Lead Engineer, System Protection & Controls

AESO•Calgary, AB

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is responsible for the safe, reliable, and economic planning and operation of the Alberta Interconnected Electric System. We provide open and non-discriminatory access to Alberta’s interconnected power grid and also facilitate Alberta’s competitive wholesale electricity market. The AESO strives to foster an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace where people feel respected and welcomed for who they are, together we deliver high performance and innovative results. Help power Alberta's future through technical leadership on critical transmission infrastructure projects. Reporting to the Manager, Project Engineering, the Lead Engineer, System Protection & Controls serves as AESO's senior technical expert for protection, control, and reliability engineering across Alberta’s electricity system. In this role, you will lead complex protection studies, disturbance investigations, reliability initiatives, and standards development to support the secure, reliable, and resilient operation of Alberta's power grid. Working closely with internal teams, utilities, generators, regulators, and industry partners, you will provide technical leadership, influence strategic decisions, and help shape the future of Alberta's electricity system. You will collaborate across AESO, including Connection Projects, System Projects, Operational Engineering, Operational Planning, and Power System Modelling, to advance strategic organizational and industry initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an accredited institution and registration as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with APEGA, or eligibility for registration.
Minimum 12 years of progressive engineering experience in the electric utility industry with a focus on Protection & Controls.
Strong experience conducting protection system studies, coordination reviews, performance assessments, and complex reliability initiatives.
Experience working with transmission operators, transmission owners, generation owners, utilities, regulators, and reliability organizations.
Demonstrated success leading complex technical initiatives, multidisciplinary engineering teams, and strategic reliability programs.
Experience with Alberta Reliability Standards, ISO Rules, NERC reliability requirements, compliance activities, and regulatory frameworks.
Expertise in protection coordination studies, remedial action schemes (RAS), anti-islanding, synch-check, power swing and out-of-step protection, effective grounding, and protection system performance analysis.
Experience with inverter-based resources, renewable generation integration, HVDC systems, digital substations, facility modelling, Project Development Update Processes (PDUPs), and Real-Time Digital Simulation (RTDS) tools.

Nice To Haves

Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Power Systems Engineering or a related discipline
Experience developing technical standards, engineering policies, and regulatory documentation

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior technical expert on system protection, control, coordination, and reliability matters.
Lead technical reviews of transmission, generation, distribution, and large-load interconnection projects, providing technical recommendations on protection schemes and coordination practices proposed by interconnected entities.
Develop and maintain protection philosophies, engineering practices, standards, and technical requirements.
Lead complex protection and coordination studies involving transmission lines, transformers, buses, reactors, capacitor banks, HVDC facilities, renewable generation, and inverter-based resources, and evaluate protection system performance under contingency conditions, emerging reliability risks, and abnormal operating scenarios.
Conduct technical investigations of protection system and disturbance events to identify root causes and recommend reliability improvements.
Support the development, implementation, audit readiness, and compliance of AESO Technical Rules, Alberta Reliability Standards, NERC requirements, and other regulatory obligations related to Protection and Control, including the review of rule waivers, variances, and compliance matters.
Provide engineering expertise to support connection projects, system planning, operational engineering, and strategic initiatives across AESO.
Lead and participate in industry working groups, standards committees, and stakeholder engagements to advance protection, control, and reliability practices.
Mentor engineers and provide technical oversight, coaching, and review of engineering studies, technical reports, and recommendations.
Monitor emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to advance system reliability, operational excellence, and grid modernization.