Commissioning Engineer

Commissioning Engineer Overview

The Commissioning Engineer is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing commissioning activities for high-voltage electrical substations and power delivery projects. This role ensures that all equipment, protection systems, and control systems are tested, verified, and energized safely in accordance with engineering specifications, client requirements, and industry standards.

The Commissioning Engineer works closely with engineering, construction, protection & control teams, and utility representatives to deliver safe and successful project energizations.

• Develop and review commissioning plans, procedures, and test scripts.
• Coordinate commissioning schedules with construction and project management teams.
• Participate in design reviews to ensure testability and constructability.
• Perform and oversee testing of substation equipment including:
• Power transformers
• Disconnect switches
• CTs, PTs, and instrument transformers
• Protection relays and control systems
• Review factory acceptance test (FAT) documentation.
• Lead site acceptance testing (SAT) activities.

• Verify relay settings and protection schemes.
• Support functional testing of protection, metering, and SCADA systems.
• Perform point-to-point checks and end-to-end testing.

• Lead pre-energization inspections and readiness reviews.
• Coordinate energization activities with utilities and stakeholders.
• Resolve punch list items and ensure final documentation is complete.
• Support project turnover to operations.

• Ensure strict adherence to OSHA, NESC, NEC, IEEE, and utility standards.
• Conduct job hazard analyses (JHAs) and safety briefings prior to testing.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years of experience in substation commissioning or protection & controls.
• Experience with high-voltage substations (69kV–500kV).
• Strong understanding of protection schemes and relay logic.
• Experience using relay test sets (OMICRON, Doble, etc.).

• PE license (or ability to obtain).
• Experience working in an EPC or design-build environment.
• Utility commissioning experience (ERCOT, MISO, SPP, etc.).
• Familiarity with SCADA systems and communication protocols (DNP3, IEC 61850).
• Experience supporting renewable interconnect substations.

• Technical troubleshooting expertise
• Strong knowledge of power system protection
• Safety leadership
• Effective communication with field and utility teams
• Ability to work under pressure during energization

• Greenfield and brownfield substations
• Transmission interconnection facilities
• Renewable (solar/BESS) interconnect substations