & control schemes

Strong analytical skills

Troubleshooting skills

Communication skills

Education

Minimum of 5+ years in embedded firmware testing

Tools

Omicron CMC2/356

Jira

Bugzilla

Job description

Overview

One of our top Engineering Clients is looking for a Validation Engineer (Protection & Control) to join their team in Stafford on a 6 month+ contract basis.

Role Purpose:

• The Engineer for Grid Automation will be responsible for testing protection function i.e. distance protection, line diff and others and control modules in embedded firmware for grid solution products. This involves planning, executing, and documenting a variety of tests such as product level and system-level validation, focusing on protection schemes and algorithms in both utility and industrial settings.

The candidate must have good hands-on in testing protection & control schemes, sound knowledge on various protection and control algorithms used in utility and industrial environment, user configurations and programmable logic. Experience in using different test equipment and their associated SW, such as secondary injection kits, from different manufacturers is a must.

Job Role Responsibilities:

• Test Planning & Execution: Develop and review test plans and validation reports based on product requirements and specifications. Estimate, plan, and execute tests including unit, integration, regression, and system-level tests. Ensure test procedures and reporting meet quality standards and timelines.
• Test Setup & Equipment: Create test setups using IEDs, Power System Simulators (Omicron, Megger, Doble), and secondary injection kits. Work with protection relays, SCADA systems, and Data Acquisition Systems to fully understand and test them.
• Manual & Automated Testing: Perform both manual and automated testing depending on business requirements. Execute performance and breakpoint testing, and support test automation framework development.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with firmware development and testing teams for requirements gathering, test planning, and issue resolution. Identify, report, and troubleshoot issues in firmware, hardware, and software dependencies.
• Documentation & Reporting: Produce validation and verification reports, and maintain test documentation. Utilize defect tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Bugzilla) to document and manage identified issues.

Experience / Skills / Knowledge / Qualifications

• Distance Protection Testing: Understanding and testing protection systems for electrical grid components, possibly in virtualized environments to simulate real-time scenarios. This could involve automated testing tools and techniques to ensure stability and reliability.
• IEC61850 Experience (Nice to Have): IEC61850 is a communication standard for electrical substations. If applicable, this could involve testing virtualized control systems or simulators for substation automation.
• Omicron CMC2/356 Device Familiarity (Strongly recommended): The CMC356 is a testing device used for commissioning and maintaining protection relays. If your project involves virtualized testing of protection systems, familiarity with such a device is important.

Qualifications:

• Experience: Commission Engineer (Big advantage and highly preferred but not mandatory)
• Experience: Minimum of 5+ years in embedded firmware testing, with experience in protection and control schemes and relays.
• Skills: Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and communication skills; ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Desired Characteristics:

• Previous work experience as a field engineer
• Proactive & Result-Oriented: Self-starter with the ability to deliver results efficiently.
• Collaborative Team Player: Able to foster good relationships and collaborate across functional areas.
• Customer-Centric: Able to understand and identify customer requirements and address gaps.

Company information

At First Recruitment Group we understand just how important it is to secure the right people. We actively recruit at all levels and this is a superb opportunity for a Validation Engineer looking for new employment. We strive to be an equal opportunities employer and we are always looking to increase the diversity of our workforce.