Application Engineer - Automation

Selinc; Washington; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Superior benefits

Stock ownership plan (ESOP)

Job summary

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is seeking an Application Engineer to work with electric utilities, industrial automation, and critical infrastructure customers. You will be a trusted technical advisor, designing, implementing, and optimizing SEL protection, automation, and communications solutions.

This role supports pre- and post-sales activities, travels to customer sites about 25-30%, and collaborates with engineering, manufacturing, and support teams to ensure reliable deployments

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or related field.
• Hands-on experience with power systems, protection relays, automation systems, or industrial control systems is preferred.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to engage with customers and internal teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical representative of SEL, liaising between customers and SEL engineering, manufacturing, and support teams.
• Provide technical expertise on protection, automation, and communications solutions in pre- and post-sales engagements.
• Support sales with system design, device selection, and solution architecture.

Skills

Customer engagement

Power systems knowledge

Problem solving

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Protection relays

Automation systems

Industrial control systems

Job description

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) designs and manufactures products and solutions that protect and control power systems around the world. For over 40 years, SEL has been at the forefront of innovation in protective relays, automation, communications, and cybersecurity, helping utilities and industrial customers improve reliability, safety, and efficiency of critical infrastructure where failure is not an option.

Today, SEL technology operates in substations, industrial plants, renewable generation facilities, and mission-critical infrastructure worldwide.

Are you the person we're looking for?

Our customers in electric utilities, industrial automation, renewable energy, and critical infrastructure rely on SEL for dependable protection, automation, and control solutions. As an Application Engineer, you will work directly with these customers as a trusted technical advisor, helping them design, implement, and optimize SEL solutions.

You will serve as a key technical resource supporting both pre- and post-sales activities, building strong customer relationships, supporting system design decisions, and ensuring successful deployment of SEL technologies.

You are someone who thrives at the intersection of engineering and customer engagement. You enjoy solving complex power system and automation challenges, but you also understand how technical decisions impact operational reliability and business outcomes. You can collaborate with protection and automation engineers one hour and support a sales engineer in closing a project the next. You are curious, practical, and driven to help customers build safe and reliable systems.

In return, SEL offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, professional development opportunities, and the chance to work on mission-critical infrastructure alongside a highly collaborative and purpose-driven team.

We are open to hiring this role in our Burnaby or Calgary offices.

In this role, you will:

• Serve as the technical representative of SEL, acting as a liaison between customers and SEL engineering, manufacturing, and support teams
• Provide technical expertise on SEL protection, automation, and communications solutions in both pre-sales and post-sales engagements
• Support the sales team with consultative technical guidance, including system design, device selection, and solution architecture
• Assist customers with application design, settings development, configuration, testing, and commissioning support
• Manage customer technical requirements from project initiation through commissioning and ongoing support
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customer engineering and operations teams to identify new opportunities and ensure long-term success
• Deliver technical presentations, training sessions, and demonstrations both on-site and virtually
• Participate in industry events, trade shows, and technical seminars representing SEL
• Develop and maintain knowledge of industry trends, standards, and competitive solutions to support continuous improvement
• Travel to customer sites as needed (typically 25-30% travel)

You will have:

• Experience working at the intersection of customer engagement and engineering, ideally in a technical sales or application engineering role
• Hands‑on experience with power systems, protection relays, automation systems, or industrial control systems
• Strong understanding of power system fundamentals, including protection schemes, SCADA, communications protocols (e.g., DNP3, IEC 61850), and substation automation
• Experience with commissioning, testing, or configuring protective relays and control systems is an asset
• Familiarity with industrial networking and cybersecurity principles is an asset
• Knowledge of utility, industrial, or renewable energy markets
• Broad understanding of trends in grid modernization, digital substations, and power system reliability
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect technical solutions to customer value
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to perform effectively in high‑pressure field or customer environments
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience

Ability to write and speak English coherently

Bonus qualifications:

• Experience with SEL products or similar protection and control platforms
• Knowledge of power system protection standards and practices (IEEE, IEC)
• Experience with SEL software, and/or SEL RTAC & Automation platforms
• Background in substation commissioning, protection coordination, or system studies

Competitive pay. Superior benefits. Inspiring work.

People are at the core of our company and we hire employee-owners. We welcome you to learn more about how we support employees.

We're 100% employee owned. Retirement benefits include an employer funded stock ownership plan (ESOP) and