Lead Protection and Controls Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Act as the technical authority and in-house expert on microgrid controls and protection.

• Collaborate closely with the electrical engineering team, taking ownership of controls and protection design throughout the firm.

• Develop control philosophies and operational sequences for data center and industrial sites that incorporate utility service, BESS, gas turbines, reciprocating generators, solar energy, and critical loads.

• Outline operating modes and transitions such as grid-connected operation, islanding, resynchronization, black start, load shedding, generator dispatch, and ride-through.

• Specify microgrid controllers and BESS plant controllers.

• Integrate grid-forming and grid-following inverters with rotating generation systems.

• Establish controls and communication architectures that connect controllers, relays, generators, BESS, site SCADA/EPMS/BMS, and integrators.

• Coordinate control interfaces with equipment vendors and integrators.

• Own the protection philosophy, relay coordination, and relay settings for MV systems, generators, BESS, and PV installations.

• Specify relays, instrument transformers, transfer-trip schemes, and interlock systems.

• Create protection and control one-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, DC control schematics, and relay panel layouts.

• Define interconnection protection in accordance with IEEE 1547 and utility specifications, guiding designs through the utility interconnection review process.

• Address utility and AHJ feedback and assist with construction RFIs and submissions.

• Transfer design packages and settings to commissioning integrators and provide remote support.

• Establish and enhance controls and protection standards, design practices, templates, standard schemes, detailed libraries, and QC checklists.

• Set technical guidelines for AI agents, review and validate their engineering outputs, and collaborate with the AI platform team to refine workflows.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of experience in power system protection and controls, with extensive work in microgrid controls for generation, BESS, or MV systems.

• Practical experience in writing sequences of operation and implementing microgrid operating modes such as islanding, resynchronization, black start, load shedding, and transitions between these modes.

• Knowledge of utility interconnection protection, including IEEE 1547 and direct transfer trip requirements.

• Experience with protection relay settings and coordination for MV, generator, and BESS applications (SEL or similar), particularly in systems with low fault currents in inverter-dominated islanded environments.

• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities, with a talent for explaining engineering concepts to non-specialists and working effectively with clients and team members.

• Hands-on configuration experience with SEL RTAC or similar automation controllers is preferred but not essential.

• Field commissioning background with distributed energy resources, turbine systems, or BESS is preferred but not mandatory.

• Experience with gas turbine or reciprocating generator controls is preferred but not required.

• Familiarity with grid-forming BESS integration is preferred but not required.

• Working knowledge of IEC 61850 GOOSE, DNP3, and Modbus is preferred but not necessary.

• Experience in data center power and controls is preferred but not essential.

• Background with fully off-grid or prime-power microgrids is preferred but not required.

• Hands-on relay coordination studies in ETAP, SKM, ASPEN, or similar software are preferred but not required.

• Comfort with AI tools is preferred but not essential.

• PE licensure is mandatory, as indicated by the application question regarding which states the candidate holds PE licensure.

• Candidates must specify if sponsorship will be required to work in the US.

🏝️ Benefits

• Significant early-stage equity.

• Health insurance coverage.

• Vision insurance coverage.

• Dental insurance coverage.

• Unlimited paid time off (PTO).

• A remote-first work environment.

• Occasional travel for site visits, customer meetings, conferences, and team events.