Senior IEC 61850 Protection Engineer - Digital Substations

Tesco Automation Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Tesco Automation is hiring a Senior IEC 61850 Protection Engineer to design PAC philosophies, protection schemes, and application logic for digital substations. This senior, hands-on role focuses on Siemens DIGSI and ABB/Hitachi PCM600, translating protection principles into robust IEC 61850 implementations across station bus and process bus architectures.

You will develop protection architectures for HV/MV, configure IEDs, perform SCL engineering, and support FAT/SAT and site commissioning,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or closely related discipline.
• Senior-level experience in power system protection with IEC 61850 project delivery.
• Experience designing PAC philosophies, schemes, and logic—not only device configuration.
• Hands-on proficiency with Siemens DIGSI and ABB/Hitachi PCM600.
• Knowledge of IEC 61850 data modeling, SCL files, GOOSE, MMS, and Sampled Values.
• Ability to work independently on complex multi-vendor PAC designs and produce clear engineering documentation.
• Legally eligible to work in the USA and/or Canada.

Responsibilities

• Develop PAC philosophies, protection principles, and logic for HV/EHV and MV applications.
• Design and implement IEC 61850 protection architectures using GOOSE, MMS, and Sampled Values.
• Configure and commission protection IEDs in Siemens DIGSI and ABB/Hitachi PCM600, including function blocks, interlocking, control sequences, and trip logic.
• Perform SCL engineering (ICD/CID/SCD), dataset and control-block design, and multi-vendor system integration.
• Prepare protection specifications, logic diagrams, I/O lists, test plans, and as-built documentation.
• Support FAT, SAT, and site commissioning, including functional testing of IEC 61850-based schemes.
• Troubleshoot protection behavior, communications, and network issues (PRP/HSR, VLANs, PTP timing as applicable).
• Mentor project engineers and contribute to Tesco’s IEC 61850 University training and knowledge-sharing work as needed.
• Travel within North America to support design reviews, testing, and commissioning.

Skills

IEC 61850 experience

Protection design

Multi-vendor PAC design

Independent work

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering

Tools

Siemens DIGSI

ABB PCM600

Omicron testing tools

vPAC/RTDS

Job description

Tesco Automation is hiring a Senior IEC 61850 Protection Engineer to design PAC philosophies, protection schemes, and application logic for digital substations. This senior, hands-on role focuses on Siemens DIGSI and ABB/Hitachi PCM600, translating protection principles into robust IEC 61850 implementations across station bus and process bus architectures.

You will develop protection architectures for HV/MV, configure IEDs, perform SCL engineering, and support FAT/SAT and site commissioning,