Lead Substation Relay Technician - Protection and Testing

Utilities Service, LLC; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Asplundh Electrical Testing is seeking a Senior Relay Technician to lead protective relay testing, calibration, and commissioning for medium- and high-voltage substations. You will guide crews, ensure safety practices, and contribute to outage planning and system reliability.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in utility protection, hands‑on experience with 5kV–500kV systems, and strong knowledge of microprocessor relays and modern relay test platforms.

Qualifications

• 5+ years hands-on experience in protective relaying for utility substations.
• Experience testing medium- to high-voltage protection systems (5kV–500kV).
• Strong working knowledge of microprocessor-based relays.
• Experience with modern relay test platforms.
• Understanding of utility safety rules, energized work practices, and lockout/tagout procedures.
• Ability to interpret protection diagrams, AC/DC schematics, wiring and logic drawings.
• Valid driver’s license; ability to work outdoors, travel, and lift up to 70 lbs.

Responsibilities

• Lead job briefings and safety tailboards, reinforcing a safety‑first field culture.
• Perform protective relay testing, calibration, troubleshooting, and commissioning on medium- and high‑voltage systems.
• Test and validate transmission and distribution protection schemes, including distance, differential, overcurrent, breaker failure, and bus protection.
• Verify control and protection circuits for power transformers and medium/high‑voltage breakers.
• Support outage planning, switching coordination, energization, and restoration activities.
• Lead and mentor onsite technicians; coordinate work with project managers, system operators, and utility customers.
• Create and maintain accurate test reports, as‑left settings, and field documentation.
• Participate in job walks, project estimating, and customer technical discussions.

Skills

Protective relaying

HV testing

Microprocessor relays

Relay test platforms

Safety practices

Field mentoring

Education

NETA Level III/IV Certification

Electrical technical degree

OSHA 10 or OSHA 30

Tools

Circuit breakers

Power transformers

Switchgear

RTUs & substation comms

Job description

Asplundh Electrical Testing is seeking a Senior Relay Technician to lead protective relay testing, calibration, and commissioning for medium- and high-voltage substations. You will guide crews, ensure safety practices, and contribute to outage planning and system reliability.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in utility protection, hands‑on experience with 5kV–500kV systems, and strong knowledge of microprocessor relays and modern relay test platforms.