Field Engineer

ABM US • Columbus, OH

18d • $61 - $72

About The Position

ABM Industries is seeking a Field Engineer to join its Electrical Power Services team. The role performs commissioning, testing, troubleshooting, maintenance, and startup activities for substation protection, control, automation, and related electrical power systems. The Field Engineer carries out assigned protection and control testing, evaluates results, identifies technical issues, and develops recommendations, consulting senior field personnel when needed. The position supports safe project execution, technical quality, customer relationships, and operational excellence.

The Field Engineer interprets project scopes, specifications, drawings, schedules, and customer requirements; prepares and follows commissioning and testing plans; performs relay and system testing; commissions new substations and modifications; troubleshoots substation systems; reviews event and fault data; and prepares field reports and technical documentation. The role coordinates field work with colleagues, customers, and project partners, supports technicians, and follows company, customer, safety, and industry requirements. Work may include outages, startup, critical shutdowns, emergency response, and system energization.

This is an experienced technical role in Electrical Power Services, with a development path toward Senior Field Engineer, Lead Field Engineer, Project Manager, or other technical and operational roles. The listed pay range is $60.60–$72.00 per hour; specific offers may vary based on the applicant’s qualifications and location. Participation in a company incentive or bonus program may be available. ABM offers a comprehensive benefits package, with details referenced on its employee benefits page.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3–5 years of field experience in substation commissioning, panel and equipment checkout, relay calibration, protection and control testing, troubleshooting, or repair.
• Demonstrated ability to perform protection and control testing and troubleshooting with limited supervision.
• Strong knowledge of three-phase AC power systems and DC control systems.
• Strong knowledge of power system protection and control schemes.
• Strong knowledge of protective relays, circuit breaker controls, and instrument transformers.
• Strong knowledge of SCADA, metering, automation, and communications-assisted protection.
• Ability to read and interpret one-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, elementary diagrams, logic diagrams, panel drawings, and construction documents.
• Experience using relay and power-system test equipment, associated software, wiring tools, and diagnostic instruments.
• Ability to follow and apply testing procedures, commissioning plans, isolation plans, and functional test plans.
• Ability to evaluate test results, identify abnormal conditions, and recommend corrective actions.
• Strong troubleshooting, planning, documentation, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to organize assigned field activities and make sound technical decisions within established procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, including reading and writing, due to the safety-related nature of procedures and documentation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record.
• Ability to travel up to 75% based on project and customer requirements.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull testing equipment and materials weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to stand, walk, climb ladders, bend, kneel, crouch, and work in confined or restricted spaces.
• Ability to wear required PPE, including arc-flash and electrical safety equipment.
• Ability to work extended hours, nights, weekends, holidays, outages, and emergency callouts when required.

Nice To Haves

• Associate degree or higher in Electrical Engineering Technology, Electrical Technology, Power Systems, Electronics, or a related field.
• Experience with substation design, protection and control engineering, substation construction, utility operations, or SCADA integration.
• Experience with relay platforms and software from manufacturers such as SEL, GE, Siemens, ABB/Hitachi Energy, or Basler.
• Experience performing end-to-end protection testing and analyzing relay event reports or oscillography.
• Previous experience supporting commissioning projects or coordinating assigned field activities.
• NETA certification, engineering credential, OSHA 30, NFPA 70E, CPR/First Aid, or similar industry certification.

Responsibilities

• Interpret project scopes, specifications, drawings, schedules, and customer requirements to support testing and commissioning.
• Prepare and follow commissioning plans, test procedures, isolation plans, functional test plans, and outage requirements.
• Read and interpret substation drawings and documentation, including single-line and three-line diagrams, AC and DC schematics, panel wiring and layout drawings, elementary, logic, and interconnection diagrams, and protection and control drawings and construction documents.
• Perform acceptance, maintenance, troubleshooting, functional, and commissioning testing of protective relays, protection and control panels, circuit breakers, instrument transformers, DC control systems, SCADA, metering, alarms, controls, automation systems, and related communications equipment.
• Verify relay voltage and current inputs, local and remote metering, alarms, controls, interlocks, function switches, trip circuits, and SCADA points.
• Perform relay calibration, secondary and primary injection testing, trip testing, end-to-end testing, functional testing, and integrated system testing.
• Commission new substations and additions or modifications to existing substations.
• Troubleshoot substation relaying, control, communications, automation, and associated electrical equipment.
• Review relay event records, oscillography, fault data, and sequence-of-events information to help identify root causes and corrective actions.
• Prepare field reports, test documentation, deficiency reports, red-line drawings, and technical recommendations.
• Coordinate assigned field activities with senior field personnel, customers, project managers, engineers, contractors, and subcontractors.
• Provide technical support to technicians and other field service personnel within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Comply with company procedures, customer requirements, OSHA regulations, NFPA 70E requirements, and applicable industry standards.
• Support outages, startup activities, critical shutdowns, emergency response, and system energization activities.
• Review assigned test results and documentation for accuracy and completeness.
• Support project scheduling, resource coordination, and field execution activities.
• Communicate project status, technical concerns, and field conditions to the appropriate project lead.
• Promote and follow a strong safety and quality culture.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package; details are available on ABM’s employee benefits page.
• May be eligible to participate in a company incentive or bonus program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed