About Fluidstack
We exist to make humanity more free. For most of human history, you farmed or you starved. Technology gave people more time for the things they wanted to do, instead of things they had to do. Powerful AI will be the biggest lever for human choice we've ever built - but only if models are aligned with what humanity actually wants. There are groups building AI who don't share these goals. Whoever deploys frontier compute infrastructure fastest will decide whether AI expands human freedom or shrinks it.
We're singularly focused on delivering 10 to 100s of GWs of compute faster than anyone else, rethinking every layer of the stack. We acquire power, design and build data centers, and operate them - with teams spanning hardware and software. Speed and scale are our key differentiators. Come be a part of building civilization-scale infrastructure for AI.
We hire people who care deeply about this problem space. If that is you, please apply!
About the Role
We are seeking a senior Protection & Controls Engineer to support protection and control design across our data center campuses - from the utility interface and HV substation through the MV distribution backbone. This is an owner-side technical leadership role: you will define Fluidstack's protection philosophy, review and approve the work of utilities, EPCs, and third-party engineering firms, and serve as the escalation point when the power system misbehaves.
You'll own the technical quality of protection schemes, relay settings, and substation automation across a rapidly scaling, gigawatt-scale portfolio, and help establish the engineering standards that will scale across dozens of sites.
Responsibilities
- Lead protection and control design for HV/MV systems across capital projects, defining relay protection functionality and schemes in accordance with Fluidstack standards and utility requirements.
- Review contractor- and consultant-provided relay settings, coordination studies, logic diagrams (including IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging), and operational descriptions prior to energization.
- Own protection coordination across the site power system - evaluating changes in fault duty and system performance as campuses grow, including settings for temporary builds and construction sequencing.
- Lead substation automation and integration design: SCADA point indexes, HMI screens, IED data maps, and substation-level operational descriptions.
- Serve as the technical escalation point for protection misoperations, fault events, and inadvertent operations - owning root cause analysis, event record review, and corrective action across the fleet.
- Provide design support through implementation, testing, and commissioning, and feed lessons learned back into Fluidstack design standards.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
- 7+ years of experience in power systems protection and control across utility, industrial, or data center environments.
- Strong working knowledge of protection coordination principles, relay settings development and review, and sequence of operations.
- Hands-on proficiency with SEL relay platforms plus at least one other major vendor (ABB Relion, Siemens Siprotec, GE, Schneider/Micom).
Preferred Qualifications
- Professional Engineer (PE) license or EIT certification.
- Prior experience at a hyperscale data center operator (AWS, Google, Meta, Microsoft), SEL, a major utility, or a top-tier consulting firm.
- Experience with RTAC/PLC-based automation, source transfer schemes, and DNP3.
- Experience developing or reviewing relay settings for temporary builds, construction sequencing, and mobile equipment.
- Experience with protection for BESS, on-site generation, or other inverter-based resources at the MV level.
Benefits
- Competitive total compensation package (salary + equity).
- Retirement or pension plan, in line with local norms.
- Health, dental, and vision insurance.
- Generous PTO policy, in line with local norms.
The salary range for this position is $200,000 - $270,000 per year, depending on experience, skills, qualifications, and location. This range represents our good faith estimate of the compensation for this role at the time of posting. Total compensation may also include equity in the form of stock options.
We are committed to pay equity and transparency.
Fluidstack is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans' status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Fluidstack will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.
You will receive a confirmation email once your application has successfully been accepted. If there is an error with your submission and you
did not receive a confirmation email, please email careers@fluidstack.io with your resume/CV, the role you've applied for, and the date you submitted your application-- someone from our recruiting team will be in touch.