Senior Substation Engineer, Protection and Controls (Remote)

SOLV Energy is an engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and solar services provider for utility solar, high voltage substation and energy storage markets across North America.

Job Description Summary:

The Senior Substation Engineer specializing in Protection and Controls is responsible for leading and managing the design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of protection and control systems within electrical substations. This role involves overseeing the engineering team, collaborating with various stakeholders, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations, and driving innovation in protection and control technologies to safeguard substation assets and ensure grid reliability

Job Description:

*This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

• Lead and manage the design and engineering of protection and control systems for electrical substations, including relay settings, protection schemes, and control logic. 

• Provide technical expertise and guidance on protection and control aspects of substation projects, ensuring compliance with applicable codes, standards, and regulations (e.g., IEC, ANSI, NERC). 

• Collaborate with internal teams, external consultants, contractors, and vendors to develop and implement robust protection and control strategies tailored to specific substation requirements. 

• Conduct and review detailed relay coordination studies, fault analyses, and system simulations to optimize protection settings and ensure rapid fault detection, isolation, and restoration. 

• Assist with functional testing, commissioning, and troubleshooting of protection and control systems, verifying their performance under normal and fault conditions. 

• Maintain accurate as-built drawings, diagrams, and documentation for protection and control configurations, wiring, and interconnections. 

• Participate in risk assessments, cybersecurity evaluations, and compliance audits to identify vulnerabilities and ensure the security and resilience of substation protection and control infrastructure. 

• Stay abreast of emerging technologies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements related to protection and control systems, incorporating best practices and lessons learned into substation designs. 

• Mentor and coach junior engineers in protection and control principles, methodologies, and tools, fostering a culture of safety, reliability, and innovation within the engineering team. 

• Collaborate with system operators, maintenance personnel, and other stakeholders to address operational issues, implement system upgrades, and enhance the performance and reliability of substation protection and control systems. 

• Review Power Purchase Agreements, Generator Interconnection Agreements, Utility Interconnection requirements, Contract requirements, System Impact Studies, Facility Studies, and Customer/Owner Engineer requirements to ensure Project compliance. 

• Provide QA/QC Review of all project drawings and documentation. 

• Develop and assist with development of material specifications 

• Assist with Vendor selection at Procurement (Verifying Specs are met and make recommendations) 

• Assist with development of energization plans 

• Provide Substation Energization support  

• PV Energization Support/Initial Synchronization 

• Provide engineering support during construction. 

• Provide engineering support during commissioning. 

• Participate in team meetings/calls regularly 

• Demonstrate and maintain a safe work environment and direct safe work practices in energized substations. 

• Complete other responsibilities as assigned. 

• Ability to travel ~%15 

Objectives or Goals to Measure Performance: 

• Adherence to Company policies and Corporate Procedures Manual 

• Work within SRE's business processes and ensure an efficient working environment 

• Project profitability 

• Project completed on schedule 

• Quality control; integrity and excellence of completed project 

• Customer/Client Satisfaction 

• Business Development Plan implemented 

• Positive project team attitude 

• Improved personal professional growth and education 

• Staff development and training 

Minimum Skills or Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field; Master's degree preferred. 

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or equivalent certification preferred. 

• 7+ years in electrical substation engineering, with a focus on protection and control systems. 

• Proficiency in protection relay programming, coordination studies, and simulation software (e.g., SEL, GE Enervista). 

• Proficiency in engineering software tools for substation design, analysis, and simulation (e.g., AutoCAD, ETAP, PSCAD). 

• Strong understanding of power system protection principles, relay technologies, and fault analysis techniques. 

• Knowledge of communication protocols (e.g., IEC 61850, DNP3) and cybersecurity standards applicable to substation automation and control systems. 

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with a keen attention to detail. 

• Effective communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders. 

• Commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement in protection and control engineering practices. 

• Ability to adapt to changing priorities, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and deliver results under tight deadlines. 

SOLV Energy Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At SOLV Energy we celebrate the power of our differences. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that improve our communities. SOLV Energy prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind against an employee or applicant based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, or ethnicity, mental or physical disability, veteran status, parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits:

Employees (and their families) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401(k) plan and are provided vacation, sick and holiday pay.  

Compensation Range:

$100,000.00 - $130,000.00

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

SOLV Energy does not accept unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. We require all third-party recruiters to communicate exclusively with our internal talent acquisition team. SOLV Energy will not pay a placement fee to any third-party recruiter or agency that has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of our internal talent acquisition team.

In addition, candidate introductions or resumes can only be submitted to our internal talent acquisition recruiting team if a signed vendor agreement is already on file and the third-party recruiter or agency has received formal instructions from our internal talent acquisition team to submit candidates for a particular job posting.

Any unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes sent by third-party recruiters to SOLV Energy or directly to any of our employees, or received through our website or career portal, will be considered property of SOLV Energy and will not be eligible for a placement fee. In the event a third-party recruiter submits a resume or refers a candidate without a previously signed vendor agreement, SOLV Energy explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire the candidate(s) without financial liability to such third-party recruiter.

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If you’re interested in a meaningful career with a brighter future, join the SOLV Energy Team.