Protection & Controls Lead Engineer

NES Fircroft; Florida; Remote; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

NES Fircroft is seeking an experienced Protection & Control Design Engineer for a remote role based in Florida. The successful candidate will develop protection and control designs for utility, transmission, distribution, and substation projects, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver reliable grid infrastructure.

The role requires a Florida-licensed PE, a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, and 5+ years in protection and control engineering.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering is required.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license in Florida is required.
• Minimum 5+ years of protection and control engineering experience for utility, substation, transmission, or power systems projects.
• Strong understanding of relay protection principles and substation protection schemes.
• Experience preparing protection and control drawings and construction packages.
• Familiarity with IEEE, NEC, NESC and utility design practices.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop protection and control design packages for transmission, distribution, and substation projects.
• Prepare protection and control drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams, and relay settings documentation.
• Design and specify protection systems using modern relay technologies.
• Perform engineering calculations and studies to support designs.
• Coordinate with physical design, transmission, substation, SCADA, telecoms, and civil teams.
• Review equipment specs, vendor drawings and technical submittals for compliance.
• Support project execution from concept to commissioning.
• Participate in QA/QC to ensure accuracy and standards compliance.
• Provide technical support during construction, testing, and commissioning.

Skills

Protection & Control engineering

Relay protection principles

Substation protection schemes

Coordination with multidisciplinary TE

QA/QC reviews

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering

PE License (Florida)

Tools

Relay platforms (SEL, GE, ABB/Hitachi, Siemens, Schweitzer)

Job description

Our client is seeking an experienced Protection & Control (P&C) Design Engineer to join their growing power delivery team. This is a remote opportunity for a licensed Florida Professional Engineer who enjoys the technical aspects of engineering and wants to remain in a hands-on design-focused role.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing protection and control designs for utility, transmission, distribution, and substation projects while collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams. This role offers the opportunity to work on critical grid infrastructure projects supporting reliability, modernization, and system growth throughout the region.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop protection and control engineering design packages for transmission, distribution, and substation projects.
• Prepare and review protection and control drawings, including schematics, wiring diagrams, AC/DC elementary diagrams, panel layouts, cable schedules, and relay settings documentation.
• Design and specify protection systems utilizing modern protective relay technologies.
• Perform engineering calculations and studies to support protection and control system designs.
• Develop construction work packages and technical deliverables for new installations, upgrades, and modernization projects.
• Coordinate closely with physical design, transmission line, substation, SCADA, telecommunications, and civil engineering teams.
• Review equipment specifications, vendor drawings, and technical submittals for compliance with project requirements.
• Support project execution from conceptual design through construction and commissioning.
• Participate in QA/QC reviews to ensure engineering accuracy, consistency, and compliance with applicable standards.
• Provide technical support during construction, testing, and commissioning activities as required.
• Interface with clients, project managers, and stakeholders to support project delivery and schedule requirements.
• Maintain project documentation and engineering records in accordance with company and client standards.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license in the State of Florida.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in protection and control engineering for utility, substation, transmission, or power systems projects.
• Strong understanding of relay protection principles and substation protection schemes.
• Experience preparing protection and control design drawings and construction packages
• Knowledge of transmission and distribution system operations and electrical engineering fundamentals.
• Familiarity with industry standards including IEEE, NEC, NESC, and utility design practices.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, municipalities, or engineering consulting firms.
• Familiarity with SEL, GE, ABB/Hitachi, Siemens, or Schweitzer relay platforms.
• Experience with substation modernization and grid reliability projects.
• Exposure to relay coordination, fault analysis, and system protection studies.
• Previous experience supporting construction, commissioning, or startup activities.