Hybrid Lead System Protection Engineer

Sargent & Lundy; Chattanooga (TN); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

401(k)

Paid vacation

Tuition assistance

Flexible work arrangements

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Sargent & Lundy in Tennessee is seeking a Lead System Protection Engineer to join our Grid Services team. Primary responsibility includes protection philosophies, relay settings, and system studies for transmission and substation projects, with a secondary role in P&C design coordination.

Ideal candidates will have ABET‑accredited EE degrees, 10+ years of protection experience, and proficiency with CAPE/ASPEN, SEL AcSELerator, EnerVista, and Powerbase.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited degree in electrical engineering or equivalent.
• 10+ years in system protection for transmission/substation projects.
• Strong knowledge of protection philosophies, relay settings, and fault studies.
• Experience with CAPE/ASPEN or equivalent protection analysis tools.
• Familiar with SEL AcSELerator, EnerVista, and major OEM relay software.
• Experience using Powerbase or similar relay databases.
• Ability to read P&C drawings: one-lines, three-lines, schematics, wiring diagrams.
• Familiar with IEEE, ANSI, and NERC/PRC standards.
• Strong written and verbal communication with utility clients, manufacturers, and field teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and application of protection settings for lines, transformers, buses, and capacitor banks.
• Perform protection studies: short-circuit analysis, relay coordination, and time-current curves.
• Configure and troubleshoot microprocessor relays using vendor software.
• Manage relay records and documentation in Powerbase and ensure change control.
• Support event analysis, misoperation investigations, and scheme adjustments.
• Develop and review P&C design documents: one‑lines, three‑lines, wiring and panel layouts.
• Provide P&C requirements and markups for protection schemes and communications.
• Support commissioning, field energization, RFIs, and protection-related startup activities.

Skills

Relay protection

Protection studies

Communication skills

Team leadership

Electrical power systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (ABET-accredited)

Tools

SEL AcSELerator

EnerVista

CAPE

ASPEN

Powerbase

Job description

Sargent & Lundy in Tennessee is seeking a Lead System Protection Engineer to join our Grid Services team. Primary responsibility includes protection philosophies, relay settings, and system studies for transmission and substation projects, with a secondary role in P&C design coordination.

Ideal candidates will have ABET‑accredited EE degrees, 10+ years of protection experience, and proficiency with CAPE/ASPEN, SEL AcSELerator, EnerVista, and Powerbase.