Principal Engineer - Protection & Control

For more information please visit: Benefits - Avangrid

This role is responsible for researching industry best practices to create Protection and Control standards. Responsibilities also include development of new engineering processes and tools, evaluating new P&C technologies, and writes industry white papers. 

System scope includes transmission, substation, and distribution. Service companies include Central Maine Power, New York State Electric & Gas, Rochester Gas & Electric, and United Illuminating.

Key Responsibilities  

• General responsibilities include assisting in the development of P&C engineering standards, relay setting file templates, and engineering tools. 

• Conducts engineering analysis, researching industry papers and manuals. 

• Make engineering decisions with significant impact to the company. 

• The principal engineer is expected to lead engineering projects and facilitate meeting with other P&C engineers, other departments, contractors, and vendors. 

• The principal engineer is expected to provide informal mentorship to junior engineers. The principal engineer is expected to develop and instruct P&C training courses. 

• Authoring engineering standards and presenting to technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Participate in the evaluation of new vendors and technologies. 

• Engineers in the Philosophy and Standards group often are requested to work on special one-off projects. Past examples include overhauling arc flash calculation methods, evaluating the feasibility of distribution switching stations, evaluating new substation designs. 

• Active projects include engineering AVANGRID’s first IEC 61850 Process Bus Substation, evaluating Virtualized Protection Relays, expanding relaying laboratories (including use of an RTDS), conducting studies, updating engineering standards, creating internal engineering training courses, and writing conference papers. 

Required Qualifications  

• 10 years of experience in Protection & Control. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. 

• Understanding of P&C regulation such as FERC, NERC, NPCC. 

• A broad range of P&C knowledge/experience including wiring design, instrument transformers specifications, coordination studies, digital logic, protection settings, automation, teleprotection. 

• A strong understanding of electrical engineering fundamentals is required. This includes sequential components, per unit, harmonics, transformers, and fault analysis. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering preferred. 

• Professional Engineering (PE) license strongly preferred. 

• Experience with SEL, GE, and Siemens protection relays. 

• Experience or knowledge in the following areas is preferred: IEC 61850 (GOOSE Data Models, Sampled Values, MMS, PTP), networking, real time digital simulators (RTDS), virtualized protection relays, and centralized substation protection. 

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Please note that any applicant who is not a citizen of the country of the vacancy will be subject to compliance with the applicable immigration requirements to legally work in that country.

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Avangrid employees may be assigned a system emergency role and in the event of a system emergency, may be required to work outside of their regular schedule/job duties. This is applicable to employees that will work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York within Avangrid Network and Corporate functions.  This does not include those that will work for Avangrid Power.

Avangrid employees may also be assigned a NERC Reliability Standards compliance role supporting Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) and/or Operations and Planning (O&P) responsibilities. This is applicable to employees that will work in electric transmission, operations, and cyber security business areas in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York within Avangrid Network and Corporate business areas. NERC Reliability Standards compliance roles and responsibilities may include additional access protections, training, audit engagement, and required evidence retention, and will be communicated by the employee’s management.