Senior Operations Electrical Engineer

Invenergy; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Invenergy, headquartered in Chicago, seeks a Senior Operations Electrical Engineer to lead protection and control across wind, solar, and storage assets. You will drive relay schemes, event analysis, and coordination to ensure reliability of high-voltage systems.

Join a team delivering large-scale energy projects and providing technical mentorship to junior engineers while coordinating with operations, asset management, and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering or similar major.
• Experience in protection & control of HV systems.
• Knowledge of NERC PRC standards and compliance.
• Experience with protective relaying schemes and coordination.
• Experience with IBR systems (solar, storage, wind) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead protection & control issues across substations, collection systems and renewables.
• Support regulatory and compliance requirements PRC-028/029/030 and event reporting.
• Lead NERC PRC compliance efforts and relay coordination.
• Develop protection philosophies, relay settings, and coordination strategies.
• Mentor EE1-EE3 engineers and site teams on relay protection.
• Represent Invenergy in industry forums and with utilities/regulators.

Skills

Protection & control

Power systems

Substations

NERC compliance

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering

MS in Electrical Engineering (preferred)

Tools

SEL products

GE Relays

ASPEN/ETAP

Job description

Invenergy is North America’s largest privately held developer, owner, and operator of power infrastructure. With 25 years of trusted execution, we deliver reliable, affordable energy through a diverse portfolio that includes natural gas, solar, land-based wind, energy storage, transmission, and domestic manufacturing. Headquartered in Chicago, we develop, own, and operate large scale projects that power communities and support the energy future.

This position will be open for application for at least 3 calendar days from the posting date. This position will remain open for application based on business need, which may be before or after the 3-day posting window.

Job Description

Position Overview

As a Senior Operations Electrical Engineer, you will provide technical leadership for protection and control systems that support renewable generation, collection systems, substations, and gen tie facilities. This role focuses on protective relays, event analysis and reporting, relay settings and coordination, and protection schemes for inverter-based resources across wind, solar, and battery storage assets

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead technical resource for protection & control issues across high voltage substations, collection systems, and renewable plants, supporting outage investigations, abnormal equipment behavior reviews, and reliability improvement efforts
• Provide technical support for regulatory and compliance requirements PRC-028, PRC-029, PRC-030 related to protection systems, including event reporting, corrective action development, evidence review, and coordination with compliance, operations, and asset management teams.
• Serve as the lead technical resource for NERC PRC compliance efforts, including coordination, settings validation, and performance monitoring for standards such as PRC-005, PRC-019, PRC-025, PRC-027, and emerging IBR-focused standards
• Lead protection coordination and relay settings strategy across the fleet, ensuring alignment with system studies, interconnection requirements, and operational constraints
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and projects, including fleet-wide procedure development, standardization of practices, and evaluation and onboarding of testing vendors and engineering consultants.
• Develop, review, and maintain protection philosophies, relay settings, and coordination strategies.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to EE1-EE3 engineers and site teams, particularly in relay protection, disturbance analysis, and NERC compliance interpretation
• Represent Invenergy in external forums, industry working groups, and engagements with utilities, consultants, and regulatory bodies as needed

Requirements

• BS in Electrical Engineering or similar major
• 5-8+ years of work experience, with experience in protection & control, power systems, substations, or renewable energy applications
• Demonstrated experience in protection & control of HV systems
• Experience with SEL products & tools
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Some travel is required ( < 25%)
• Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.
• Eligible to work in the United States without the need for employer visa sponsorship now or in the future.

PreferredSkills

• Masters in Electrical Engineering, with a Power Systems focus.
• Advanced knowledge of three-phase power systems, substations, and high voltage electrical equipment.
• Advanced experience with protective relaying schemes and coordination, including settings development, relay event analysis, and maloperation investigations.
• Advanced experience with IBR systems (solar, storage, wind), including ride-through performance, controls interaction, and disturbance/event analysis.
• Knowledge and practical field experience of protection system testing and maintenance practices, including NETA-aligned testing, relay maintenance strategies, and data tracking systems.
• Previous experience with ASPEN /ETAP for relay coordination, protection studies, and short-circuit analysis.
• Experience with GE Relays.
• Strong working knowledge of NERC PRC standards.
• Understanding of power system modeling, study interpretation, and coordination with modeling teams or consultants.

Base Pay

140,000.00 - 165,000.00 USD Annual
Bonus: 20% - 30%

The base pay range reflects the minimum and maximum target salary for the position. Invenergy considers a number of factors when determining base pay offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate’s experience, education and skills.

In addition to base pay, the total annual compensation package may also include eligibility to participate in our bonus program(s) which are designed to reward individual and company performance. Your recruiter can share more about bonus eligibility for this position during the hiring process.

Invenergy offers a variety of other benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k, paid time off, etc.

Invenergy LLC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, status as a protected veteran, or disability.