Engineering the Systems That Can’t Fail
Protection & controls for the data centers that keep the world connected — from design through commissioning.
- IEDs across three continents
- 400+
- manufacturer platforms
- 8
- Deep Space Network — proven methods
- NASA DSN
- GOOSE in production
- IEC 61850
What is Protection & Controls Engineering?
Every data center runs on a power system — switchgear, generators, automatic transfer switches, UPS systems. The protection and controls layer sits across all of it: protective relays that detect faults and isolate failed equipment in milliseconds, controllers that manage generator dispatch and load priorities, and automation logic that coordinates transfers between power sources. When something fails, P&C engineering determines whether the facility rides through the event or loses load. When the owner’s commissioning agent runs acceptance testing, it’s this layer they’re proving.
Ziggurat delivers end-to-end P&C scope — coordination studies through site commissioning — across eight manufacturer platforms. As a subcontractor to AE, MEP, and EPC prime contractors on Tier III/IV data center programs, our engineers design, program, and commission the controls that turn a power distribution design into a verified, operating system.
Ziggurat Automation is a protection & controls engineering firm focused on Tier III/IV data centers. We own the P&C scope from design through commissioning as a subcontractor to AE/MEP/EPC primes — and we're building the team to deliver it.
Browse by discipline:
One Scope of Accountability
You carry protection studies, relay settings, and commissioning procedures from design intent through energization. The engineer who writes the relay logic is on-site during witness testing. No handoff gap between the design firm and the field crew — when something doesn't pass, you know the system because you built it.
Every Vendor, Every Protocol
SEL, Woodward, CAT, ABB, EIG, Eaton, Cisco, UPS OEM — eight manufacturer platforms, IEC 61850 GOOSE in production, PRP dual-star networks. You work across the full vendor stack, not inside one ecosystem.
Direct Impact, From Day One
Decisions happen in conversations, not approval chains. Direct access to the principal engineer. Your technical judgment shapes project outcomes — and you're shaping how a specialized P&C engineering practice scales from its founding stage into the data center market.
What You Get Here
Multi-Vendor Breadth
Work across 8 manufacturer platforms — SEL, Woodward, CAT, ABB, Eaton, Cisco, EIG, UPS OEM. Most firms lock you into one ecosystem. Here, you build vendor-agnostic expertise.
Full-Scope Ownership
Carry projects from coordination study through witness testing. You see your work prove itself under load — not handed off to a commissioning crew who never saw the design.
Principal Engineer Mentorship
Direct access to the principal engineer on every project. No layers of management between your technical question and the person who delivered P&C across NASA's Deep Space Network.
Practice-Building Opportunity
You're not filling a seat in an established department. You're shaping how a specialized P&C engineering practice scales from its founding stage into the data center market.
Benefits
Health & Wellness
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Short & long-term disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
Financial
- 401(k)
Time Off
- Paid time off (PTO)
We hire based on engineering capability and judgment. Background, credentials path, and geography matter less than what you can deliver.
How We Hire
Five steps. No black box. You'll know exactly where you stand.
Screen
Resume review + 15-min intro call
Technical Review
Async work-sample review or 45-min technical call
Interview
60-min video call with founder
Exercise / Artifact Review
Take-home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)
Final Conversation
30-min call
Screen
Resume review + 15-min intro call
Technical Review
Async work-sample review or 45-min technical call
Interview
60-min video call with founder
Exercise / Artifact Review
Take-home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)
Final Conversation
30-min call
Ready to own it?
Protection & Relay Engineering
Relay settings, coordination, and automation across multi-vendor protection systems
Senior Protection & Controls Engineer — West
Senior Engineer
Compensation at Step 5
Own the full P&C scope on multi-vendor Tier III/IV data center protection systems — from coordination studies through witness testing.
See This RoleSenior Protection & Controls Engineer — East
Senior Engineer
Compensation at Step 5
Own the full P&C scope on multi-vendor Tier III/IV data center protection systems — serving the East Coast hyperscale corridor.
See This RoleProtection Relay Settings Engineer
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Produce SEL relay settings and Woodward controller parameters that go from your desk to secondary injection to witness testing.
See This RoleIEC 61850 / Protection Automation Engineer
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Own the IEC 61850 GOOSE, PRP network, and RTAC automation layer — the protocol-level engineering between protection relays and SCADA.
See This RolePower System Studies & Design
Short-circuit, coordination, arc-flash, and grounding analysis for critical power
Power System Studies Engineer
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Produce the arc-flash, short-circuit, and coordination studies that define what every relay settings package must achieve.
See This RoleApplications & Proposal Engineer
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Define P&C scope boundaries, vendor interfaces, and technical proposals — the contract-grade engineering before the project starts.
See This RoleCommissioning & Field Execution
FAT/SAT, witness testing, energization, and turnover for mission-critical facilities
Commissioning Engineer — Nationwide
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Execute L1–L5 commissioning on multi-vendor data center protection systems — from FAT scripts through owner witness testing, nationwide.
See This RoleCommissioning Engineer — Southeast
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Dedicated commissioning coverage for the Southeast data center corridor — L1–L5 multi-vendor commissioning with regional focus.
See This RoleRelay Field Engineer — Southeast
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Test every relay and controller before the system goes live — secondary injection, trip timing verification, wiring validation on energized switchgear.
See This RoleRelay Field Engineer — West
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Device-level relay testing — secondary injection, trip timing, wiring validation — serving the West Coast data center corridor.
See This RoleElectrical Safety & Energization Lead
Principal Engineer
Compensation at Step 5
Own the safety plan for MV switchgear commissioning — approach boundaries, energization sequences, NFPA 70E compliance across concurrent energized and de-energized zones.
See This RoleIntegration & Controls
EPMS/SCADA, OT networks, cybersecurity, and controls documentation
EPMS / SCADA Integration Engineer
Senior Engineer
Compensation at Step 5
Own the EPMS/SCADA integration layer — point lists, HMI screens, alarm rationalization, and historian data paths across multi-protocol environments.
See This RoleOT Network & Cybersecurity Engineer
Senior Engineer
Compensation at Step 5
Design and harden the OT networks that carry protection traffic — PRP dual-star, IEC 62443 zone/conduit, and multi-standard cybersecurity alignment.
See This RoleControls Documentation & CAD Engineer
ENG III
Compensation at Step 5
Produce the documentation package that operations trusts after turnover — as-built drawings, control schematics, training materials for protection and controls systems.
See This RoleProject & Deployment Management
P&C scope management across multi-phase data center programs
Project & Deployment Manager
Manager
Compensation at Step 5
Coordinate P&C project delivery — schedules, configuration management, multi-phase commissioning planning, and cross-discipline resource coordination.
See This RoleNot ready to apply?
Stay on our radar — we'll reach out when a role matches your background.
Let's Talk Engineering
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Or email us directly at careers@zigguratautomation.com