Program Manager, Commissioning and Testing

LUMA Energy; San Juan (PR); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

LUMA Energy seeks a senior professional to lead testing and commissioning strategy for its large-scale PAC and IEC-61850 projects. You will coordinate engineering, field teams, and vendors across a multi-year pipeline to ensure safe energization and schedule adherence.

The role requires a decade of relevant experience, strong leadership, and deep knowledge of high-voltage testing and protection schemes. Master’s or PMI credentials are preferred, with a focus on governance and asset documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in project management or electrical engineering or related field.
• Project management experience with multi-year programs and cross-functional teams.
• Experience overseeing testing, commissioning, and energization in high-voltage environments.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with stakeholders and vendors.
• Hands-on exposure to IEC 61850/GOOSE/SV/MMS and SCADA/EMS testing preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead testing and commissioning strategy for large-scale PAC and IEC-61850 projects.
• Coordinate engineering, field, and vendor teams across multiple yards and years.
• Ensure compliance with design intent, schedules, and approved budgets.
• Manage documentation, test reports, and asset records for handover.
• Guide governance and risk management across project milestones.

Skills

Project management

Electrical engineering

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in project management or electrical engineering

Master’s degree or PMP/CAMP/Agile preferred

Job description

Leads testing and commissioning strategy for LUMA’s large-scale, flagship PAC and IEC-61850 special projects, coordinating engineering, field, and vendor teams across a multi-year project pipeline to ensure safe, compliant, and schedule-driven energization outcomes.

Responsibilities:

• Oversees the planning, execution, and validation of testing and commissioning plans for high-voltage PAC systems — including laboratory-based testing, drawing/schematic interpretation, and energization and in-service checks — to ensure alignment with design intent prior to field deployment.
• Manages and coordinates testing supervision for high-voltage apparatus (instrument transformers, circuit breakers, transformers, capacitor banks) and AC/DC station service equipment, including relay testing across transmission lines, bus configurations, feeders, and breakers, and protection scheme testing (differential, POTT, distance, breaker failure, reclosing, interlocking, and coordinated logic validation).
• Leads extensive IEC-61850 engineering — SCL file management, GOOSE matrices, Sampled Values (SV) streams, MMS communication testing, and PRP/HSR redundancy validation — and full SCADA/EMS end-to-end testing requiring coordination across Operations, SCADA, PAC, Communications, and Field Services.
• Serves as the centralized coordination point for contractors, field crews, PAC Engineering, SCADA, Communications, and external vendors, ensuring increased program documentation, oversight, governance, and schedule control across multi-yard and high-voltage projects.
• Ensures all logic drawings, test reports, as-built records, and acceptance packages meet LUMA Asset Management requirements, supporting accurate documentation and seamless asset integration.
• Manages program budgets across assigned projects, ensuring cost control, accurate forecasting, and resource allocation aligned with project milestones and delivery timelines.
• Monitors risks and dependencies across projects to proactively address challenges and maintain progress.
• Monitors, applies and guides team compliance with utility standards, labor agreements and regulatory requirements; and reinforces company policies, procedures, and standards, ensuring robust compliance with all applicable laws, industry regulations, and internal governance requirements.
• Leads and validates the planning and execution of restoration and emergency preparedness activities to strengthen operational resilience and response capacity.
• Assumes and oversees expanded duties aligned with organizational priorities and professional scope to drive departmental effectiveness and strategic alignment.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in project management, electrical engineering related field. Master’s degree in project management or professional certifications as PMP, CAMP, Agile, are preferred.

Experience

• 10 years' relevant experience in a similar functional role; progressively responsible experience managing projects, preferably within a corporate or cross-functional environment;
• Experience developing project plans, timelines, and deliverables using project management tools;
• Experience managing commissioning and testing operations, teams, defining work plans and achieving departmental objectives.
• Coursework in power system analysis or protection preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership across functional teams and technical communication skills required.
• Hands-on experience with high-voltage PAC systems, relay testing, and IEC 61850 (GOOSE/SV/MMS) strongly preferred.

Additional education may substitute for the required experience when it aligns with the competencies and knowledge necessary for the role:

• Master’s degree in engineering or project management, or bachelor’s degree accompanied by a professional certification in project management or professional engineering license with a minimum of 6 years of progressive relevant engineering experience with at least 3 years’ experience in a project manager role, similar role or proven experience working and leading simultaneous projects.
• PAC Systems & IEC-61850 Engineering: Applies deep technical knowledge of protection, automation, and control systems, including IEC-61850 architecture (SCL, GOOSE, SV, MMS, PRP/HSR), to guide complex commissioning efforts.
• Testing & Commissioning Methodology: Directs high-voltage apparatus, protection scheme, and SCADA/EMS testing to ensure system integrity and alignment with design intent prior to energization.
• Program & Portfolio Management: Plans and manages multiple concurrent large-scale projects across a multi-year pipeline, balancing scope, schedule, and resource demands.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Serves as the central point of contact across Operations, PAC Engineering, SCADA, Communications, Field Services, contractors, and vendors to ensure aligned execution.
• Documentation & Asset Management: Ensures test reports, logic drawings, as-built records, and acceptance packages meet Asset Management standards for accurate, audit-ready documentation.

Licenses/Certifications

Required:

• Valid driver’s license

Preferred:

• Professional Certifications in Project Management as PMP, CAMP, Agile, among others.
• Professional Engineer License issued by the Examining Board for Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico.
• Be a member of the Puerto Rico College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR).

Travel Requirements

• 60%

LUMA Energy is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, military status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal or local laws.