Senior Protection Engineer - Remote/Onsite Power Systems

VoltaGrid; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

VoltaGrid is seeking a Senior Protection Engineer to design, test, and support protection schemes for power generation and distribution systems. The role involves relay settings, short circuit studies, factory acceptance testing, and field commissioning in a dynamic project environment.

Ideal candidates will have 10+ years of protection experience, IEC 61850 expertise, and hands‑on work with SEL, ETAP, and PS methods. Travel 25–50% is expected, with PE licensure or ability to obtain in Texas.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in protection engineering, relay settings, power system studies, and commissioning support.
• Experience developing relay standards, settings templates, commissioning procedures, or protection philosophy documents.
• Experience creating short circuit studies for industrial, generation, utility, or medium voltage distribution systems.
• Hands‑on experience with SEL relays and relay settings software.
• Experience designing and implementing protection schemes using IEC 61850 standards.
• Experience supporting site commissioning and/or factory acceptance testing for protection, controls, or power system equipment.
• Strong understanding of power system protection principles, relay coordination, single‑line diagrams, control schematics, and field testing practices.
• Ability and willingness to travel 25% to 50% of the time, at least initially.

Responsibilities

• Design protection schemes for transformers, generators, feeders, busses, and MV/LV equipment.
• Create, review, and maintain relay calculation workbooks, settings files, logic, narratives, and coordination docs.
• Coordinate protection with single-line diagrams, control schematics, and vendor packages.
• Create and review short circuit studies to support ratings and coordination.
• Develop study assumptions, validate data, and document conclusions clearly.
• Support FAT, hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, site acceptance, and commissioning activities.
• Tackle troubleshooting of relay settings, logic, communications, wiring, and field issues.
• Travel to project sites and vendor facilities as needed during execution and commissioning.

Skills

Protection engineering

Relay settings

Power system studies

Site commissioning

SCADA integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

SEL relays

ETAP

Siemens relays

ABB relays

PSS/E

PSCAD

RTDS

Job description

VoltaGrid is seeking a Senior Protection Engineer to design, test, and support protection schemes for power generation and distribution systems. The role involves relay settings, short circuit studies, factory acceptance testing, and field commissioning in a dynamic project environment.

Ideal candidates will have 10+ years of protection experience, IEC 61850 expertise, and hands‑on work with SEL, ETAP, and PS methods. Travel 25–50% is expected, with PE licensure or ability to obtain in Texas.