Lead System Protection Engineer 2 - Grid
$134,546–$205,557 year
HybridChicago, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
Lead system protection engineering for transmission and substation projects, including developing relay settings, protection philosophies, and performing short-circuit and relay coordination studies. Configure, troubleshoot, and manage microprocessor-based protective relays using vendor software such as SEL AcSELerator and EnerVista, while aligning settings with client standards and NERC PRC requirements. Review and comment on protection and control design documents, support field commissioning, and guide teams in automating engineering workflows with modern tools. This hybrid role requires three days in the office and offers a relocation package.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an ABET-accredited program (or equivalent)
- 10 or more years of experience in system protection engineering for transmission and/or substation projects
- Significant hands-on responsibility for relay settings and protection studies
- Strong background in system protection and relay logic, including line, transformer, bus, breaker failure, and capacitor/reactor protection philosophies
- Proven experience performing fault studies and relay coordination using CAPE and/or ASPEN (or equivalent protection analysis tools)
- Proficiency with at least some of the following relay configuration and settings tools: SEL AcSELerator, EnerVista, Other major OEM relay software
- Experience working with Powerbase or similar relay/asset databases for managing settings and protection data
- Demonstrated ability to check and interpret P&C drawings: One-lines, three-lines, schematics, wiring diagrams, logic diagrams, and panel layouts
- Familiarity with applicable IEEE, ANSI, and NERC/PRC standards related to protection and control
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work directly with Utility clients, Equipment manufacturers, Construction and commissioning teams
- Proven experience leading portions of projects, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, and meeting schedule and quality requirements
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs
Desired Qualifications
- Professional Engineer (P.E.) license or the ability to obtain a P.E. within a reasonable timeframe
- Experience with protection and control design and settings for a range of voltage levels (e.g., 69 kV–230 kV and above)
- Prior consulting and utility engineering experience supporting utility or ISO/RTO clients
- Experience supporting field commissioning, relay testing, and troubleshooting of in-service protection systems
- Familiarity with utility standards and practices for documentation, settings management, and change control
- Experience leading others in taking engineering problems from issue to solution by setting expectations for using data and modern tools such as automation and AI to improve workflows, reduce rework, and deliver cost-effective designs
- Leadership in directing automation and process-improvement work, including how teams automate calculations, summarize technical documents, or generate design documentation
- Oversight of engineers who program or script (e.g., Python, MATLAB, advanced Excel) to automate engineering tasks
- Additional learning, such as a minor, certificate, or other experience in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related fields that enables effective oversight of automation and agentic AI-enabled engineering workflows
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