Protection & Controls Engineer

Westmont Global is seeking a Protection & Controls Engineer to support electrical protection design and studies for medium- and high-voltage power systems in Houston, TX. This onsite contract role focuses on relay settings, protection coordination and scheme reviews, with field testing and commissioning assistance during energization and turnover.

The position is primarily office-based, with periodic travel to project sites to support testing, troubleshooting, startup and relay commissioning deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform and review protective relay coordination studies and time-current coordination curves.
• Develop, review, and validate relay settings for medium- and high-voltage power systems.
• Run short-circuit, coordination, and protection studies in ETAP or similar software.
• Develop and review protection schemes for transformers, generators, buses, feeders, lines, MV switchgear, utility substations, industrial facilities, and data centers.
• Review and validate SEL and other relay settings against equipment ratings, system studies, design criteria, and customer requirements.
• Review CT/PT ratio, polarity, burden, and grounding, and assess transformer differential requirements including vector groups, compensation, restraint, slope, and harmonic blocking.
• Review one-lines, three-lines, AC/DC schematics, logic diagrams, trip matrices, interconnection diagrams, and P&C panel drawings.
• Review breaker-failure logic, lockout schemes, trip paths, permissives, and interlocks.
• Prepare relay setting files, calculation packages, setting summaries, and customer submittals with full revision control.
• Provide technical support to relay technicians and commissioning teams during testing, troubleshooting, energization, startup, and turnover.
• Review relay test results, commissioning reports, redlines, and as-left records against approved settings.
• Support root-cause analysis of relay operations, misoperations, event records, and system disturbances.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related discipline (strong, relevant protection engineering experience may be considered).
• Hands-on experience developing, reviewing, or validating relay settings, or supporting protection studies.
• Working knowledge of protective relays, coordination principles, and protection/control schemes.
• Solid understanding of CT/PT applications, breaker controls, trip circuits, differential protection, overcurrent coordination, and backup protection philosophy.
• Ability to read and interpret one-lines, three-lines, AC/DC schematics, logic diagrams, and trip matrices.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, technical writing, and documentation skills.
• Clear communicator with field technicians, project managers, customers, OEMs, and other engineers.
• Periodic travel for commissioning support, energization, or troubleshooting.

Contract Details

• Job type: Contract (long-term engagement with an option to convert to permanent employment).
• Location: Houston, TX (onsite / in person).
• Salary: USD 110,000 - 180,000 per year depending on experience; contract rates are agreed individually based on experience.
• Minimum experience: 3 years.
• Travel: 25% (preferred).

Protection Functions

• 50/51, 50N/51N, 50G/51G
• 27/59, 81, 25, 32, 46, 49, 50BF
• 87T transformer differential, 87B bus differential, 87L line differential, generator protection

Working Tools & Technologies

• ETAP
• SEL
• AcSELerator QuickSet

Application

Apply through Indeed with your up-to-date resume. A Westmont Global consultant will review every application and contact shortlisted candidates in confidence to discuss the role.

Application Questions

• Briefly describe your hands-on experience developing, reviewing, or validating relay settings. Include relay manufacturers (for example SEL) and protection applications (transformer, bus, line, feeder, generator, breaker failure).
• Which short-circuit and protection coordination software have you used (for example ETAP, ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, SKM), and for roughly how many years?
• This role is available on a contract or a permanent basis. Which do you prefer (contract, permanent, or either)?
• Provide salary (or contract rate) expectations, and your notice period or earliest start date.