Senior Protection Engineer (Medium Voltage / Utility Distribution)

confidential; United States; Remote; USD 124,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Zekai is seeking a Senior Protection Engineer (Medium Voltage) for a 100% remote contractor role within the U.S. utility distribution sector. You will apply your extensive protection relaying expertise to assess, review, and optimize relay settings and coordination.

You will analyze fault studies, validate protection schemes for 2.4kV–38kV networks, and produce clear technical rationales. Strong communication skills and experience with SEL, GE relays and ETAP/ASPEN/CAPE are required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of hands-on experience in medium-voltage protection engineering within U.S. utility distribution or industrial settings.
• Strong background in protective relaying, relay settings, power system analysis, and device coordination.
• Proficiency with SEL, GE, or standard microprocessor relays and associated software.
• Advanced skill in power system modeling tools such as ETAP, ASPEN, or CAPE.
• Ability to synthesize and communicate complex technical concepts clearly in both written and verbal formats.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and analytical rigor when reviewing technical materials and data sets.
• Previous experience validating or creating technical documentation, protection settings, or relay coordination studies is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Assess and validate protection system reference cases, including relay settings, coordination curves, and protection logs for medium voltage utility distribution networks.
• Review and provide feedback on technical documentation related to protective relaying and device coordination practices.
• Analyze power system studies such as fault current analysis and equipment protection reviews, utilizing recognized industry methodologies.
• Evaluate and critique the application of protective relays (SEL, GE, or equivalent microprocessor-based relays) in medium voltage environments.
• Develop detailed, well-structured written responses and rationales explaining your analysis and recommendations.
• Collaborate with project managers and technical leads via clear, professional written and verbal communication.
• Support the creation of realistic, diverse scenarios that reflect U.S. distribution-utility or industrial standards for training and validation purposes.

Skills

Protection engineering

Relay settings

Power system analysis

Device coordination

ETAP

ASPEN

CAPE

Clear communication

Tools

SEL relays

GE relays

Relay software

Job description

Role Title: Senior Protection Engineer (Medium Voltage / Utility Distribution)

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Remote

our partner is engaging Senior Protection Engineer (Medium Voltage / Utility Distribution) experts to contribute their technical expertise to a customer's project in the utility distribution sector. In this role, you'll apply your expertise to help train next-generation AI systems. Your work will shape how models learn, reason, and perform through high-quality, real-world input. No prior experience in AI is required — your domain knowledge is what matters.

Scope of Work

• Assess and validate protection system reference cases, including relay settings, coordination curves, and protection logs for medium voltage utility distribution networks.
• Review and provide feedback on technical documentation related to protective relaying and device coordination practices.
• Analyze power system studies such as fault current analysis and equipment protection reviews, utilizing recognized industry methodologies.
• Evaluate and critique the application of protective relays (SEL, GE, or equivalent microprocessor-based relays) in medium voltage environments.
• Develop detailed, well-structured written responses and rationales explaining your analysis and recommendations.
• Collaborate with project managers and technical leads via clear, professional written and verbal communication.
• Support the creation of realistic, diverse scenarios that reflect U.S. distribution-utility or industrial standards for training and validation purposes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of hands-on experience in medium-voltage (2.4kV–38kV) protection engineering within U.S. utility distribution or industrial settings.
• Strong background in protective relaying, relay settings, power system analysis, and device coordination.
• Proficiency with SEL, GE, or standard microprocessor relays and associated software.
• Advanced skill in power system modeling tools such as ETAP, ASPEN, or CAPE.
• Ability to synthesize and communicate complex technical concepts clearly in both written and verbal formats.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and analytical rigor when reviewing technical materials and data sets.
• Previous experience validating or creating technical documentation, protection settings, or relay coordination studies is highly regarded.

This is a 100% remote contract role, open to applicants worldwide in the countries the employer accepts.