Senior Relay Technician – Substation & Protection Systems

Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC; New Iberia (LA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Forklift operator certification

Job summary

Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC in Louisiana is seeking a Relay Technician II with hands-on experience in maintenance, testing, and repair of protection systems across transmission, distribution, and substations. You will install, test, and calibrate relays, PLCs, and SCADA components, lead on-site work, mentor junior techs, and ensure safe, reliable power delivery.

Salary depends on experience; opportunities for growth and safety-focused culture.

Qualifications

• Requires high school diploma or equivalent with vocational electrical training.
• 3–5+ years of related experience in electrical protection and substation work.
• Knowledge of protective relays, substations, and control systems.
• Willingness to learn and operate in a team environment.
• Safety-conscious with strong problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, diagnose, and repair protective relays, substations, and control circuits.
• Install and test protective schemes in distribution and transmission facilities.
• Perform periodic testing per NERC standards.
• Trains and mentors junior technicians.
• Lead contractor supervision and provide status updates.
• Ensure safe, reliable electric delivery to customers.

Skills

Electrical theory

Relay testing

Substation operation

Team leadership

Project planning

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Vocational electrical training

Tools

Relay testing equipment

SCADA systems

PLC-based controls

Job description

At Cleco, we're not just poweringlives-we're powering a cleaner, smarter future for Louisiana.With bold investments in innovativeenergysolutions, we're transforminghow we power ourcommunities: smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable.This is a long-term commitmentto our people and our communities because our future-and the future of generations to come-depends on it. If you're ready to make an impact where it matters most, join us at Cleco-where we're Energizing Your Tomorrow.

The Relay Technician II is an experienced technician with knowledge and experience in the maintenance, testing and repair of protection systems in Transmission, Distribution and electrical power substations. This position involves installing, maintaining and troubleshooting control circuits to circuit breakers, Potential Transformers (PTs), Capacitor Coupled Voltage Transformers (CCVTs), and other equipment. Also replacing wires, testing different components and calibrating generators. Responsible for ensuring electricity gets routed through the substation on its way to residential or commercial areas at the correct voltage. Proactively takes the initiative to identify existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working condition which are hazardous. Takes prompt corrective measure to eliminate and or mitigate them.

Key Responsibilities

• Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence.
• Responsible for maintaining, diagnosing, and correcting problems to all protective relays, substations, control circuits, supervisory controls, and battery systems in distribution, transmission and generation facilities.
• Constructs, installs and maintains auto-transfer schemes in distribution system.
• Performs the installation, wiring and checkout of all protective relaying and associated control systems in transmission, distribution and generation stations.
• Performs periodic testing and functional operation of protection systems in accordance with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) mandate.
• Maintains relay carrier equipment such as wavetraps and line tuners.
• Diagnoses and corrects problems in equipment such as power circuit breakers, transformers, and fault/disturbance recorders in a manner that is not disruptive to the regional power grid.
• Installs and maintains battery systems and chargers in transmission substations.
• Installs, maintains, and troubleshoots both Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)-based and solid state transfer switches and sectionalizing switch automatic controls as well as the associated motor operators. Also required to train field personnel in the proper operation and testing of these devices.
• Maintains SAP Equipment Maintenance database used for keeping accurate and concise historical records of transmission equipment.
• Develop relay testing programs, Distribution Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (DSCADA) programs, carrier system programs, transmission and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) programs, and PLCs which controls Capacitor Banks, Load Tap Changers (LTCs), and Breaker reclosing.
• Performs testing on SCADA Systems, carrier systems, CCVTs, Transformers, Current Transformers (CTs), PTs, wave traps, Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) schemes, power plant SCADA and generation relaying, battery sets, capacitor banks and controls, PLCs, and regulators.
• Serves as a member of scheduled call-out to ensure timely restoration of service.
• Connects test apparatus to troubled circuit.
• Analyzes test results and interprets electrical diagrams to locate defective relay.
• Opens and closes switches to isolate defective relay and makes adjustments or removes relay for repair.
• Tests circuit and equipment to evaluate such factors as insulation quality, which affect function of relays.
• Analyzes test data to determine performance characteristics of relays and effect of system modifications on relay performance.
• Assist entry-level staff, leveraging technical experience to help to onboard them and in support of meeting milestones.
• Supervise contractors in construction of substations and assist engineering with design.
• Provide communication to supervisor to provide status updates on work, and identify risks in delivery or resourcing needs.
• Responsible for operating as the experienced technical staff member amongst the Relay Technicians to execute through defined objectives, milestones and priorities in the short-term according to established plans and supervisor guidance.
• Uses existing procedures to solve routine or standard problems, analyzes information and standard practices to make judgments.

Qualifications
Required Education, Skills & Experience

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Two years vocational or technical training in Electrical Technology or related field preferred.
• 3-5+ years of related experience
• Strong business acumen pertaining to the Utility industry
• Strong knowledge of leading practices in transmission relay
• Strong planning and project management skills
• Willingness and ability to learn new technologies on the job
• Proficient at functioning effectively within a team environment, present ideas and opinions in a respective and collegial manner

Licenses and Certifications

• Certified forklift operator required within 6 months of employment

Key Competencies

BEHAVIORAL

• Building Partnerships
• Leading Teams
• Business Acumen
• Communication
• Courage
• Building Self-Insight
• Driving for Results
• Energizing the Organization
• Driving Execution
• Building Trusting Relationships
• Driving Innovation
• Planning and Organizing
• Safety
• Establishing Strategic Direction

TECHNICAL

• Analytical skills
• Compliance
• Equipment utilization
• Transmission operations
• Transmission operations quality
• Transmission operations resource management
• Transmission operations risk management

May perform other duties as assigned.

Salary dependent on experience, skills, education, and training.