Protection & Controls Engineerdata center role guide.
A protection and controls (P&C) engineer designs the relaying and control schemes that keep a data center's high-voltage system safe and reliable.
- Est. base salary
- $120K–$180K
- Level
- Mid–Senior
- Reports to
- Substation or Electrical Engineering Manager
- 01Design relay protection schemes
- 02Develop relay settings
- 03Create AC/DC schematics and wiring diagrams
- 04Design SCADA and communications
- 05Support relay testing and commissioning
- 06Coordinate with utility protection groups
Works alongside substation physical designers, power systems engineers and commissioning teams.
- 01Utility protection groups
- 02P&C consulting firms
- 03Relay testing companies
- 04EPC firms
- SEL and GE relays
- Protection philosophy
- Schematic design
- SCADA/communications
- Commissioning
- PE license (preferred)
- Q1Explain your approach to transformer protection.
- Q2Describe a misoperation you investigated.
- Q3How do you coordinate settings with a utility?
- Q4What's your SCADA experience?
- Q5How do you support commissioning?
Protection & Controls Engineer
We're hiring a Protection & Controls Engineer to design relaying and control systems for data center substations.
Responsibilities
- - Design relay protection schemes
- - Develop relay settings
- - Create AC/DC schematics and wiring diagrams
- - Design SCADA and communications
- - Support relay testing and commissioning
- - Coordinate with utility protection groups
Requirements
- - BSEE, PE preferred
- - 3+ years of P&C design
- - Relay settings experience
- - Commissioning support experience
Salary shown is a GridTal estimate for U.S. data center roles, not an offer. Salary Guide →
Protection & Controls Engineer, answered.
What does a protection & controls engineer earn?+
Our estimate for U.S. data center roles is $120K–$180K base, before bonus. Pay varies with market, seniority and company type: see the Salary Guide for methodology.
Who does a protection & controls engineer report to?+
Typically the Substation or Electrical Engineering Manager.
Where do protection & controls engineer candidates come from?+
Most come from utility protection groups, p&c consulting firms, relay testing companies.
Can GridTal help hire a protection & controls engineer?+
Yes. We run confidential searches for this role nationwide and can help scope the position and benchmark compensation.