High Voltage Substation Technician (Testing & Commissioning)

About the role

You will be a technician for low voltage through 220kV, onshore and offshore. Our technicians test and maintain switchgear, transformers, and protection systems on substations and wind turbines. This includes:

• Relay testing and verification
• Breaker timing and coordination
• Insulation resistance and power factor testing
• Commissioning support during energization
• Troubleshooting issues on assets

Your input to project management is both needed and valued as a subject matter expert. If you’ve never worked on an offshore substation before, note the job requires flexibility and agility. Weather can limit access to offshore assets, and planning and preparation are crucial to ensure you’re ready to work when offshore because there's no truck to run back to. If you've spent your career in utility yards, this is the same electrical discipline with a harder logistics problem wrapped around it—most techs find that's the interesting part.

You will be based in the New Bedford, MA area and serve as our lead HV specialist for US offshore wind projects, expecting 20% travel to projects along the US East Coast.

Why Semco?

You'd see more asset types in a year than most techs see in five, and offshore wind in the US is early enough that the people performing this work now have a career path to become an industry leader in the near future.

Requirements

• Trained as an electrician or equivalent route through utility, industrial, or military power work
• Hands-on experience with MV and HV cables, transformers, and switchgear
• Substation experience (utility, industrial, or independent testing)
• Fluent with test sets: relay test equipment, Doble or equivalent, TTR, insulation resistance
• Documented HV switching experience (if you have it, lead with it—it changes the offer)

Qualifications

At least one of the following:

• Journeyman or master electrician license
• Completed utility or IBEW apprenticeship in substation, relay, or power work
• NETA Level II or higher
• Military electrical or electronics rating with HV power experience
• Associate or bachelor's in electrical engineering technology with field experience

Training Provided

• GWO Basic Safety Training and offshore medical
• HV switching authorization to our standard, including offshore-specific requirements
• Manufacturer training on the switchgear and relay platforms for this project

Benefits

• 3% employer match on retirement contributions
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (premium 100% paid)
• 10-15 days paid vacation
• 8 hours of pay on designated company holidays

Pay

Salary range: $120,000 to $135,000 per year. Where you land in that range depends on your credentials and HV testing experience.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift less than 25 lbs independently, 2 times per day
• Carry 10-25 lbs, 2 times per day
• Visual abilities: near, far, peripheral, depth perception, and ability to distinguish basic colors
• Hearing requirements: ability to hear and respond to instructions, communicate effectively in loud areas (pier/dock, warehouse)
• Occasional prolonged standing/walking
• Use of hands for basic/fine grasping and manipulation, repetitive motion, reaching above and below shoulders
• Pushing, pulling, kneeling, bending, twisting, and stooping
• Talking, traveling, working around others, and with others
• Exposure to dust or other irritants and electrical/mechanical/power equipment hazards

Physical duties are subject to change.