Protection & Controls Engineering Manager

Protection & Controls Engineering Manager

We are designing the Grid of the future. We are innovators by nature. For over 50 years, Electric Power Engineers, LLC (EPE) has partnered with power and energy clients across the globe to focus on complex engineering and grid modeling challenges. As an early leader in the renewables space, we continue to see significant opportunities to build a sustainable and secure Grid. Join a team committed to making an impact on the communities we serve and the environment in which we live. Together we can continue to create the “grid of the future”!

Responsibilities

Join us in leading the change! The Protection & Controls Engineering Manager will provide power systems engineering expertise in protection design and coordination analyses on the transmission systems. This will include designing protection systems including overcurrent, distance, differential, communication-aided protection, and wide area protection coordination. The Transmission System Protection Engineer will also focus on system protection schemes and studies involving generation interconnection protection and NERC PRC compliance, ensuring the safety and reliability of the bulk electric system.

The successful candidate for this position has a strong background in power systems, which includes experience with system protection software and tools, transmission modeling tools, conventional and non-conventional generator protective and ride-through functions, and industry standards, and can utilize that background effectively in a fast-paced environment.

How You Can Make An Impact

• Perform system protection and coordination studies involving transmission and generation interconnection protection schemes.
• Provide guidance and recommendations for system protection philosophies and standards to clients and stakeholders.
• Apply system protection engineering practices and principles in areas such as transmission lines and buses, transformers, capacitor banks, reactor banks, grounding transformers, generators, and communication-assisted protection schemes.
• Perform system modeling and fault analysis for short circuit, equipment duty, relay device coordination studies, and root cause analysis.
• Ensure NERC PRC compliance verification, including PRC-005, PRC-019, PRC-023, PRC-024, PRC-025, PRC-026, and PRC-027.
• Substation and transmission line design experience is of great interest.
• Develop protective relay and device settings for transmission and sub-transmission systems ranging from 69 kV - 500 kV.
• Review protective relay operations and system outages, identifying system disturbances and providing resolutions to operational control problems.
• Assess data and model quality to ensure successful coordination between protective devices and identify necessary corrections or enhancements.
• Direct and guide clients to operate equipment or modify settings to improve system reliability.
• Model transmission system elements within planning and operational software to identify expected impacts under various scenarios.
• Communicate challenges, lessons learned, and critical information to team members to ensure operational success.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and develop corresponding modification plans and justification.
• Communicate with a variety of work groups to improve transparency and ensure the overall success of the project.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, flow charts, whitepapers, working papers, and other materials necessary for the continuity and success of the project.
• Develop communication materials and provide status updates to technical leaders, project teams, or affected stakeholder groups.
• Lead process improvement efforts identifying opportunities to enhance organizational efficiencies focused on maximizing team bandwidth while ensuring quality and timeliness of client deliverables.
• Support business development activities, including development of RFP responses & scope of work statements for clients, outlining EPE deliverables and projected completion dates.
• Experience leveraging AI and automation tools responsibly to improve quality, productivity, and innovation.
• This role will manage/supervise a team.

Qualifications

Bring your passion, here's what’s needed:

• Licensed Professional Engineer required (Texas, Illinois, or California).
• 8+ years of experience in system protection and control required.
• Strong technical foundation in transmission power systems protection and planning.
• Experience with ASPEN, CAPE, ETAP, Powerbase, SEL Quickset, and GE Enervista UR Setup.
• Experience working with SEL equipment, software, and/or developing programming files using SEL Quickset.
• Experience with CYME, Synergi, Windmil/LightTable, or other distribution power flow software is an add-on.
• Experience with inverter-based power plants is strongly preferred.
• Exposure to transmission protection design guidelines and philosophies is preferred.
• Familiarity with ANSI/IEEE guidelines for designing and studies of transmission system protection.
• Communication and Teamwork skills strongly preferred.
• Versatility and ability to adapt to changing priorities.

How We Support You

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits including medical, dental, and vision with 100% premium coverage for you.
• Generous PTO and paid holidays.
• Work with industry leaders.
• 401K, up to a 4% match (100% vested from day 1).
• Flexible Work including hybrid and remote possibilities based on position.

Location

This position is remote US.

Travel

Travel will be needed (20% + ).

EPE is an equal opportunity/AA/Disability/Veteran employer.

If you are interested in applying for employment with EPE and need special assistance to apply for a posted position, please send an email to: applicationassistance@epeconsulting.com

Key skills/competency

• Protection & Controls Engineering
• Power Systems Engineering
• Transmission Systems
• System Protection
• NERC PRC Compliance
• Relay Settings
• ETAP
• SEL Equipment
• Power System Studies
• Leadership