Senior Protection & Controls Engineer

Blue Ridge Power (BRP) is seeking a Senior Protection and Controls Engineer to join our engineering team! The Senior Protection and Controls Engineer will be responsible for relay settings review and technical design support for the interconnection engineering group of BRP. However, this position is slightly modified to have an enhanced focus on the review of system modeling project requirements and to provide training on different facets of system modeling for the engineering group.

In this role, the Senior Protection and Controls Engineer aids in enhancing the capabilities of the interconnection engineering group to help galvanize understanding of modeling concepts and improve fundamental understanding of the modeling tools/software needed to complete tasks. Personnel in this role will also perform the duties of a Subject Matter Expert for designs produced by engineering contractors for BRP.

The Senior Protection and Controls Engineer is responsible for schedule review, engineering labor estimate, relay design estimates, relay settings review, communication design review, and technical compliance review. This position is designated as a safety-sensitive position.

What You'll Do:

• Review system studies/models in varying software types including, ETAP, PSS/E, CAPE, and ASPEN.
• Train other engineers in the primary aspects of system modeling and act the BRP system modeling primary resource.
• Independently plan, coordinate, and schedule relay design work tasks including project scope development, cost estimating, proposal development, design preparation, and reviewing relay packages for commissioning and testing. 
• Lead efforts in the development and implementation of standards for relay equipment, material, design, testing, and construction requirements for transmission substations. 
• Implement the company design processes, procedures, and the use of computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software applications to ensure consistency, quality, and efficiency in the station design process. 
• Support the development of relay material specifications, selection, evaluation of materials, and failure analysis to determine root cause.
• Provide input to budget development related to station design and material procurement for BRP estimators.
• Work closely with other engineering groups within BRP to coordinate all aspects of solar and battery storage engineering.
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for design work performed by outside consultants.
• Develop and perform QA/QC (Quality Assurance and Quality Control) for relay settings.
• Actively participate in industry forums, conferences, and other company initiatives to support BRP in its mission.
• Review drawing sets, relay settings, and associated reports.
• Represent BRP as a subject matter expert in customer-facing calls.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Must-Haves:

• 6-10+ years of related electric utility engineering experience in protection and control.
• Demonstrated knowledge of electric system components and related communications and protection functions.
• Demonstrated knowledge of relay protection schemes, inverter-based generator protection, DTT, utility coordination, and communication protocols.
• Demonstrated knowledge of generator stability and dynamic operation analysis, with the ability to perform study reviews and produce dynamic simulation files.
• Experience with performing post-fault event analysis.
• Demonstrated expertise in relay coordination and settings review.
• Experience coordinating relays using ETAP / PSSE CAPE/ASPEN.
• Knowledge of system modeling is required.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze performance, process improvements, and standardization activities in system protection.
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal, verbal, and written skills in a professional environment.
• Flexible and adaptable commercial agility; ability to reorder critical design projects based on new commercial requirements, under tight deadlines and sometimes changing requirements.
• Demonstrated strong organizational skills.

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering is required.
• Professional Engineer License is required.

Work Environment and Physical Demand:

• This position can be a remote position, preferably in comfortable traveling distance to one of our BRP office locations in Asheville, or Fayetteville, NC.
• Travel up to 25% to our offices and project sites. 
• Site visits to various projects may be required on a per-project basis.
• May require lifting/carrying items up to 30 pounds. 
• Must be able to sit/stand at a desk and utilize a computer, for extended periods.