Protection & Control Engineer

K&A Engineering; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401K with Company Match

Flexible PTO

Tuition Reimbursement

Life Insurance

Job summary

K&A Engineering in Cary, NC is looking for a highly motivated Protection and Control Engineer. The role involves leading the design and review of protection systems, ensuring compliance with utility standards, and mentoring junior engineers. The candidate should have a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, over 5 years of substation experience, and familiarity with Duke Progress standards. Benefits include comprehensive insurance plans, 401K matching, and flexible PTO policies.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in substation engineering.
• Experience with Duke Progress standards or substation requirements preferred.
• EIT or PE license preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and review of protection and control systems.
• Ensure compliance with utility standards and NERC reliability requirements.
• Mentor junior engineers and assist in building technical standards.

Skills

Substation engineering

Protection and controls design

Relay protection principles

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE)

Tools

SEL AcSELerator

Job description

K&A Engineering Consulting is a privately held company offering consulting, engineering, and design services to power utility and industrial clients.

Protection and Control Engineer – Cary, NC

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Protection and Control Engineer to join our team at K&A Engineering in Cary, NC. In this role, you will work on challenging projects in the energy and utility sectors.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and review of protection and control systems, including relay one-lines, three-lines, control schematics, logic diagrams, and relay settings coordination.
• Develop and validate protection philosophies for transmission and distribution substations (breaker failure, bus differential, transformer protection, line protection, etc.).
• Oversee integration of SCADA, RTU, HMI, communications networks, and associated control interfaces.
• Ensure compliance with utility standards and NERC reliability requirements—experience with Duke Progress P&C standards highly preferred.
• Serve as a subject‑matter expert for protection and control engineering in client meetings, technical discussions, design reviews, and troubleshooting.
• Support project planning, scoping, estimating, and proposal development.
• Mentor junior engineers and assist in building technical standards, templates, and best practices for the P&C team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from an accredited institution.
• 5+ years of professional experience in substation engineering, with significant exposure to protection and controls design.
• Experience working with Duke Progress standards, processes, or substation project requirements is strongly preferred.
• EIT or PE license preferred.
• Strong understanding of relay protection principles, control circuits, and applicable NERC/IEEE standards.
• Familiarity with substation grounding, lightning protection, bus calculations, cable/conduit design, and equipment specification.
• Prior experience supporting major utility projects; experience with large IOUs is desirable.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with protective relay software tools (e.g., SEL AcSELerator) is a plus.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• FSA, HSA, and Dependent Care Spending Account
• 401K (Traditional and Roth with Company Match)
• Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA)
• Paid Holidays and Flexible PTO
• Tuition Reimbursement, Parking and Transit Reimbursement, and Pet Insurance
• Long-Term Disability, Short-Term Disability, and Life Insurance
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)

The salary range for this role considers a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to technical ability, experience and training, licenses and certifications, and other related skillsets. The disclosed range is an estimate and has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled.