Relay Protection Testing Engineer

Portland General Electric Company•Tualatin, OR

14h•$84,450 - $197,375•Hybrid

About The Position

At PGE, our work involves dreaming about, planning for, and realizing a smarter, cleaner, more enduring Oregon neighborhood. Its core to our DNA and we haven’t stopped since we started in 1888. We energize lives, strengthen communities and drive advancements in energy that promote social, economic and environmental progress. We’re always on the lookout for people passionate about leading and being a part of teams that are advancing innovative clean energy solutions that are also affordable and accessible to all. Summary: System Protection provides engineering for the design and operation of protective relays and their logic schemes for transmission, distribution, and generation systems to detect abnormal power system conditions and initiates corrective action to return the power system to its normal state. Protection engineering deals with protecting the electrical power system from faults through the isolation of faulted parts from the rest of the electrical network. As a Protection Testing Engineer, you will provide test and energization support for field technicians during implementation and operation of protective relays for transmission, distribution, and generation systems. Additional job duties may include providing engineering of system protection and protection maintenance/operation support including, but not limited to developing protection requirements, creating relay settings, performing fault studies, analyzing system events. Position available to be filled as either an Intermediate, P2, Protection Testing Engineer or a P3, Senior Protection Testing Engineer. See required determining qualifications below. Competencies posted at p2 level.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering preferred.
ABET accredited engineering program or program accredited by an equivalent agency.
Typically, 2 or more years in engineering.
Valid Driver’s License required.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering preferred.
ABET accredited engineering program or program accredited by an equivalent agency.
Typically, five or more years in engineering, or four or more years in related field with PE license.
Valid Driver’s License required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with substation relay functions
Effective oral and written communications skills
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
Skill and knowledge of electrical utility infrastructure construction and testing practices
Effective at building professional interdepartmental relationships
Experience commissioning substation protection equipment is preferred
Deal effectively with pressure of real-time problem solving.

Responsibilities

Maintains currency in state-of-the-art engineering practices and independently applies professional knowledge of engineering processes and standards.
Ensures QA activities are well documented and ensures proper document control to meet NERC reliability audit requirements; gathers data and provides documentation review to establish PGE compliance with WECC and FERC protection criteria; maintains a high level of engineering proficiency within the field of specialization and up-to-date technical knowledge of all current techniques, applicable codes, and regulations.
Analyzes and performs technical studies; reviews work performed by other engineers; contributes to operational assessments of system disturbances.
Works with protection and automation engineers to develop testing plans for protection and control systems which identify physical safety barriers, electronic safety barriers, interconnected control systems to be tested, and best testing practices to reduce system risk.
Ensures control systems efficiently check schemes by eliminating duplications while ensuring compliance to WECC standards.
Coordinates development of postconstruction QA checklist; provides engineering support to operations personnel for switching and load restoration activities.
Assigns tasks and coordinates with other internal/external team members as directed on less complex projects; shares information and provides professional guidance in executing project tasks.
Coordinates projects with outside entities including PGE System Control Center, other interconnected utilities, major customers through key customer managers and other PGE departments.
Partners with construction engineers to develop high level sequenced construction plan with major shutdown requirements; provides engineering expertise to construction crews on design and construction issues (e.g., constructability reviews, design philosophy, design additions or changes during construction, equipment integration).
Provides engineering expertise to overall project management (construction engineer and crews) with scope changes.
Shares current knowledge of latest technology and processes; may assist with mentoring, recognition and any corrective actions required.
Participates in delivering technical training to substation wiremen and technicians; supports Meter/Relay/SCADA technicians with design issues and changing technologies.
Maintains currency in state-of-the-art engineering practices and provides guidance and direction on engineering processes and standards to colleagues when requested.
Ensures QA activities are well documented.
Identifies and implements improvements and ensures proper document control to meet NERC reliability audit requirements.
Provides input on control and protection design standards and criteria; gathers data and provides documentation review to establish PGE compliance with WECC and FERC protection criteria.
Analyzes and performs technical studies, prepares reports and provides solutions to complex technical matters; reviews work performed by other engineers; contributes substantially to operational assessments of system disturbances, including Root Cause Analysis.
Works with and is an authoritative resource to protection and automation engineers to develop testing plans for complex control systems which identify physical safety barriers, electronic safety barriers, interconnected control systems to be tested, and best testing practices to reduce system risk.
Ensures control systems efficiently check schemes by eliminating duplications while ensuring compliance to WECC standards.
Leads development of postconstruction QA checklist; provides engineering expertise to operations personnel for switching and load restoration activities.
Coordinates complex projects with outside entities including PGE System Control Center, other interconnected utilities, major customers through key customer managers, and other PGE departments.
Partners with construction engineers to develop high level sequenced construction plan on complex projects with major shutdown requirements including switching and energization plans; provides engineering expertise and broad support to construction crews on complex design and construction issues (e.g., constructability reviews, design philosophy, design additions or changes during construction, equipment integration).
Supports overall project management (construction engineer and crews) with scope changes.
Identifies training and testing requirements for new and complex control systems; delivers technical training to substation wiremen and technicians and supports Meter/Relay/SCADA technicians with a wide range of design issues and changing technologies.