Senior Protection & Controls Engineer — West

Ziggurat Automation Inc.; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct access to principal engineer

Shape P&C practice in data-center market

Job summary

Ziggurat Automation Inc. is hiring a Senior Engineer based in Sacramento, CA, offering a hybrid work environment. The role involves end-to-end ownership of protection coordination studies and relay settings packages for medium-voltage power systems.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in commissioning, relay programming, and protection studies, contributing to critical infrastructure projects across the West Coast.

The opportunity includes significant customer interaction and project leadership, shaping the future of our P&C practice in the data-center market.

Qualifications

• Experience with SEL relay programming and delivered settings packages.
• Worked on protection coordination studies per IEEE 242.
• Experience in commissioning energized critical facilities.

Responsibilities

• Perform protection coordination studies for medium-voltage distribution.
• Develop SEL relay settings packages.
• Participate in commissioning and witness testing.

Skills

Protection & Controls Engineering

SEL relay programming

Coordination Studies

Secondary Injection Testing

Commissioning of Critical Facilities

Education

7+ years protection & controls engineering for medium-voltage power systems

Tools

Omicron Test Sets

Doble Test Sets

AcSELerator QuickSet

AcSELerator RTAC

Job description

Hiring Senior Engineer

Sacramento, CA (Hybrid)

Why This Role Exists

Every multi-vendor Tier III/IV data center protection system we deliver requires an engineer who owns the full P&C scope — coordination studies, relay settings, automation logic, and commissioning — under one accountability. This role exists because splitting that scope across firms creates handoff gaps that surface as retests during witness testing. Our West Coast pipeline serves the Northern California and Pacific Northwest data center corridors. The work spans 2(N+1) medium‑voltage protection with IEC 61850 GOOSE over PRP, multi‑vendor generator controls (SEL, Woodward, CAT), and staged commissioning on live critical infrastructure.

What You Own

• Protection coordination studies for 2(N+1) medium‑voltage distribution per IEEE 242
• SEL‑751/700G relay settings packages with trip scheme logic diagrams
• Woodward easYgen 3400/LS‑6 generator controller programming and Modbus integration
• IEC 61850 GOOSE configuration for zone‑selective interlocking across PRP networks
• SEL RTAC‑3530 automation logic: mode transitions, load shed/add sequencing, SOE concentration
• Commissioning procedures and witness test support through owner acceptance
• As‑built documentation packages for turnover to operations

Systems You'll Touch

• Vendor Platforms: SEL, Woodward, CAT (Caterpillar), ABB
• Software Tools: AcSELerator QuickSet, AcSELerator RTAC, SEL Architect, ETAP
• Protocols: IEC 61850 GOOSE, DNP3, Modbus TCP, IRIG‑B
• Standards: NFPA 70E, IEEE 242 (Buff Book), IEEE 1584, IEC 61850, IEC 62439‑3 (PRP/HSR)
• Test Phases: Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT), Secondary injection testing, Functional performance testing, Witness testing

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

• Onboarded into an active project — reviewed protection philosophy, existing settings, and one‑line diagrams
• Delivered first relay settings package (SEL‑751 or SEL‑700G) through internal review
• Participated in site commissioning or witness testing on a current project

First 180 Days

• Owning a full protection scope end‑to‑end — from coordination study through commissioning plan
• Leading witness testing sessions with prime contractor and owner representatives
• Contributing to IEC 61850 GOOSE or RTAC automation logic on at least one project

Required Background

• 7+ years protection & controls engineering for medium‑voltage power systems
• SEL relay programming experience (QuickSet, 751/700G families) with delivered settings packages
• Protection coordination study experience per IEEE 242 — time‑current curves, relay coordination
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets — trip timing, coordination validation
• Commissioning experience on energized critical facilities (data centers, substations, or industrial power)
• Working knowledge of NFPA 70E arc‑flash safety and energized work practices

Preferred Background

• IEC 61850 GOOSE configuration experience — SCL files, publish/subscribe, multi‑vendor interoperability
• Woodward generator controller programming (easYgen 3400, LS‑6, DTSC‑200)
• SEL RTAC‑3530 automation logic (IEC 61131‑3 Structured Text)
• NETA Level III or IV certification
• Arc‑flash study experience per IEEE 1584

What to Expect in the Field

Travel 30–50% during commissioning phases, project‑dependent. West Coast sites primarily.

Site hours include standard office hours for design; site hours during commissioning (early starts, occasional weekends near milestones).

Customer‑Facing direct interface with prime contractor project managers and commissioning leads; owner witness testing coordinators during acceptance.

Documentation Heavy — settings packages, coordination studies, trip scheme logic diagrams, commissioning procedures, as‑built documentation.

Field Safety NFPA 70E compliance required — arc‑flash PPE for medium‑voltage switchgear, approach boundaries, LOTO procedures.

Why Ziggurat

• Own the full scope — protection studies, relay programming, and commissioning under one accountability, not task fragments divided across firms
• Work across 8 manufacturer platforms (SEL, Woodward, CAT, ABB, Eaton, Cisco, EIG, UPS OEM), not inside one vendor ecosystem
• Direct access to the principal engineer — your technical judgment shapes project outcomes, decisions happen in conversations
• Shape how a specialized P&C practice scales from its founding stage into the data‑center market