IEC 61850 / Protection Automation Engineer
Protection & Relay Engineering · Sacramento, CA (Hybrid)
Why This Role Exists
Our protection architecture uses IEC 61850 GOOSE for peer-to-peer trip signals, PRP dual-star networks for zero-SPOF communication, and RTAC-3530 controllers for protocol gatewaying and sequence logic. This role exists because that stack requires an engineer who can work at the protocol level — SCL files, GOOSE datasets, PRP multicast groups, and RTAC logic programs — not just relay settings. You own the automation layer between the protection relays and the SCADA/HMI system: IEC 61850 configuration, protocol conversion (GOOSE ↔ DNP3 ↔ Modbus), and the deterministic logic that manages mode transitions, load shedding, and black-start sequencing.
What You Own
- IEC 61850 GOOSE dataset configuration: publish/subscribe mappings, multicast group assignments, SCL/CID/SCD files
- PRP dual-star network architecture: VLAN/VRF design, QoS for GOOSE traffic prioritization, dual-plane separation
- SEL RTAC-3530 logic programs (IEC 61131-3 Structured Text): sequence control, mode management, load shed/add, SOE concentration
- Protocol gateway configurations: GOOSE → DNP3 → Modbus point maps, alarm/state model definitions
- Configuration management: versioned CID/SCD baselines, change control documentation across 134-IED designs
- IRIG-B time synchronization design and SOE timestamp correlation
Systems You'll Touch
Vendor Platforms
Software Tools
Protocols
Standards
Site Activities
What Success Looks Like
First 90 Days
- Reviewed existing IEC 61850 configurations (SCL/CID files) and RTAC logic programs on a current project
- Delivered a GOOSE dataset configuration or RTAC logic modification through internal review
- Captured GOOSE messages with Wireshark and validated publish/subscribe behavior on a PRP network
First 180 Days
- Owning IEC 61850 configuration scope on at least one project — SCL engineering, GOOSE datasets, PRP multicast
- Delivering RTAC logic programs for mode management or sequence control
- Participating in PRP network commissioning — failover testing, GOOSE continuity verification
Required Background
- 5+ years protection or automation engineering with IEC 61850 implementation experience
- GOOSE configuration: SCL file engineering (CID/SCD), publish/subscribe mappings, dataset design
- PRP or HSR network experience per IEC 62439-3 — dual-plane architecture, DANP endpoints
- SEL RTAC-3530 or equivalent automation controller programming (IEC 61131-3)
- Protocol gatewaying experience: IEC 61850 GOOSE, DNP3, Modbus TCP/RTU
- Network protocol analysis with Wireshark — GOOSE message capture and troubleshooting
Preferred Background
- SEL Architect SCL engineering tool experience
- Industrial Ethernet network design: VLAN segmentation, QoS, Cisco IE switch configuration
- IEC 62443 zone/conduit model awareness for OT network security
- IRIG-B time synchronization design and SOE correlation
- Configuration management for large IED deployments (100+ devices)
What to Expect in the Field
- Travel
- 20–40% during commissioning and network integration phases
- Site Hours
- Standard office hours for configuration engineering; site hours during PRP network commissioning and GOOSE verification
- Customer-Facing
- Interface with prime contractor network and controls engineers; vendor technical support for multi-vendor interoperability
- Documentation
- Heavy — SCL/CID/SCD files, network architecture diagrams, RTAC logic documentation, GOOSE dataset specifications, protocol point maps
- Field Safety
- NFPA 70E awareness required for switchgear-adjacent network equipment installation and testing
Why Ziggurat
- IEC 61850 GOOSE in production — not a pilot or proof-of-concept, but the operating protection communication layer on live critical systems
- 134-IED designs with formal configuration management — work at a scale where protocol engineering matters
- Full-stack automation: you touch the protocol layer, the logic layer, and the network layer, not just one slice
- Direct access to the principal engineer who architected the DSN protection network — learn from the design authority
Hiring Process
Screen
Background review against role requirements — vendor platform experience, relevant certifications, project types, and standards familiarity. Quick assessment of baseline alignment before investing either party's time.
Resume review + 15-min intro call
Technical Review
Deeper evaluation of technical depth. We review sample work — relay settings files, protection study reports, commissioning test procedures, or SCADA configuration packages — depending on the role. If samples aren't shareable, we discuss specific project scenarios in detail.
Async work-sample review or 45-min technical call
Interview
Scenario-based conversation with the principal engineer. Real project situations: how you'd approach a coordination study for a complex switchgear lineup, sequence a commissioning plan across multiple vendor platforms, or troubleshoot a protection scheme failure during site acceptance testing.
60-min video call with founder
Exercise / Artifact Review
A practical evaluation matched to the role. Engineering roles receive a take-home exercise — review and mark up a set of relay settings, identify gaps in a protection study, or develop a test procedure for a specific scheme. Field-focused roles walk through a commissioning package or test report they've delivered, explaining their methodology and decisions.
Take-home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)
Final Conversation
Role scope, current project pipeline, working arrangements, and compensation. This is a two-way conversation — we want to confirm the role fits your goals, not just the other way around.
30-min call
This role supports our relay programming , architecture design and cybersecurity service scopes.
Questions about this role? Email us at careers@zigguratautomation.com
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Let's Talk Engineering
Send your background.
First step: a 15-minute call with the principal engineer.