Senior System Protection Engineer - Grid Reliability Leader

Sargent Lundy; Santa Ana (CA); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Life & accident insurance

Disability coverage

401(k)

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Paid parental leave

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Sargent & Lundy seeks a Lead System Protection Engineer to join the Grid Services team. You will lead protection philosophies, perform critical protection studies, and support P&C design for HV transmission and substations.

Expect hybrid work with three days in the office and two remote days, plus a robust relocation package where applicable. You will configure relays, manage protection data in Powerbase, and collaborate with clients and field teams to ensure compliance with IEEE/ANSI and NERC

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an ABET‑accredited program (or equivalent).
• 10+ years of experience in system protection engineering for transmission and/or substation projects.
• Strong background in protection philosophies and relay logic.
• Experience with CAPE and/or ASPEN protection analysis tools.
• Experience with relay configuration tools such as SEL AcSELerator and EnerVista.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and application of protection philosophies and settings for transmission lines, transformers, buses, and capacitor/reactor banks.
• Perform system protection studies including short‑circuit analysis and relay coordination.
• Configure, set, and troubleshoot microprocessor‑based protective relays using vendor software.
• Manage relay records and configuration data using databases like Powerbase and ensure compliance with client standards and change management processes.
• Support event analysis, misoperation investigations, and provide recommendations for settings adjustments.
• Develop and review P&C design documents (one‑lines, three‑lines, schematics, wiring and panel layouts).
• Support commissioning and field energization, RFIs, and field questions related to protection and control.

Skills

Protection engineering

Relay settings

CAPE/ASPEN

P&C design review

Power system studies

NERC PRC standards

Communication skills

Project leadership

Relay coordination

Education

ABET-accredited BSEE

Tools

SEL AcSELerator

EnerVista

OEM relay software

Powerbase

Job description

Sargent & Lundy seeks a Lead System Protection Engineer to join the Grid Services team. You will lead protection philosophies, perform critical protection studies, and support P&C design for HV transmission and substations.

Expect hybrid work with three days in the office and two remote days, plus a robust relocation package where applicable. You will configure relays, manage protection data in Powerbase, and collaborate with clients and field teams to ensure compliance with IEEE/ANSI and NERC