Senior/Lead Power Systems Protection Engineer

Elevate Energy Consulting; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Elevate Energy Consulting is seeking a Senior or Lead Power Systems Protection Engineer to tackle critical projects in protection system design and regulatory compliance. The ideal candidate will exhibit strong technical and project management skills and will be responsible for leading design studies and analyzing system performance.

This fully remote position requires expertise in NERC standards and offers opportunities for mentorship and collaboration with clients and teams. Additional responsibilities include conducting event analyses and delivering presentations to enhance best practices in the field.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in system protection engineering.
• Experience with NERC PRC standards compliance.
• Proficiency with protection design tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead protection system design and coordination studies.
• Analyze protection system performance for root causes.
• Support clients in NERC compliance activities.

Skills

Protection engineering

Analytics

Project management

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in electrical engineering

Tools

ASPEN OneLiner

CAPE

SEL AcSELerator

Job description

This role will play a key part in helping the organization tackle critical projects related to protection system design, relay coordination, event analysis, and regulatory compliance in a rapidly evolving power system landscape. We are seeking a versatile and motivated individual to join our team as a Senior or Lead Power Systems Protection Engineer. This is a technical engineering role that requires a proactive professional with strong protection engineering skills, analytics, and project management abilities. The ideal candidate will be adept at managing a variety of technical protection engineering projects, including relay coordination studies, event analysis, compliance with NERC PRC standards, and supporting renewable energy integration. This is a unique opportunity to join a team of industry leaders with a clear mission and vision.

Roles and Responsibilities

This senior/lead role will be responsible for serving as a subject matter expert on protection engineering, providing technical oversight, and ensuring exceptional project delivery.

The following are a list of roles, responsibilities, and projects related to this position:

• Lead and conduct protection system design and coordination studies, including relay settings, coordination analysis, and protection scheme development for transmission, distribution, and renewable energy interconnections.
• Analyze system faults and protection system performance, including root cause analysis of misoperations using tools such as ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, SEL AcSELerator, or equivalent.
• Support clients in NERC compliance activities, including PRC-005 (Protection System Maintenance and Testing), PRC-019 (Voltage Coordination), PRC-027 (Coordination during Fault), PRC-029 (Inverter-Based Resource Ride-through), and other relevant standards.
• Develop and review relay settings to ensure proper system protection, selectivity, dependability, and security.
• Review short-circuit study results of generation interconnections and provide analysis and recommendations to clients.
• Integrate protection studies with broader power system engineering analyses, including powerflow, dynamics, and EMT studies, to ensure reliable operation under changing grid conditions.
• Develop technical reports, presentations, and documentation to support project deliverables and client communication.
• Conduct event analysis of system disturbances to identify lessons learned, root causes, and recommend mitigation measures.
• Stay current with emerging technologies (e.g., IEC 61850, wide-area protection schemes, grid-forming inverter interactions) and their impact on protection system design and operation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., system planners, renewable developers, large load customers) to integrate protection system requirements into broader grid modernization projects.
• Provide subject matter expertise and mentorship to junior engineers on protection engineering best practices.
• Deliver technical presentations to clients and across the industry to share insights and elevate best practices in protection engineering.
• Meet with clients (virtual and in-person as needed) to understand needs and deliver actionable, strategic guidance.

Qualifications

Candidates should have the following required qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in electrical engineering with a specialization in power systems engineering (or a closely related field) from an accredited college or university.
• At least 5+ years of deep technical experience in system protection engineering, including relay settings, testing, coordination studies, and event analysis.
• Specialized experience in NERC PRC standards compliance, including evidence preparation, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Understand protection and control systems and know how to get information from protection and control diagrams (single-line, three-line, logic, etc.), equipment test reports, and manuals.
• Proficiency with short-circuit analysis and protection design tools, including ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, SEL AcSELerator, or equivalent.
• Experience working with protection system hardware and software from major manufacturers (e.g., SEL, GE, ABB, Siemens).
• Familiarity with protection relay test procedures, test plan developments, and test reports.
• Familiarity with powerflow, dynamics, and/or EMT simulations to understand protection system impacts on system behavior.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical requirements into actionable recommendations.
• Strong interpersonal skills, presentation abilities, and the capability to build strategic relationships with clients and industry peers.
• A self-motivated, driven individual with the ability to work independently and adapt in a dynamic environment.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to sit and/or stand for prolonged periods of time at a computer.
• Ability to travel to job sites, both in an office environment and in the field.
• The title for this role will be determined based on the qualifications of the candidate and on performance through the interview process.
• A background check will be conducted prior to employment.
• All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States or Canada and must complete employment eligibility verification documentation upon hire, in compliance with federal law.
• This is a fully remote role with some travel expected; a passport is required for North American and other international travel.
• This position has been classified as exempt.