Hiring Solution
Hire Relay Engineers For Protection Work
We screen relay engineers on protection relay programming, ETAP coordination studies and settings validation before submittal, so setting reviews don't stall your commissioning date.
Business case
Why this hire matters
Relay platform specificity
We confirm hands-on programming experience on your specific relay platform, such as SEL or GE Multilin, since settings files are not interchangeable across vendors.
Coordination study ownership
Candidates are checked for direct authorship of short-circuit and time-current coordination studies in ETAP or similar software, not just settings implementation.
Field testing competence
We verify candidates have performed relay testing and commissioning in the field, not only desktop settings work.
Standards and compliance fluency
We confirm familiarity with IEEE and NERC compliance requirements relevant to protection settings documentation.
Candidate profile
What a strong candidate looks like
These are the markers our recruiters verify before a candidate reaches your shortlist.
- Direct hands-on programming experience with SEL, GE Multilin, or ABB relay platforms
- Has authored or heavily contributed to ETAP short-circuit and coordination studies
- Field experience testing and commissioning protective relays
- Working knowledge of IEEE protection standards and, where relevant, NERC compliance requirements
- Comfortable interpreting time-current curves and adjusting settings for selectivity
- Able to produce settings documentation suitable for utility or owner review
Benchmarks
Experience and market expectations
Hiring benchmarks
- Typical experience
- 6 to 20 years in protection and controls or relay engineering
- Platforms
- SEL AcSELerator, GE Multilin EnerVista, ETAP
- Deliverables
- Relay settings files, coordination studies, testing reports, settings documentation
- Travel expectations
- Field travel required for testing and commissioning phases
- Work environment
- Substations, switchgear rooms, and engineering office for study work
Screening
How we qualify candidates
Platform-specific verification
Step 1
We confirm the candidate's hands-on relay platform experience matches your equipment.
Coordination study review
Step 2
Candidates walk through a coordination study they produced, including time-current curve logic.
Field testing scenario interview
Step 3
We evaluate the candidate's approach to a relay commissioning or testing scenario.
Standards knowledge check
Step 4
We confirm working knowledge of relevant IEEE or NERC requirements for the project.
Reference verification
Step 5
We confirm scope of settings authority and study ownership with prior employers.
Timeline
What the hiring timeline looks like
Requirement scoping call
Days 1-3
We capture relay platform, voltage class, and study or field testing scope.
Shortlist delivery
Week 1-2
Shortlists for relay engineering roles typically arrive within one to two weeks given the specialized skill set.
Technical interview
Week 2-3
Your protection engineering lead evaluates settings and study experience directly.
Offer and mobilization
Week 3-5
Offer and mobilization are coordinated around your outage or commissioning window.
Avoid these
Common hiring mistakes
Assuming relay platforms are interchangeable
An engineer experienced only with SEL relays needs ramp-up time on GE Multilin systems, which can delay settings implementation on a fixed schedule.
Skipping coordination study verification
Engineers who only implement settings without study authorship experience may misapply selectivity margins, risking nuisance trips.
Underweighting field testing experience
Desktop-only relay engineers can miss practical issues that surface only during field commissioning and testing.
Overlooking compliance documentation skill
Weak documentation practices create exposure during NERC compliance audits or utility review of protection settings.
Most requested
Skills clients ask for most often
- SEL relay programming (AcSELerator)
- GE Multilin / EnerVista
- ETAP short-circuit and coordination studies
- Time-current curve analysis
- Relay field testing and commissioning
- IEEE protection standards
- NERC compliance documentation
- Settings file management and version control
Sectors
Where this role is deployed
Power & Grid Modernization
Transmission, substation, and protection engineers supporting grid modernization, renewable interconnection, and generation programs.
See sector coverageEnergy
Electrical, instrumentation, and project engineers supporting solar, storage, and emerging generation projects.
See sector coverageMission Critical Infrastructure
Engineering talent for facilities where downtime is not an option, from commissioning through long-term operations.
See sector coverage
Engagement models
Ways to structure this hire
Contract Staffing
Discipline-qualified engineers deployed to your project phase - not your job description - mobilized within a 10 business day standard.
How this model worksDirect Hire
Source and place permanent engineers who join your payroll directly from day one, screened through the same 14-stage evaluation standard applied to every engagement.
How this model worksExecutive Search
Senior engineering leadership requires a different standard. Retained search delivers targeted, confidential, relationship-driven access to passive candidates.
How this model works
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Question not covered here? Ask a recruiter directly - you will get a straight technical answer, not a callback from a salesperson.
Keep going
Before you brief the search
The discipline profile behind this guide, plus the pay and market context that shapes a realistic offer.
- Relay Engineers discipline profileResponsibilities, certifications and technical screening depth for relay engineers.
- Salary guidesWhat actually moves compensation for this discipline, by sector and project phase.
- Market insightsAvailability, competing demand and time-to-fill reality across our sectors.
Ready to move on this hire?
Send the requisition, site location and target start date. A recruiter who screens relay engineers every week will confirm market feasibility, pay reality and timeline before any search work begins.