Commissioning Engineer

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, execute, and document all commissioning activities, including pre-commissioning, construction support, testing, energization, and project close-out for utility substation protection, control, and power circuits in alignment with project requirements, budgets, and schedules.
• Review wiring diagrams, schematics, engineering documents, and manufacturer drawings in advance of projects and outages to prepare for commissioning and identify potential issues.
• Perform troubleshooting and root cause analysis for protection and control systems and utility substation equipment, addressing application errors, drawing errors, wiring errors, settings errors, equipment malfunctions, questionable apparatus test results, and battery ground faults.
• Participate actively in project meetings, including kickoff, planning, progress, and lessons learned sessions, providing technical input and updates on commissioning activities.
• Prepare detailed daily, weekly, and project completion reports that document project progress, issues or problems encountered, recommendations, test results, and technical analyses.
• Aid in developing project-specific testing and commissioning plans, energization plans, and other required project documentation to support safe and efficient field execution.
• Identify risks on utility systems and equipment and develop mitigation techniques, including preparing Site Risk Assessments to document high-risk construction and commissioning activities and formalize circuit isolation and restoration processes.
• Ensure all applicable tests and commissioning activities are performed on every piece of equipment or system in accordance with project plans and standards, and verify that all test results are acceptable, permanently recorded, properly filed, and appropriately distributed.
• Develop detailed test reports for various types of electrical equipment and review and approve test reports prepared by others for accuracy and completeness.
• Conduct testing and commissioning of substation utility protection and control circuits, interpret results with supervision, and apply commissioning methods to accurately conduct and document activities.
• Use specialized testing software and tools, such as Doble Protection Suite, ProTest, and SEL AcSELerator, to perform relay and protection system testing and documentation when applicable.
• Travel to utility substations and related facilities to perform field commissioning, testing, troubleshooting, and maintenance activities as required.
• Work flexible hours, including weekends, holidays, overtime, and night shifts, to support outage schedules and critical commissioning timelines.

Essential Skills

• 3+ years of utility commissioning experience, specifically involving substation protection, control, and power circuits.
• 5+ years of related experience with testing and commissioning services; electric utility experience preferred.
• Hands-on experience with relay testing, protection and control (P&C) systems, and apparatus testing in utility or power systems environments.
• Electrical engineering degree or strong electrical engineering background.
• Ability to read and understand construction drawings, manufacturer drawings, specifications, and schematic diagrams.
• Strong knowledge of, or ability to quickly learn, electrical protection systems including relay communication.
• Basic understanding of, or ability to quickly learn, AC and DC schematics, wiring diagrams, one-line and three-line interconnection diagrams.
• Solid testing and commissioning knowledge of substation utility protection and control circuits, with the ability to perform commissioning activities and interpret results under supervision.
• Valid USA driver’s license issued by state of residence and in good standing.
• Willingness and ability to travel, including out-of-town travel for several weeks at a time.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends, holidays, overtime, and night work.
• Strong troubleshooting skills for protection and control systems, circuits, relays, and substation apparatus.
• Capability to prepare detailed technical reports, including test results, analyses, and recommendations.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with substation maintenance, relay testing, circuit testing, and troubleshooting of protection and relays and apparatus.
• Experience commissioning complex commercial or industrial equipment, including protective relays, or power systems field engineering experience with relay knowledge.
• Experience using Doble Protection Suite and/or ProTest software is highly preferred.
• Experience using SEL AcSELerator or similar relay configuration and testing tools is highly preferred.
• Ability to develop project-specific testing and commissioning plans, energization plans, and other technical documentation.
• Ability to identify risks on utility systems and equipment and develop effective mitigation strategies.
• Experience preparing Site Risk Assessments and formalizing circuit isolation and restoration processes to prevent unintended operations and ensure personnel safety.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for participation in project meetings and preparation of detailed reports.
• Ability to collaborate with project teams and integrate into utility operations environments.