Lead System Protection Engineer - Grid

Lead System Protection Engineer

Sargent & Lundy is seeking a Lead System Protection Engineer to join our Grid Services team. This individual will have primary responsibility for system protection engineering—including relay settings, protection philosophies, and power system studies—with a secondary role in supporting and reviewing substation protection & control (P&C) design for high-voltage transmission and substation projects.

Responsibilities include:

Lead the development and application of protection philosophies and settings for:

• Transmission lines
• Power transformers and autotransformers
• Buses and breakers
• Capacitor and reactor banks
• Station service and auxiliary systems

Perform system protection studies, including:

• Short-circuit analysis
• Relay coordination and time-current curve development
• Protection settings development and verification using CAPE and/or ASPEN (or equivalent tools

Configure, set, and troubleshoot microprocessor-based protective relays using vendor software such as SEL AcSELerator, Ener Vista, and other major OEM relay software platforms.

Use Powerbase (or similar utility databases) to:

• Manage relay records, settings, and configuration data
• Align settings and documentation with client standards and change-management processes

Support event analysis and misoperation investigations, including:

• Retrieval and interpretation of relay event records and oscillography
• Recommendations for settings or scheme adjustments
• Ensure that protection schemes and settings comply with client standards, NERC PRC requirements, IEEE/ANSI standards, and good utility practice.

Develop and review P&C design documents in coordination with substation design teams, including:

• AC/DC one-lines and three-lines
• Protection and control schematics
• Wiring diagrams, logic diagrams, and panel layouts
• Bills of material related to protection and control systems

Provide system protection requirements and markups to guide P&C design:

• CT/VT ratios and burdens
• Trip, close, and interlock logic
• Communications and channel requirements for protection schemes

Support commissioning and field energization by:

• Reviewing and commenting on relay and functional test plans
• Responding to RFIs and field questions related to protection and control
• Assisting with resolution of protection issues during construction and startup

WORK LOCATION:

This position is based on a hybrid work schedule and will require in-office work 3 days per week at the Sargent & Lundy office in Peachtree Corners, GA.

Dependent upon your location, this opportunity offers a generous relocation package.

We do not sponsor employees for work authorization in the U.S. for this position.

Essential skills and experience:

• 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, including:
• 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
• Ener Vista
• 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.

Valued but not required skills and experience:

• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license or the ability to obtain a P.E. within a…