Freelance Relay Protection Engineer Jobs in West Virginia

Building on our past. Ready for the future
Worley is a global professional services company of energy, chemicals and resources experts headquartered in Australia.
Right now, we're bridging two worlds as we accelerate to more sustainable energy sources, while helping our customers provide the energy, chemicals and resources that society needs now.
We partner with our customers to deliver projects and create value over the life of their portfolio of assets. We solve complex problems by finding integrated data-centric solutions from the first stages of consulting and engineering to installation and commissioning, to the last stages of decommissioning and remediation. Join us and help drive innovation and sustainability in our projects.
About the Role
Worley is seeking a Senior Principal Lead Engineer - Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls to provide senior technical leadership on large and complex industrial projects. In this role, you will guide engineering design and execution across the full project lifecycle-from early concept development through detailed design, construction, and commissioning.
This position plays a key role in shaping practical, high-quality engineering solutions. The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise with collaborative leadership, working closely with multidisciplinary project teams to develop designs that translate effectively into safe, constructible, and reliable industrial facilities.
This role includes regular collaboration with clients, partners, and internal project teams through virtual and in-person meetings. Clear and effective communication in English is important for coordinating technical work, presenting design concepts, and supporting project execution.
We welcome candidates with experience supporting complex industrial environments such as chemical processing facilities, manufacturing plants, power generation, data centers, or nuclear facilities, as well as professionals from comparable industries with transferable experience.
This position is based in Charleston, West Virginia, with relocation required. Travel of approximately 15-25% may be needed to support project sites, including design reviews, construction support, and commissioning activities.
What You'll Do
Engineering Leadership & Design

• Provide technical leadership for electrical, instrumentation, controls, and industrial communications engineering across multiple projects
• Guide the development and review of complete engineering design deliverables that support safe, efficient, and constructible facilities
• Oversee preparation of construction documentation, including:
  
  • Electrical single-line diagrams, power distribution layouts, grounding and lightning protection systems
  • Load lists, cable schedules, conduit layouts, raceway systems, and installation details
  • Control system architectures, loop diagrams, instrument indexes, marshalling layouts, and control panel designs
• Lead or review electrical system studies such as load flow, short circuit, protective relay coordination, arc flash, motor starting, and harmonic analysis

Instrumentation, Controls & Industrial Systems

• Support the design and specification of instrumentation and control systems used in industrial facilities, including:
  
  • Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
  • Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
  • Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS)
• Contribute to or review P&IDs, control narratives, cause-and-effect diagrams, loop diagrams, and instrument specifications
• Support the design and specification of industrial telecommunications and operational technology (OT) infrastructure, including:
  
  • Fiber optic networks and field communications systems
  • Industrial Ethernet switches, routers, and network cabinets
  • Control system and plant network architectures
  • Field communication systems supporting instrumentation and control panels
• Help ensure designs align with reliability, cybersecurity, maintainability, and constructability requirements

Project Delivery & Execution

• Contribute to defining project scope, execution strategies, schedules, and resource plans
• Monitor design progress and collaborate with project teams to support successful project delivery
• Participate in technical risk management, design change management, and project reviews
• Support procurement activities, vendor technical evaluations, construction support, and commissioning

Team Collaboration & Mentorship

• Provide guidance and mentorship to electrical, instrumentation, and controls engineers and designers
• Foster a collaborative team environment that supports professional growth and knowledge sharing
• Engage with clients and stakeholders to review technical solutions and support project alignment
• Contribute to preparation of technical documentation, progress updates, and engineering reports

Professional Impact

• Demonstrate ownership of engineering work and contribute to high standards of technical quality, safety, and continuous improvement
• Proactively identify potential technical or execution challenges and collaborate with project teams to resolve them
• Support the development of best practices and engineering excellence across project teams

Skills & Technical Experience

• Strong understanding of electrical power systems, instrumentation, control systems, and industrial communications infrastructure
• Experience supporting engineering, procurement, and construction activities within industrial or infrastructure environments
• Familiarity with relevant engineering codes and standards such as IEEE, NEC, IEC, NFPA, ISA, API, and ASME
• Experience with engineering and design tools such as:

Electrical

• ETAP
• SKM
• SPEL
• DIALux
• TraceCalc Pro

Instrumentation & Controls

• SPI / AVEVA Instrumentation
• InstruCalc
• SILsolver
• Fisher Spec Manager

Design & Coordination

• AutoCAD
• MicroStation
• Navisworks

General Tools

• Microsoft Office Suite

Experience with similar or equivalent engineering tools will also be considered.
Education & Professional Credentials

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related engineering discipline is required.
• 12+ years of progressive engineering experience, including design and technical leadership responsibilities on complex projects is required.
• Experience leading or contributing to multidisciplinary engineering teams is required.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly with clients, stakeholders, and project teams is required.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in the US (strong preference).
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related field preferred.

Moving forward together
We want our people to be energized and empowered to drive sustainable impact. So, our focus is on a values-inspired culture that unlocks brilliance through belonging, connection and innovation.
We're building a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace. Creating a space where everyone feels they belong, can be themselves, and are heard.
And we're not just talking about it; we're doing it. We're reskilling our people, leveraging transferable skills, and supporting the transition of our workforce to become experts in today's low carbon energy infrastructure and technology.
Whatever your ambition, there's a path for you here. And there's no barrier to your potential career success. Join us to broaden your horizons, explore diverse opportunities, and be part of delivering sustainable change.
Please note: No agency representation or submissions will be recognized for this vacancy.