Power System Protection Engineer; EN-EL-MO--LD

Company Description

At CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature.

As a Power System Protection Engineer, you will be responsible for managing the entire lifecycle of protection relays within CERN’s electrical transmission and distribution network, from design and procurement to commissioning and maintenance.

You will join the Maintenance and Operation (MO) section of the Electrical Engineering (EL) group in the Engineering (EN) department, which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of CERN’s electrical network, the commissioning of new installations, and the execution of small-scale electrical works.

Apply your expertise to support the operation, maintenance, consolidation, and development of CERN’s electrical transmission and distribution systems, the backbone of one of the world’s largest and powerful particle colliders. Join the CERN electrical engineering team. Take part!

• Update and maintain the whole protection plan for the CERN transmission and distribution network.
• Lead the tendering process for the implementation of the protection plan, in particular the purchase of protection relays, drawing up technical specifications and all tendering documents; manage the related contract(s).
• Prepare technical notes and engineering specifications, and report on the advancement of activities or projects.
• Program and test protection relay configurations (logics).
• Assist the design office in preparing installation plans and calculating protection settings through fault simulations in the network model.
• Lead the commissioning of protection relays on site (functional testing, current injections, troubleshooting) by preparing dedicated procedures and supervising commissioning operator(s).
• Elaborate a comprehensive preventive and corrective maintenance plan, including spare parts management, and lead its implementation.
• Define the methodology to integrate the protection relays and the associated maintenance activities in the CERN Computerized Maintenance Management System.
• Manage and deliver specific refurbishment projects for the replacement of obsolete protection relays.
• Be part of the standby team, in charge of corrective interventions when faults occur.

Master's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of Electrical Engineering or a related field.

• Very good knowledge of modern equipment associated with complex high voltage electrical networks (400 kV, 66 kV, 18 kV).
• Proven experience in the field of protection relays, in particular commissioning and maintenance.
• Proven experience in fault simulations and settings calculations.
• Proven experience in post‑mortem fault analysis.
• Experience using a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).
• Extensive knowledge of power systems, such as sequence components, symmetrical and asymmetrical faults, and power flow analysis.
• Proven experience in the operation and maintenance of a high‑voltage electrical system, including troubleshooting and repairs.

• Construction, test and commissioning of electrical circuits and networks;
• Design and modelling of high‑voltage electrical circuits and networks;
• Operation and maintenance of electrical circuits and networks;

• Achieving Results: driving work / projects along and seeing them through to their conclusion.
• Demonstrating Accountability: taking responsibility for own actions and decisions.
• Demonstrating Flexibility: demonstrating a willingness to accept changing circumstances; supporting initiatives for change.
• Working in Teams: building and maintaining constructive and effective work relationships.

Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.

Diversity has been…