Power Protection Controls Engineer

Google•Reston, VA

About The Position

Our thirst for technology is a part of everything we do. The Data Center Engineering team takes the physical design of our data centers into the future. Our lab mirrors a research and development department -- cutting-edge strategies are born, tested and tested again. Along with a team of great minds, you take on complex topics like how we use power or how to run state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly facilities. You're a visionary who optimizes for efficiencies and never stops seeking improvements -- even small changes that can make a huge impact. You generate ideas, communicate recommendations to senior-level executives and drive implementation alongside facilities technicians. With your technical expertise, you ensure compliance with codes and standards, develop infrastructure improvements and serve as an expert in your specialty (e.g., cooling, electrical). As a Power Protection and Controls Engineer at Google, you aren’t just maintaining systems; you are the guardian of the infrastructure that powers the world’s information. You will sit at the intersection of traditional power engineering and the future of carbon-free energy. From reverse-engineering protection concepts with the executive team to leading high-stakes field testing, you will ensure our Data Centers are resilient, optimized, and ready for the next generation of renewable integration. Behind everything our users see online is the architecture built by the Technical Infrastructure team to keep it running. From developing and maintaining our data centers to building the next generation of Google platforms, we make Google's product portfolio possible. We're proud to be our engineers' engineers and love voiding warranties by taking things apart so we can rebuild them. We keep our networks up and running, ensuring our users have the best and fastest experience possible.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
5 years of experience with communication or signaling protocols used in power engineering.
5 years of experience in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing using RTDS, OPAL-RT, or similar platforms.
5 years of experience in mission critical facilities and their electrical infrastructure.
5 years of experience in protection and control engineering.
Ability to travel 30% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Experience using electrical transient analysis software such as ETAP, SKM, and PSCAD.
Experience with utility-scale energy storage technologies such as lithium-ion batteries.
Knowledge of communication/signaling protocols used in power engineering.
Ability to perform closed loop testing on protection and control systems.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with executive leadership to design and define future data center protection and control concepts that prioritize both reliability and sustainability.
Act as the technical lead for execution and field testing teams, driving the commissioning efforts for power system protection schemes.
Create and maintain power system models to optimize existing architectures and solve power quality or protection anomalies.
Investigate and integrate renewable power generation and carbon-free storage technologies, developing ways to protect and control these new energy frontiers.