Relay Field Engineer — Southeast

Ziggurat Automation Inc.; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ziggurat Automation Inc. is seeking an experienced engineer to perform relay testing and field execution on medium‑voltage power systems. You will verify relay settings, perform secondary injections, document as‑found/as‑left results, and ensure wiring integrity across field installations.

Travel 40–60% in the Southeast region (VA, NC, GA, TN, FL) with occasional weekend milestones. You will interact with prime contractors, coordinate testing activities, and deliver test reports compliant with

Qualifications

• 5+ years relay testing and electrical testing on medium-voltage power systems.
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron CMC or Doble F6150 (or equivalent) — trip timing, coordination validation.
• Test report documentation per NETA/ANSI standards — as-found/as-left format.
• Wiring verification: CT/PT ratio checks, continuity testing, relay-to-switchgear terminal verification.
• NFPA 70E compliance: working on or near energized MV switchgear with arc-flash PPE.

Responsibilities

• Perform secondary injection testing for relay protection on project sites.
• Produce test reports in NETA/ANSI format with as-found/as-left settings.
• Verify wiring integrity and CT/PT ratios between relay terminals and switchgear.
• Conduct GOOSE verification post-installation and test trip timing against coordination curves.
• Assist FAT bench testing for controllers and document results.

Skills

Relay testing

Electrical testing

Field testing

Secondary injection testing

NFPA 70E compliance

Tools

Omicron CMC

Doble F6150

AcSELerator QuickSet

Wireshark

Job description

Commissioning & Field Execution

• Charlotte, NC (Field)

Hiring ENG III

• ZA-33009
• Charlotte, NC (Field)
• Field
• Compensation discussed during final conversation

Why This Role Exists

Relay commissioning requires an engineer with test equipment in hand — someone who can perform secondary injection, verify trip timing against coordination curves, and validate wiring from relay terminals to switchgear contacts. This role exists separately from the commissioning engineer because device-level relay testing is a distinct skill from system-level commissioning planning. You test every relay and controller before the system goes live. When the witness testing coordinator asks to see trip timing data, you are the person who produced it.

What You Own

• Secondary injection testing for SEL protection relays — 50/51/50N/51N elements, trip timing verification
• As-found/as-left settings documentation for relay replacements and retrofits
• CT/PT ratio verification and wiring continuity checks from relay terminals to switchgear
• GOOSE subscription verification post-installation — publish/subscribe validation on PRP networks
• Trip timing measurement against coordination study curves — confirming relay behavior matches design intent
• FAT bench testing: DTSC-200 ATS controllers, relay parameter verification, I/O wiring validation

Systems You'll Touch

Vendor Platforms

SEL Woodward Omicron Doble

Software Tools

AcSELerator QuickSet Wireshark

Protocols

IEC 61850 GOOSE

Standards

IEC 62439-3 (PRP/HSR) NFPA 70E IEEE 1584

Test Phases

Secondary injection testing Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) Site Acceptance Test (SAT) Functional performance testing

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

• Performed secondary injection testing on SEL-751 or SEL-700G relays on an active project site
• Produced test reports in NETA/ANSI format with as-found/as-left settings comparison
• Demonstrated NFPA 70E compliance practices during energized MV switchgear testing

First 180 Days

• Independently executing relay-level SAT on project sites — secondary injection, wiring verification, trip timing
• Bench FAT testing for controllers (DTSC-200, easYgen 3400) with parameter and I/O verification
• ZSI GOOSE functional testing: blocking signal verification and selective trip timing across PRP networks

Required Background

• 5+ years relay testing and electrical testing on medium-voltage power systems
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron CMC or Doble F6150 (or equivalent) — trip timing, coordination validation
• Test report documentation per NETA/ANSI standards — as-found/as-left format
• Wiring verification: CT/PT ratio checks, continuity testing, relay-to-switchgear terminal verification
• NFPA 70E compliance: working on or near energized MV switchgear with arc-flash PPE

Preferred Background

• NETA Level II or III certification
• SEL relay testing (AcSELerator QuickSet for settings verification)
• IEC 61850 GOOSE verification — Wireshark capture, publish/subscribe validation
• PRP network failover testing
• Woodward DTSC-200 or easYgen 3400 bench FAT experience

What to Expect in the Field

Travel 40–60% during testing campaigns. Southeast region primarily (VA, NC, GA, TN, FL).

Site Hours Site hours during testing: early starts for LOTO, occasional weekend milestones. Off-hours for energized testing windows.

Customer-Facing Interface with prime contractor commissioning leads during witnessed testing; site safety coordination

Documentation Heavy — test reports, as-found/as-left records, wiring verification checklists, trip timing data sheets

Field Safety NFPA 70E compliance mandatory — arc-flash PPE (Cat 2+ for MV), approach boundaries, LOTO for each relay position, daily safety briefings

Why Ziggurat

• Your test data proves the protection system works — relay settings, coordination curves, and GOOSE messaging all validated by your measurements
• Multi-vendor relay testing: SEL, Woodward, CAT controllers — not limited to one OEM test protocol
• Direct collaboration with the engineers who wrote the settings you are testing — questions get answered by the design authority
• Field expertise valued as engineering input, not treated as a service function

Hiring Process

1. Screen

   Background review against role requirements — vendor platform experience, relevant certifications, project types, and standards familiarity. Quick assessment of baseline alignment before investing either party's time.

   Resume review + 15‑min intro call

2. Technical Review

   Deeper evaluation of technical depth. We review sample work — relay settings files, protection study reports, commissioning test procedures, or SCADA configuration packages — depending on the role. If samples aren't shareable, we discuss specific project scenarios in detail.

   Async work‑sample review or 45‑min technical call

3. Interview

   Scenario-based conversation with the principal engineer. Real project situations: how you'd approach a coordination study for a complex switchgear lineup, sequence a commissioning plan across multiple vendor platforms, or troubleshoot a protection scheme failure during site acceptance testing.

   60‑min video call with founder

4. Exercise / Artifact Review

   A practical evaluation matched to the role. Engineering roles receive a take‑home exercise — review and mark up a set of relay settings, identify gaps in a protection study, or develop a test procedure for a specific scheme. Field-focused roles walk through a commissioning package or test report they've delivered, explaining their methodology and decisions.

   Take-home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)

5. Final Conversation

   Role scope, current project pipeline, working arrangements, and compensation. This is a two‑way conversation — we want to confirm the role fits your goals, not just the other way around.

   30‑min call

This role supports our testing commissioning and relay programming service scopes.