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Protective Relay Technician Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Protective Relay Technician information

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$53K

$93.3K

$118K

How much do protective relay technician jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for protective relay technician in the United States is $93,255.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $82,500.00 and $107,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a typical day look like for a Protective Relay Technician?

A typical day for a Protective Relay Technician involves performing scheduled testing, calibration, and maintenance of protective relay systems in substations or industrial facilities. You may spend time analyzing relay event reports, troubleshooting electrical faults, and documenting your findings. Collaboration with engineers, electricians, and operations personnel is common to ensure power system integrity and rapid issue resolution. Depending on your employer, your work could also include fieldwork, travel to different sites, and responding to emergency outages, creating a varied and hands-on work environment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Protective Relay Technician position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Protective Relay Technician, you need a solid understanding of electrical systems, troubleshooting skills, and typically an associate's degree or technical certification in electrical engineering or a related field. Familiarity with relay testing equipment, SCADA systems, and industry-standard software such as Doble and SEL is often required, along with relevant certifications like NETA or equivalent. Attention to detail, strong analytical thinking, and effective communication are vital soft skills for this role. These capabilities ensure the accurate installation, calibration, and maintenance of protective relays, which are critical for the reliability and safety of electrical power systems.

What is a Protective Relay Technician job?

A Protective Relay Technician is responsible for installing, testing, maintaining, and repairing protective relay systems that safeguard electrical power grids and equipment. They ensure the reliable operation of relays, circuit breakers, and other protective devices to prevent electrical faults and system failures. Technicians work with various testing equipment, interpret schematics, and follow industry standards to ensure power system stability and safety. Their role is critical in preventing outages and protecting infrastructure in power plants, substations, and industrial facilities.

More about Protective Relay Technician jobs
What cities are hiring for Protective Relay Technician jobs? Cities with the most Protective Relay Technician job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Protective Relay Technician jobs? The most popular types of Protective Relay Technician jobs are:
What states have the most Protective Relay Technician jobs? States with the most job openings for Protective Relay Technician jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Protective Relay Technician jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Protective Relay Technician jobs are:
Infographic showing various Protective Relay Technician job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 2% Nights. Highlights an 98% Physical, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $93,255 per year, or $44.8 per hour.

Relay Technician--minimum of 7 years of experience, 10 years preferred

PRIME Traffic Control

Orlando, FL • On-site

$55 - $77/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement, PTO

Posted 18 days ago


Job description

Benefits:
  • 401(k) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Stock options plan

Lead Relay Technician Job Scope Description (10 years plus experience required for LEAD position, 6+ years for senior position)
Growing Ocala, FL based, publicly traded construction company is looking for a LEAD relay technician (with 10+ years of experience) and a SENIOR relay technician (with 7+ years of experience.)
The ideal candidate will be able to:

Apply / exhibit a high attention to detail with regard to safety and human performance.
Conduct thorough prejob briefings at the beginning of each workday, and as needed throughout the day as conditions warrant.
Perform relay panel risk assessments daily and apply human performance barriers as needed.
Develop functional guidelines with an emphasis on human performance principles.
Relay Technicians must garner and maintain NERC certifications for access into NERC CIP control houses.
Maintain and control proper use of Duke Energy issued TCA secure laptop.
Review construction prints, make corrections as needed, confirm schemes will function properly. Work with Duke Energy RCE and RCI and the Relay Design Engineering to resolve any problems with the protection and control schemes.
Apply approved LV control cable and fiber optic safe work practices.
Review all protective relay settings as issued. Working with RCE, RCI and the Relay Settings Engineer to resolve all problems with the relay logic and protection settings.
Review the SCADA point assignment sheet as issued by the Energy Control Center. Work with the Senior Engineering Technical Support Specialist to resolve any conflicts between the relay logic settings and the RTU (remote terminal unit) settings and any other supervisory control issues.
Oversee the inventory of all relay material issued to the project. Order all missing items through the RCI and Material Coordinator.
Direct and oversee all aspects of the mounting and wiring of relays, termination racks, cabling from panel to panel, and termination of all cables by wiremen or electricians. Relay technicians will inspect wiring of all high voltage yard equipment as wired by others. Quality control is provided at the time of this construction by the lead or senior relay technician on the job.
Provide on-site support to other departments (Substation, Production. Telecomm, etc...), such as proper direction and placement of high voltage circuit breakers and power transformers.
Review and correct as needed, the Substation Operating Instructions as issued by Relay Engineering personnel.
Coordinate with others to schedule and sequence each phase of all electrical projects. Knowledgeable in providing and keeping relay protection to all HV equipment throughout the duration of the project. This may require temporary relay settings, wiring, etc...
Test CT's of high voltage equipment for ratio, polarity, saturation and meggar insulation tests.
Apply relay settings, test and calibrate all relays using calibrated relay test equipment and Enoserv RTS software program. All as-left relay testing documentation will be saved and submitted to RCE.
Create and install proper labeling on all panels. Order labels for exterior junction boxes and switch handles.
Verify proper wiring of all potential and current circuits from the instrument transformer to the end element device.
Relay technicians should have fiber optic splicing and termination abilities with CFOT certification.
Relay Technician must be capable of testing all HV apparatus such as power transformer sudden pressure schemes, Power line Carrier line tuner, wave traps and transceivers.
Verify transformer and breaker alarms function properly from the equipment terminal blocks, into the control house. Check for local indication, as well as, to the Energy Control Center
Functionally test all relay and control circuits to verify proper operation during simulated fault conditions.
Confirm proper operation of all new equipment via SCADA by working with System Protection and Control Technicians at the Energy Control Center.
Coordinate and schedule with Dispatchers and Substation Construction personnel to energize new equipment.
When equipment is energized for the first time, perform, or confirm electrical phasing of new lines or equipment.
Take In-Service readings of all new equipment as primary load is first applied.
Leave a complete corrected set of relay drawings at the Substation. Turn in a corrected set of red lined drawings to RCE for Relay Design redrafting.
Sign and turn in all documents (settings, in-service sheets, CTR sheets, substation operating instructions, point assignment sheets) to the RCI or RCE or appropriate person.
Schedule meetings with maintenance personnel to inform them of new equipment, schemes, and answer any questions they may have.
Schedule a meeting with the project engineers, if needed, to go over lessons learned.
Oversee the documenting of all excess items and schedule a pick-up of this excess material to be returned to the storeroom for credit.
Pay Rates: $55-62/hr for senior with 7+ years of experience , $65-77/hr for lead with 10+ years of experience