Senior Field Engineer

ABM Industries is seeking a Senior Field Engineer to join the Electrical Power Services team in Columbus, OH for onsite work. In this role, you will plan, lead, and execute commissioning, testing, troubleshooting, maintenance, and startup activities across substation protection and related electrical power systems, while supporting safe execution and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Interpret project scopes, specifications, drawings, schedules, and customer requirements to plan testing and commissioning activities.
• Develop commissioning plans, test procedures, isolation plans, functional test plans, outage requirements, and resource schedules.
• Read and interpret substation documentation including single-line and three-line diagrams, AC and DC schematics, panel wiring and layout drawings, and elementary, logic, and interconnection diagrams.
• Review protection and control drawings and construction documents, and apply them to field execution.
• Independently perform and lead acceptance, maintenance, troubleshooting, functional, and commissioning testing for protective relays (electromechanical, solid-state, and microprocessor-based).
• Independently perform and lead acceptance, maintenance, troubleshooting, functional, and commissioning testing for protection and control panels.
• Independently perform and lead acceptance, maintenance, troubleshooting, functional, and commissioning testing for circuit breakers, instrument transformers, and DC control systems.
• Independently perform and lead acceptance, maintenance, troubleshooting, functional, and commissioning testing for SCADA, metering, alarms, controls, and automation systems.
• Independently perform and lead acceptance, maintenance, troubleshooting, functional, and commissioning testing for pilot protection, transfer-trip, fiber-optic, power-line carrier, and related communications equipment.
• Verify relay voltage and current inputs, local and remote metering, alarms, controls, interlocks, function switches, trip circuits, and SCADA points.
• Perform relay calibration, secondary and primary injection testing, trip testing, end-to-end testing, functional testing, and integrated system testing.
• Commission new substations and additions or modifications to existing substations.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting of substation relaying, control, communications, automation, and associated electrical equipment.
• Analyze relay event records, oscillography, fault data, and sequence-of-events information to identify root causes and recommend corrective actions.
• Prepare and review field reports, test documentation, deficiency reports, red-line drawings, and technical recommendations.
• Lead assigned field activities and coordinate work with customers, project managers, engineers, contractors, and subcontractors.
• Provide project technical support and mentorship to junior engineers, technicians, and field service personnel.
• Ensure compliance with company procedures, customer requirements, OSHA regulations, NFPA 70E requirements, and applicable industry standards.
• Support outages, startup activities, critical shutdowns, emergency response, and system energization activities.
• Review work quality, test results, and documentation produced by assigned personnel.
• Support project scheduling, resource coordination, and field execution activities.
• Promote and enforce a strong safety and quality culture.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of field experience in substation commissioning, panel and equipment checkout, relay calibration, protection and control testing, troubleshooting, and repair.
• Demonstrated ability to independently commission and troubleshoot protective relaying and control schemes.
• Strong knowledge of three-phase AC power systems and DC control systems.
• Strong knowledge of power system protection and control schemes.
• Strong knowledge of protective relays, circuit breaker controls, and instrument transformers.
• Strong knowledge of SCADA, metering, automation, and communications-assisted protection.
• Ability to read and interpret one-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, elementary diagrams, logic diagrams, panel drawings, and construction documents.
• Experience using relay and power-system test equipment, associated software, wiring tools, and diagnostic instruments.
• Ability to develop and execute testing procedures, commissioning plans, isolation plans, and functional test plans.
• Ability to evaluate test results, identify abnormal conditions, and recommend corrective actions.
• Strong troubleshooting, planning, documentation, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to lead field activities and make sound technical decisions with limited supervision.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, including reading and writing, due to the safety-related nature of procedures and documentation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.
• Ability to travel up to 75% based on project and customer requirements.

Technologies

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Pay and Incentives

• Pay: $72.00–$80.00 per hour
• Incentive/Bonus: You may be eligible to participate in a company incentive or bonus program

Benefits

• ABM offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate degree or higher in Electrical Engineering Technology, Electrical Technology, Power Systems, Electronics, or a related field.
• Experience with substation design, protection and control engineering, substation construction, utility operations, or SCADA integration.
• Experience with relay platforms and software from manufacturers such as SEL, GE, Siemens, ABB/Hitachi Energy, or Basler.
• Experience performing end-to-end protection testing and analyzing relay event reports or oscillography.
• Previous experience serving as a lead engineer, commissioning lead, or field supervisor.
• NETA certification, engineering credential, OSHA 30, NFPA 70E, CPR/First Aid, or similar industry certification.