Principal Protection Engineer

Pay Grade:  M10/M11

POSITION SUMMARY

The Principal Protection Engineer serves as the subject matter expert for all technical aspects of protection, control, and metering systems, including relay coordination and fault mitigation. This role is responsible for providing advanced engineering expertise, directing protection and metering design contractors, and overseeing the work of design engineers. As the owner of the company’s protection and metering standards, the Principal Engineer ensures they are maintained, updated, and compliant with industry best practices, standards, and regulations. This position involves acting as a technical leader across the project portfolio, mentoring team members, and driving innovation in protection and metering technologies to support reliable, accurate, and efficient power system operation.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Acts as the subject matter expert for all aspects of protection and control systems, ensuring compliance with industry standards, industry standards, and regulations.
• Coordinates the design and application of relay protection schemes, metering packages, and control systems.
• Serves as a technical leader, providing guidance to design engineers, technologists, and external contractors.
• Owns and maintains the company's protection and metering standards, ensuring they align with best practices and evolving technologies.
• Reviews system protection schemes, relay settings, and energy measurement systems to ensure compatibility and performance.
• Develops and monitors protection and metering systems to ensure they meet required safety, reliability, and operational standards.
• Participates in system fault studies, prepares system coordination reports, and makes recommendations for design improvements.
• Researches and integrates emerging technologies such as advanced relaying devices and smart grid systems.
• Maintains system protection model.
• Collaborates with internal teams and external contractors to ensure the timely delivery of protection and metering projects.
• Represents the protection discipline in cross-departmental meetings, providing expert input on design and operational issues.
• Represents the protection engineering discipline in compliance matters.
• Recommends project for inclusion in the five-year work plan for their discipline.
• Engages with project development and provides project cost estimates upon request.
• Participates in professional organizations such as EPRI and NATF to stay informed on industry innovations.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the company's mission and goals.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in an applicable Engineering field minimum
• Graduate Degree in Electrical or Power Systems Engineering preferred
• PE license in Indiana and Illinois preferred

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant protection engineering experience required for applicants with a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems Engineering. Minimum of 15 years of experience required for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in related field.
• Other levels of experience may be considered.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders at all levels and work collaboratively across teams
• Ability to manage protection and metering projects with varying scopes and timelines
• Strong customer service orientation with a focus on meeting both internal and external client needs
• Demonstrated professionalism and a positive attitude in handling complex system protection matters
• Ability to adapt to a changing environment and remain flexible with project timelines and scope adjustments
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills for addressing complex protection system challenges
• Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD and Aspen One-liner for relay settings and protection system design
• Broad knowledge of protection and metering devices, including relay settings, energy measurement, and fault analysis
• Expertise in protection system design, energy measurement systems, and integration with the electrical grid 
• Ability to develop, maintain, and enforce protection system standards in compliance with NERC and other regulatory frameworks

Hoosier Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation, age, ancestry, genetic information, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.