Senior Relay Protection Engineer Jobs in Ashburn, VA

Job Title: Relay Technician / Senior Relay Technician

Job Description

This role supports utility substation testing, commissioning, and protection and controls projects across North Carolina. Relay Technicians and Senior Relay Technicians perform relay testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, maintenance, and overall support of protection and control systems for transmission, distribution, and generation facilities. The position offers exposure to large-scale utility infrastructure programs driven by significant data center growth, advanced technical training, long-term project stability, and clear paths for career advancement.

Responsibilities

• Perform protective relay testing and commissioning for transmission, distribution, and generation facilities, ensuring accurate and reliable protection and control operation.
• Conduct functional relay testing, acceptance testing, maintenance testing, and end-to-end testing of protection systems in utility substations.
• Execute relay commissioning activities, including verification of protection schemes, relay logic, control circuits, and relay settings prior to energization.
• Support utility substation upgrades and infrastructure projects by testing and validating protection and control systems for new and existing equipment.
• Troubleshoot protection systems, including relays, control circuits, and associated devices, to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Review and interpret relay settings, logic diagrams, and protection schemes to confirm compliance with design requirements and utility standards.
• Work with protection and control drawings, wiring diagrams, one-line diagrams, relay schematics, and logic diagrams to perform accurate installation, testing, and documentation.
• Collaborate with project teams to plan, execute, and document testing and commissioning activities in accordance with established procedures and safety guidelines.
• Provide support for transmission substations, distribution substations, and generation facilities, ensuring reliable operation of protection and control systems.
• Use testing equipment such as OMICRON and similar relay testing platforms to perform advanced diagnostic and commissioning tasks.
• Participate in major utility infrastructure programs related to data center-driven growth and increasing electrical demand in Northern Virginia and surrounding regions.
• For Senior Relay Technicians: lead projects, coordinate testing and commissioning efforts, and serve as a mentor to junior and mid-level technicians.
• For Mid-Level Relay Technicians: work under the guidance of Senior Relay Technicians, applying strong relay and protection and controls fundamentals to support project execution.
• Maintain accurate records of test results, commissioning reports, and troubleshooting activities for utility and project documentation.
• Travel regionally to project sites, including substations in Ashburn, Loudoun County, Leesburg, Manassas, Northern Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area, to perform field work as required.

Essential Skills

• Mid-Level Relay Technician: approximately 3–5 years of relay and protection and controls (P&C) experience, with strong relay and P&C fundamentals and the ability to work under a Senior Relay Technician.
• Senior Relay Technician: 5–7+ years of relay and protection and controls (P&C) experience, with utility-level relay experience and the ability to independently execute testing and commissioning activities.
• Demonstrated experience in protective relay testing, including functional, acceptance, maintenance, and end-to-end testing.
• Hands-on experience with relay commissioning and protection and controls systems in utility substations.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot relay and protection systems, including identification and resolution of issues in control circuits and protection schemes.
• Utility substation experience supporting transmission substations, distribution substations, and generation facilities.
• Ability to interpret and work from electrical schematics, protection and control drawings, wiring diagrams, one-line diagrams, relay schematics, and logic diagrams.
• Experience using OMICRON or equivalent relay testing platforms for protection system testing and commissioning.
• Capability to review relay settings and verify correct implementation of protection schemes and relay logic.
• Ability to travel regionally to various project locations as required by ongoing utility and substation projects.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Background with utilities, utility contractors, EPC firms, testing and commissioning firms, or substation service companies.
• NETA certification is encouraged but not required; candidates with NETA certification are highly valued.
• OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 safety training and certification.
• Experience with SEL relays and GE relays, as well as ABB, Siemens, and other major relay manufacturers.
• Familiarity with SCADA communications and fiber communications in substation environments.
• Previous experience on Dominion Energy or Duke Energy projects is preferred.
• Interest in participating in a NETA advancement program, with incentives available for achieving higher certification levels.
• Commitment to ongoing training and professional development through dedicated technical training resources.

Work Environment

The role is field-based and primarily centered around utility substations and related facilities in North Carolina. The typical schedule consists of four 10-hour days each week, with regular overtime opportunities. Sunday work may be compensated at double time, depending on project needs. Regional travel is required, and when projects are beyond reasonable commuting distance, travel time is paid and per diem and hotel accommodations are provided. Technicians receive a company vehicle or rental vehicle, along with a laptop, company phone, and necessary testing equipment to perform their duties. The environment involves working in high-voltage substations and utility settings, following strict safety procedures and using specialized power systems equipment. The organization offers long-term project stability, data center-driven growth opportunities, dedicated technical training (including a training center and NETA advancement program), and the resources and stability of a large national operation with a specialized focus on power systems.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Ashburn, VA.

The pay range for this position is $45.00 - $80.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Ashburn,VA.

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 8, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

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