Principal Engineer - Substation Protection & Control

Qualus; California; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance

Disability coverage

Retirement Savings Plans

Flexible Spending/HSA

EAP

Parental Leave

Paid Time Off

Company Holidays

Job summary

Qualus is seeking a Principal Protection and Control Engineer to lead our Protection & Control team in Canada. You will own complex HV substations protection philosophy, oversee studies, and provide final technical direction across multiple projects, including renewables, with a focus on mentoring engineers.

You will engage in client meetings, risk assessments, and delivery strategies, ensuring design integrity from concept through commissioning.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of utility protection, control, and metering engineering experience with system-level responsibility.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from a recognized university.
• P.Eng. in Canada or US PE eligibility (US PE asset).
• Expertise in substation protection philosophy including transmission, transformer, bus and feeder protection.
• Experience reviewing and approving detailed P&C design drawings and relay settings.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Protection & Control SME, providing governance across projects and programs.
• Set and uphold protection philosophy, standards, and best practices for HV substations.
• Serve as Principal Engineer or Technical Authority on complex projects and provide final technical direction.
• Review protection planning, one-lines, schematics, and wiring diagrams for accuracy.
• Oversee coordination studies and relay settings for HV transmission systems.

Skills

P.Eng./US-PE

High-voltage P&C

Mentoring

Project leadership

Protection software

Substation design

Education

Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Aspen

CAPE

EasyPower

SKM

SEL/GE relays

Job description

Power your future with Qualus as a Principal Protection and Control Engineer, to join our well-established Protection & Control team of engineers and designers in Canada, in our Transmission & Distribution Canada business. This role offers long-term workload stability, exposure to a diverse portfolio of projects, and the opportunity to provide technical leadership across utility and renewable energy clients.

You will work on projects ranging from 12 kV to 500 kV, supporting designs from early concept through construction and commissioning. This opportunity is ideal for a principal engineer who enjoys technical ownership, mentoring others, and solving complex system-level challenges.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Qualus’ Protection & Control Subject Matter Expert (SME), providing technical governance across multiple projects and programs
• Set and uphold protection, control, and metering philosophy, standards, and best practices for high voltage substations
• Serve as Principal Engineer or Technical Authority on complex, high risk, or non standard projects, providing final technical approval and direction
• Provide review and approval of:
• Protection planning, philosophy, and application documents
• One-lines, schematics, logic diagrams, panel layouts, and wiring diagrams
• Oversee protection coordination studies and relay settings for utility transmission systems, including review and validation of work performed by others
• Chair or participate in senior-level design reviews, hazard and risk assessments, and near miss investigations
• Support Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), Site Acceptance Tests (SATs), and critical field inspections for complex installations
• Advise project teams on construction sequencing, outage planning, and commissioning strategy
• Participate in client technical, Safety by Design, and constructability review meetings
• Provide technical oversight for project scopes, feasibility studies, cost estimates, and definition-phase deliverables, including review of assumptions and risks
• Support Business Development by contributing technical strategy, execution approaches, and risk assessments for proposals and pursuits
• Act as a primary technical escalation point for clients, internal teams, and external partners
• Mentor senior and junior engineers, and play a key role in the continuous improvement of P&C standards, tools, and engineering practices

Minimum Qualifications

• 20+ years of utility-focused protection, control, and metering engineering experience, with demonstrated system-level responsibility
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from a recognized university
• Registration as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Canada, or eligibility to obtain (U.S. PE considered an asset)
• Recognized expertise in substation protection philosophy, including transmission line, transformer, bus, and feeder protection
• Extensive experience reviewing and approving detailed P&C design drawings and technical deliverables
• Experience performing protection coordination studies and relay settings for high-voltage transmission systems
• Hands-on knowledge of protection software and platforms such as ASPEN, CAPE, EasyPower, SKM, and SEL / GE relay families
• Practical experience with substation construction, commissioning, outage planning, and operational interfaces
• Proven ability to provide technical judgment on non standard, complex, or first of kind applications
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience on EPC projects, and familiarity with utility maintenance and operational practices, are considered strong assets
• Demonstrated capability to mentor

Benefits & Compensation

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage
• Retirement Savings Plans (including employer matching where applicable)
• Flexible Spending and/or Health Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Parental Leave
• Paid Time Off
• Company Holidays

The compensation range for this position is provided in accordance with applicable laws and market practices. The final base salary offered may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, internal equity, performance, and business needs. Compensation ranges are subject to change at the Company's discretion and as permitted by applicable law.

Company Overview

Qualus is a leading pure-play power solutions firm and innovator at the forefront of power infrastructure transformation, with differentiated capabilities across grid modernization, resiliency, security, and sustainability. The firm partners with utilities, commercial, industrial, data center, and government clients, and renewable and energy storage developers, offering comprehensive solutions through boutique and integrated advisory, planning, engineering, digital solutions, program management, energy efficiency and specialized field services. Qualus also provides software and technology enabled services and develops breakthrough solutions for critical power industry challenges such as distributed and variable resource integration, emergency management, and secure data exchange. The firm has over 2,000 professionals, with offices throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace and do not discriminate on any grounds protected by applicable human rights legislation across Canada and the US.

We are committed to a secure and transparent hiring process. We do not request payment or sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers or banking details, during the application process. Please use caution and verify opportunities through our official channels.