Senior Power Automation Engineer - Data Center

ETAP Software; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ETAP Software is seeking a Senior Data Center Automation Engineer in Houston, TX, to lead on-site commissioning of microgrid control and power management for hyperscale data centers. Hybrid work arrangement with frequent travel supports continuous lifecycle service, from energization to post-Deployment maintenance.

You will work with master controllers, field automation hardware, and IEC 61131-3 logic to ensure reliable, dispatchable power, coordinating with clients and utility partners

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent hands-on experience in electrical power systems.
• 5+ years commissioning electrical SCADA/EPMS or 3+ years with real-time control.
• Experience with real-time automation controllers (SEL RTAC preferred).
• Proficient with Modbus and DNP3 across TCP/serial.
• Knowledge of IEC 61850 GOOSE and IEC 61131-3 (ST/FBD/FB).

Responsibilities

• Lead on-site commissioning of microgrid control and power management systems through testing, energization, and acceptance.
• Configure, test, and troubleshoot master controllers and field automation controllers (SEL RTAC, Orion LX, ETAP iCE).
• Interpret and modify IEC 61131-3 logic to diagnose field behavior under pressure.
• Configure communications across Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 61850 GOOSE.
• Coordinate with clients, contractors, and utility during witness testing and handover.
• Develop and maintain HMI graphics for system visualization and post-deployment support.

Skills

SCADA experience

Power systems

On-site commissioning

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems

Tools

SEL RTAC

NovaTech Orion LX

ETAP iCE

Job description

ETAP empowers customers to make informed decisions throughout the life cycle of their projects with innovative software solutions for electrical systems. By applying ETAP solutions, customers experience continuous intelligence during design and engineering and into operations and maintenance using a unified electrical digital twin platform. ETAP supports customers in their digital transformation and sustainable energy transitions for a green and smart future, helping them to prioritize safety, maximize reliability, and stay resilient.

Our employees' passion for excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction is our most-prized resource. If you share that passion — and want to be part of a company that leads the energy transition towards a cleaner and more resilient world for future generations — we invite you to join us!

ETAP is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Job Title: Senior Power Automation Engineer - Data Center

Location: Houston Texas - Travel required estimated up to 50% for first 2 years.

Type: Hybrid

As a Senior Data Center Automation Engineer, you will commission, maintain, and support real-time microgrid control and power management systems for hyperscale and colocation data center clients. At the center of these projects is a master controller — built on a real-time automation controller platform designed by ETAP — that coordinates the facility's power: minimizing utility import, exporting when advantageous, and riding through emergency events like a utility trip by islanding and keeping generators dispatchable through fast mode transitions. Our subject-matter experts design the control philosophy and logic. You own what happens after — taking the project from commissioning through energization, then operating, maintaining, and supporting the control platform across its lifecycle. You will be the person on site through integrated testing, in front of the client, the commissioning agent, and the utility, and the person they call when the platform needs attention afterward. You'll have direct proximity to the ETAP product and engineering teams behind the platform you deploy — something no third-party integrator can offer.

Responsibilities - You Will Do

• Lead on-site commissioning of microgrid control and power management systems through integrated systems testing, energization, and final acceptance
• Configure, test, and troubleshoot master controllers and field automation controllers (SEL RTAC, Orion LX, ETAP iCE) at the device and system level
• Interpret, test, validate, and modify existing IEC 61131-3 control logic (Structured Text, Function Block Diagram, Function Blocks) — diagnosing field behavior, isolating root cause, and translating findings into precise feedback for the design team
• Configure and verify communications across the control architecture: Modbus (TCP and serial), DNP3 (TCP and serial), and IEC 61850 GOOSE publisher/subscriber messaging
• Commission and validate multi-mode operation — economic dispatch / peak shaving / export, plus emergency islanding, ride-through, and resynchronization — verifying generator dispatch, load sharing, and transition behavior
• Operate competently within VLAN-segmented OT networks (configuring devices within an existing network design), including verifying GOOSE behavior across the architecture
• Serve as the primary on-site technical interface with clients, commissioning agents (CxA), general contractors, and utility (e.g., SoCal Edison, APS, ERCOT) representatives during witness testing and handover
• Develop and maintain HMI graphics for system visualization (supporting skill)
• Provide remote diagnostics, periodic support, and platform updates during the post-deployment maintenance phase, on an annual support basis
• Identify and escalation technical risks, scope boundaries, and schedule blockers proactively

Requirements - You Need To Have

• Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or related field — or equivalent hands-on experience
• Working understanding of power system operation in islanded and grid-parallel modes — generator load sharing and synchronization, import/export control at the point of interconnection, frequency/voltage behavior during transitions, and load shedding fundamentals
• 5+ years of hands-on experience commissioning electrical SCADA, EPMS, power management, or microgrid control systems — or 3+ years with direct experience commissioning real-time power control schemes
• Hands-on experience configuring real-time automation controllers; SEL RTAC preferred (NovaTech Orion LX or comparable platforms considered)
• Working command of Modbus and DNP3 across both TCP and serial — point mapping, master/outstation configuration, and field troubleshooting
• Hands-on experience with IEC 61850 GOOSE — configuring and verifying publishers and subscribers
• Ability to read, test, troubleshoot, and modify existing IEC 61131-3 logic (ST, FBD, FB) — you don't need to design the scheme, but you must be fluent enough to debug it under pressure
• Comfort operating within VLAN-segmented OT networks (configuring within an established design; network design itself is owned by others); Willingness to travel to project sites across southwest US, primarily Phoenix, AZ — with extended on-site blocks during active commissioning

A Plus To Have

• Experience commissioning grid-interactive or multi-mode power management schemes (peak shaving, export, islanding, ride-through)
• Experience with utility interconnection requirements or utility witness testing (anti-islanding, transfer trip, point-of-interconnection telemetry)
• Hyperscaler project experience (AWS, Microsoft, Google, Meta, or similar owner standards)
• Experience in relay settings retrieval and configuration (Schneider, Multilin, SEL, Siemens)
• SEL AcSELerator suite (RTAC project configuration, relay settings retrieval)
• GOOSE / network diagnostic tooling — Wireshark with IEC 61850 dissectors, protocol analyzers, relay test sets
• Familiarity with generator controllers and protective relays at the integration level (status/control interfaces, settings coordination)
• BACnet / SNMP exposure for BMS- or DCIM-side integration; IEC 61131-3 development experience beyond modification (building new logic and reusable Function Blocks)

ETAP requires all successful applicants to undergo and pass a comprehensive background check before they start employment. Background checks will be conducted in accordance with local laws and may, subject to those laws, include proof of educational attainment, employment history verification, proof of work authorization, criminal records, identity verification, credit check. Certain positions dealing with sensitive and/or third party personal data may involve additional background check criteria.

ETAP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to being an exemplary employer with an inclusive culture, developing a workplace environment where all our employees are treated with dignity and respect. We value diversity and the expertise that people from different backgrounds bring to our business.

Come and join ETAP to create the transformative technology that enables our customers to engineer a better world.