Engineer - Protection Analyst

Cleco; Pineville (LA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Cleco in Louisiana is seeking an Engineer II – Protection Analyst to monitor and improve protection systems for generation and transmission. You will analyze fault data, support protective relays, and collaborate with teams to ensure reliability and safety.

The role emphasizes continuous improvement, regulatory readiness, fault studies, and incident analysis, with duties spanning system modeling, compliance reporting, restoration support, and optimization of protection schemes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering; FE eligibility or NCEES certification preferred.
• 3–5+ years of related experience.
• Strong business acumen in the Utility industry.
• Strong knowledge of leading practices for protection systems.
• Strong planning and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Champions safety, integrity, and operational excellence.
• SME during regulatory audits in generation and transmission protection.
• Administer disturbance reporting systems and maintain configurations.
• Design, procure, and field protection system changes.
• Develop and maintain the transmission short circuit model.
• Conduct fault studies and share results with clients and internal teams.
• Analyze disturbance records to locate faults and aid restoration.
• Maintain operational records and system performance metrics.
• Identify and implement compliance reports for fault detection.
• Support restoration after catastrophic events and maintain situational awareness.
• Design monitoring systems to meet objectives.

Skills

Protection systems knowledge

Fault modeling

Regulatory audits experience

Project management

Teamwork

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (ABET) or FE eligibility

Job description

At Cleco, we're not just powering lives—we're powering a cleaner, smarter future for Louisiana. With bold investments in innovative energy solutions, we’re transforming how we power our communities: smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable. This is a long-term commitment to our people and our communities because our future—and the future of generations to come—depends on it. If you're ready to make an impact where it matters most, join us at Cleco— where we're Energizing Your Tomorrow.

The Engineer II – Protection Analyst is a professional position for an electrical engineer with experience in monitoring the performance and capabilities of generation and transmission elements, devices, and protection systems. The engineer provides technical support to other personnel in the area of fault modeling and protection system evaluation. The engineer seeks continuous improvement to optimize every aspect of the assigned responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence.
• Acts as the subject matter expert during regulatory audits in generation and transmission elements, devices, and protection systems.
• Administer the disturbance reporting systems of the transmission network. This includes configuring and maintaining existing systems, evaluating the coverage and recommending the installation or removal of systems as needs change.
• Design, procure, and direct the fielding of systems and configuration changes.
• Develop and maintain the transmission short circuit model.
• Conduct fault studies and provide study results to current and potential Cleco customers, other utilities, and internal departments.
• Acquire and analyze disturbance records to identify the fault location, aid in service restoration, and to verify proper transmission and generation equipment application and operation.
• Maintain operational records and report system performance metrics.
• Maintain lightning detection systems and data.
• Integrate lightning system data into disturbance analysis processes and notify field personnel of suspected lightning equipment strikes.
• Develop compliance reports in the arena of fault detection and analysis.
• Work closely with the compliance monitoring department to ensure compliance in all responsible areas.
• Perform protection fault studies in support of protection setting development.
• Verifies the coordinated operation of existing and proposed protection system settings.
• Monitors budget adherence and provides variance explanation.
• Assists with the restoration of the transmission system after catastrophic events by facilitating communication, retrieving event records, and maintaining situational awareness.
• Proactively reports needed information to the manager.
• Designs monitoring systems as needed to meet departmental objectives.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Salary dependent on experience, skills, and training.

Qualifications Required

• Education, Skills & Experience Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an ABET accredited curriculum or with NCEES Certification to sit for the FE 3-5+ years of related experience Step progression levels based on skill proficiency and scope of job.
• Strong business acumen pertaining to the Utility industry
• Strong knowledge of leading practices for protection systems
• Strong planning and project management skills
• Willingness and ability to learn new technologies on the job
• Proficient at functioning effectively within a team environment, present ideas and opinions in a respective and collegial manner
• Progression to this level is strictly restricted based on critical individual capabilities and business requirements; must be supported by market survey data
• Licenses and Certifications FE Certification preferred

Key Competencies

BEHAVIORAL

• Building Organizational Talent*
• Building Partnerships
• Leading Teams
• Business Acumen
• Communication
• Courage
• Building Self-Insight
• Building Talent*
• Driving for Results
• Energizing the Organization
• Driving Execution
• Building Trusting Relationships
• Driving Innovation
• Planning and Organizing Safety
• Establishing Strategic Direction

TECHNICAL

• Analytical skills
• Compliance
• Equipment utilization
• Transmission operations
• Transmission operations quality
• Transmission operations resource management
• Transmission operations risk management

May perform other duties as assigned.

Salary dependent on experience, skills, and training.