Protection & Control Engineer

Hiring company: Bahamas Grid Company Source: LinkedIn Bahamas The Protection & Control Engineer designs, analyzes, and supports protection and control systems for Bahamas Grid Company's transmission, distribution, and substation assets. Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Engineer develops relay settings, protection schemes, control designs, and technical documentation that support safe and reliable grid operations. The role performs protection coordination and fault studies, reviews equipment and system data, and supports testing and commissioning of relays, control circuits, and related equipment. The Engineer investigates protection operations and system disturbances, identifies causes, and recommends corrective action in accordance with Company standards and applicable technical requirements. Working with Engineering & Planning, Transmission & Distribution Operations, System Operations, Project Management, field teams, vendors, and contractors, the Engineer provides technical support throughout design, installation, commissioning, maintenance, and modification of protection and control systems. The Protection & Control Engineer also supports outage response, storm restoration, and improvements to protection standards, documentation, automation, and system reliability. Essential Functions: Protection Engineering & Relay Coordination • Develop and maintain protection schemes and relay settings for transmission lines, distribution feeders, substations, transformers, and other grid assets. • Perform short-circuit, fault, and protection coordination studies; evaluate relay reach, selectivity, sensitivity, and operating times. • Prepare settings calculations, coordination reports, technical recommendations, and setting files for review and approval by the Engineering Manager. • Evaluate existing protection performance and propose changes to address misoperations, equipment changes, network expansion, or reliability concerns. • Coordinate protection interfaces with interconnected equipment, generation sources, and relevant external parties as assigned. Control Systems & Engineering Design • Develop and review control schematics, wiring diagrams, logic diagrams, relay panel drawings, and equipment specifications. • Support substation automation, SCADA interfaces, remote indications, alarms, and control functions in coordination with relevant teams. • Verify the technical compatibility of protection devices, current and voltage transformers, communications links, and control equipment. • Review vendor drawings and technical submissions and resolve design discrepancies before installation or commissioning. • Maintain accurate as-built drawings, device information, settings records, and change documentation. Testing, Commissioning & Technical Services • Prepare or review test plans, commissioning procedures, and acceptance criteria for protection and control equipment. • Support field testing, relay configuration, secondary injection, functional checks, and end-to-end testing as appropriate to the project. • Verify that approved settings, wiring, control logic, and SCADA indications are correctly implemented before equipment is placed in service. • Troubleshoot protection and control faults with operations, maintenance, contractors, and equipment suppliers. • Record test results, deficiencies, corrective actions, and commissioning evidence for engineering review and asset records. • Provide technical input for planned outages, switching coordination, equipment replacement, and modifications to existing schemes. System Disturbances & Reliability • Analyze relay event reports, fault records, oscillography, and operational information following trips or system disturbances. • Investigate protection misoperations, equipment failures, and recurring faults; document findings and recommend corrective actions. • Support incident reviews and contribute technical evidence to root cause analysis and reliability improvement plans. • Work with operations teams to assess protection implications of network changes, temporary configurations, and restoration plans. • Provide timely engineering support during critical outages and emergency response activities. Engineering Standards & Compliance • Apply Company protection philosophies, engineering standards, approved procedures, and applicable technical requirements. • Support the development and revision of protection settings practices, drawings, design templates, and testing procedures. • Maintain controlled records of settings, calculations, studies, drawings, test results, and technical correspondence. • Assist with engineering audits, equipment reviews, technical investigations, and regulatory information requests as needed. • Identify technical risks and escalate proposed deviations or design changes to the Engineering Manager for review. Project Support & Collaboration • Provide protection and control engineering input for transmission, distribution, substation, and grid modernization projects. • Coordinate technical deliverables with project teams, vendors, contractors, and internal stakeholders. • Review installation and commissioning schedules and identify protection dependencies, outage needs, and technical constraints. • Provide technical guidance to technicians and field personnel within the scope of assigned projects and approved procedures. • Keep the Engineering Manager informed of progress, risks, decisions required, and outstanding technical issues. Other Requirements • Must be available for emergency response, storm restoration, and critical system events. • Ability to travel to substations, field sites, and operational facilities across The Bahamas. • Must have a valid driver's license. • Ability to work extended or irregular hours during outages, emergencies, or major projects. • Must follow site safety rules and maintain confidentiality of sensitive system and infrastructure information. Qualifications: • Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline. • Professional Engineer registration or equivalent professional certification preferred. • Minimum 3–5 years of experience in power systems, protection and control, substation engineering, or related utility engineering. • Practical experience with protective relays, relay settings, coordination studies, control schemes, and associated testing or commissioning. • Ability to interpret single-line diagrams, schematics, wiring drawings, event records, and equipment specifications. • Experience with transmission and distribution systems, substations, SCADA interfaces, and utility capital projects preferred. • Knowledge of power system protection principles, electrical safety practices, applicable standards, and utility operating requirements. • Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, communication, and collaboration skills. • Proficiency with protection study and relay configuration software, Microsoft Office Suite, and relevant utility systems.