Senior Protection & Control Setting Engineer

Arup; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing plan

401(k) plan with up to 10% company-mat

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Arup in Houston, TX seeks a Senior Protection & Control Settings Engineer to lead a team delivering high‑voltage substation projects for utilities, developers and contractors. You will apply protection settings, develop relay configurations, and coordinate protection schemes up to 500 kV while interfacing with clients and internal teams.

You will review design basis, perform power system studies with industry software, support construction and commissioning, and ensure QA/QC across offices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• PE license is preferred.
• 9+ years experience in development of protection relay settings for transmission substations.
• Knowledge of FERC and NERC requirements pertaining to electric utility reliability.
• Experience with ASPEN OneLiner or Siemens CAPE, ETAP, SKM, CYME software; Arc Flash studies preferred.
• Ability to read protection single lines, three lines and schematics.
• Experience with IEC61850 implementation preferred.
• Proven project leadership across multi‑disciplinary teams and budgets.
• Ability to work independently and with teams to achieve goals; strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform and lead others in system protection setting calculation, development of relay logic diagrams, and protection coordination on substation projects up to 500kV.
• Develop and review design basis documentation for protective settings and relay configurations; generate native relay configuration files.
• Apply industry standards for protection of system equipment including buses, transformers, breakers, capacitors, reactors, lines and feeders.
• Perform power system modeling and protective relay coordination analysis using industry software.
• Prepare and review design calculations including short circuit, CT performance, and relay loadability.
• Lead designers to develop single line drawings and wiring diagrams for substations.
• Lead the effort to create bill of materials for relays and control buildings.
• Provide engineering support for construction and commissioning activities.
• Perform QA/QC for project deliverables across offices; support bid and execution phases.

Skills

Project leadership

Communication

Independent work

Collaboration

Client interaction

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

SEL AcSELerator

GE EnerVista

ASPEN OneLiner

Siemens CAPE

ETAP

SKM

CYME

IEC61850

Job description

Arup’s purpose, shared values, and collaborative approach have set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

We are seeking a Senior Protection & Control Settings Engineer with technical experience in the application of protection settings for HV substations for power utilities and for the interconnection of renewables and data centers. In this role you will lead a team of engineers and technical staff to support the delivery of substation projects for electric utilities, contractors and developers. You will be the technical interface with clients and internal team members. You’ll ensure deliverables meet performance, safety, regulation, and commercial requirements.

This position can be worked out of our Houston, Dallas or Austin offices.

The opportunity

• Perform and lead others in system protection setting calculation, development of relay logic diagrams, and protection coordination on various substation projects up to 500kV voltage level.
• Develop and review design basis documentation for protective settings, relay settings calculations and generate native relay configuration files using SEL AcSELerator, GE EnerVista and/or similar vendor software.
• Apply industry standards for the protection of system equipment, including power buses, power transformers, HV/MV circuit breakers, capacitor banks, reactors, transmission lines, and distribution feeders.
• Perform and review power system modeling and protective relay coordination analysis using ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, ETAP, SKM, and/or CYME software.
• Prepare and review design calculations, including short circuit calculation, current transformer performance and ratio selection, over-current element coordination, zone-distance element selection and coordination, and relay loadability calculation.
• Lead designers to develop single line drawing, protection single line drawings, three lines drawings, schematic and wiring drawings for substation.
• Lead the effort to create bill of materials for relay and panels and control building
• Provide engineering support with construction and commissioning activities for substations.
• Perform QA/QC for project deliverables to clients across multiple offices.
• Support bid and execution phase design and consulting services.

Is this role right for you?

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited university.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) is preferred.
• Proven 9+ years experience in development of protection relay setting for transmission substations.
• Knowledge of FERC and NERC requirements as they pertain to electric utility reliability requirements.
• Experience in power systems modeling and protective relay coordination analysis using ASPEN OneLiner or Siemens CAPE, ETAP, SKM, CYME software. Ability to perform Arc Flash and other power system studies is preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret protection single lines, three lines, schematics, functional diagrams, etc.
• Experience with IEC61850 and its implementation is preferred.
• Proven project leadership: managing multi-disciplinary teams, multiple projects, delivering on time, managing budgets.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, as needed, to achieve agreed goals and results.
• Excellent communication skills — able to interact with clients, regulatory bodies, vendors, and internal stakeholders. Ability to represent the company credibly.
• The ability to prioritize work effectively, manage deadlines and organization skills required for our rapidly changing environment.

What we offer you

• Benefits at Work- At Arup, we have a comprehensive and valuable benefits program that works for our employees and their families while keeping costs low. These benefits provide health and welfare security for you as well as paid time off for rest and renewal. As a member of Arup, everyone shares in our success through a global profit share scheme (payments are dependent on the firm’s financial performance). Our Global Profit Share Plan (paid bi-annually) provides an opportunity for you to share in the success of the Firm. As a valued employee of Arup, you can also choose to participate in our 401(k) plan with up to 10% company match to help you save for your future
• Flexible Working- We believe that flexible arrangements create a more inclusive way of working that supports our diversity and the wellbeing of our people. Options for alternative schedules and the ability to work outside of the office for a portion of your workweek are available
• Houston Hiring Range- The good faith base salary hiring range for this job if performed in Houston is $150,000 to $175,000 per year.This range is commensurate with experience, educational background, and skill level.Benefits are not included in the base salary. Please note hiring ranges for candidates performing work outside of Houston will differ.
• Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.