Substation Commissioning Engineer

About the Role

If you thrive in the field, enjoy solving complex protection and control challenges, and want to be the engineer who gives the final approval before a substation is energized, this opportunity is built for you. We're seeking an experienced Substation Commissioning Engineer to lead the testing, validation, and energization of utility and industrial substation projects. You'll work on both greenfield and brownfield substations, taking ownership of the most critical phase of the project lifecycle—ensuring every relay, protection scheme, control system, and piece of equipment performs exactly as intended before power flows. This is a highly visible role offering significant autonomy, technical challenge, and a clear path toward project leadership, field service management, and operations leadership.

Why Engineers Join Our Team

• Own the energization process and play a direct role in bringing critical infrastructure online.
• Work on complex transmission and distribution substation projects with sophisticated protection and control systems.
• Gain exposure to advanced relay technologies, protection schemes, SCADA integration, and commissioning best practices.
• Enjoy a high level of field autonomy and decision-making responsibility.
• Advance into leadership roles through a well-defined career growth path.
• Competitive compensation, relocation assistance, and sign-on bonus available for qualified candidates.

What You'll Do

As a Substation Commissioning Engineer, you will lead field commissioning activities from site readiness through final energization and turnover.

• Lead commissioning activities for greenfield and brownfield substations, ensuring safe and successful project execution.
• Perform comprehensive protection and control testing, including relay functional testing, end-to-end testing, and logic validation.
• Execute and review commissioning plans, test procedures, and energization checklists.
• Analyze relay settings, logic, and protection schemes to verify system reliability and coordination.
• Validate correct operation of transmission and distribution protection systems prior to energization.
• Troubleshoot wiring, controls, communications, and protection issues identified during commissioning.
• Support breaker, transformer, switchgear, SCADA, and control system testing.
• Serve as a technical leader in the field, coordinating commissioning activities with project managers, construction teams, owners, and utility representatives.
• Take ownership of final system verification and provide commissioning sign-off recommendations.
• Document test results, commissioning reports, redlines, and project closeout deliverables.
• Mentor junior engineers and relay technicians while promoting commissioning best practices and safety excellence.
• Continuously improve commissioning processes through lessons learned and field expertise.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in substation protection and controls, relay testing, or commissioning.
• Hands-on experience commissioning medium- and/or high-voltage substations.
• Strong knowledge of substation protection schemes and relay logic.
• Experience performing functional relay testing, logic verification, and system validation.
• Solid understanding of three-phase power systems, protection coordination, and substation operations.
• Demonstrated success supporting or leading energization activities.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills in time-sensitive field environments.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project sites as needed.
• Commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience with SEL, GE, ABB/Hitachi Energy, Siemens, or Schweitzer relay platforms.
• Experience with relay setting development and protection studies.
• Substation design or protection and controls engineering experience.
• NETA, NICET, or other industry certifications.
• Previous experience leading field teams or commissioning programs.
• Sr relay technicians with significant commissioning experience are encouraged to apply.

Career Growth Opportunities

This role is ideal for engineers and Sr relay professionals who want to move beyond testing and become recognized technical leaders. Successful candidates often advance into:

• Lead Commissioning Engineer
• Commissioning Manager
• Protection & Controls Engineering Lead
• Project Manager
• Field Service Manager
• Operations Leadership

Work Environment & Travel

This is a field-based position supporting critical power infrastructure projects throughout the region and across North America. Most assignments involve a combination of local work and travel-based projects, with travel rotations typically lasting up to two weeks at a time. You'll work in active substations alongside experienced engineers, technicians, utility personnel, and project teams to deliver safe, reliable energizations that power communities, data centers, industrial facilities, and the electrical grid.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $80.00/hr.

Benefits

If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Schedule

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Minneapolis, MN. This is a fully onsite position.