Hybrid Lead System Protection Engineer — Grid Reliability

Sargent Lundy; Wilmington (DE); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Relocation package

Health benefits

Job summary

Sargent & Lundy seeks a Lead System Protection Engineer to drive protection philosophies, relay settings, and power system studies for transmission and substation projects. You will coordinate protection and control design with substation teams, ensure compliance with IEEE/ANSI/NERC standards, and mentor junior engineers.

The role emphasizes fault analysis, relay coordination, and documentation, with hybrid work arrangements (three days in office, two remote) and relocation support for eligible

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an ABET‑accredited program (or equivalent).
• 10 or more years of experience in system protection engineering for transmission and/or substation projects.
• Strong background in system protection and relay logic, including line, transformer, bus, breaker failure, and capacitor/reactor protection philosophies.
• Proven experience performing fault studies and relay coordination using CAPE and/or ASPEN (or equivalent protection analysis tools).
• Proficiency with at least some of the following relay configuration and settings tools: SEL AcSELerator, EnerVista, Other major OEM relay software.
• Experience working with Powerbase or similar relay/asset databases for managing settings and protection data.
• Demonstrated ability to check and interpret P&C drawings: one-lines, three-lines, schematics, wiring diagrams, logic diagrams, and panel layouts.
• Familiarity with IEEE, ANSI, and NERC/PRC standards related to protection and control.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work directly with utility clients, equipment manufacturers, and construction teams.
• Proven experience leading portions of projects, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, and meeting schedule and quality requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and application of protection philosophies and settings for transmission lines, transformers, buses, and capacitor/reactor banks.
• Perform short-circuit analysis, relay coordination, and time-current curve development.
• Configure, set, and troubleshoot microprocessor-based protective relays using vendor software.
• Use Powerbase to manage relay records, settings, and configuration data and align with client standards.

Skills

Relay settings

Protection philosophies

System protection

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

ABET-accredited EE degree

Tools

SEL AcSELerator

EnerVista

CAPE/ASPEN

Powerbase

OEM relay software

Job description

Sargent & Lundy seeks a Lead System Protection Engineer to drive protection philosophies, relay settings, and power system studies for transmission and substation projects. You will coordinate protection and control design with substation teams, ensure compliance with IEEE/ANSI/NERC standards, and mentor junior engineers.

The role emphasizes fault analysis, relay coordination, and documentation, with hybrid work arrangements (three days in office, two remote) and relocation support for eligible