xAI

Generative AI chatbot leveraging real-time data

Protection & Controls Engineer

Power Systems EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeMemphis, TN, USANo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or another engineering discipline.
At least 3 years of protection and controls experience in settings, design, or commissioning on medium- or high-voltage systems.
Perform hands-on work in heat, cold, rain, tight quarters, and at heights.
Work extended hours and weekends as needed to support construction, energization, and operations.
Remain focused in hazardous environments while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.
Lift up to 25 pounds unassisted.
Provide 24/7 on-call emergency support.
Work on-site in Memphis, Tennessee; this is not a remote or hybrid role.
Travel up to 25% for factory witness testing, vendor and original equipment manufacturer engagement, and support of other sites.
Hold a valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

Develop protection philosophy, one-line and three-line diagrams, direct-current control schematics, wiring diagrams, and relay panel layouts for the electrical system from the utility interconnection to facility buses.
Calculate, implement, and maintain protective relay settings and logic for transmission lines, buses, power transformers, distribution feeders, generators, and battery energy storage or inverter-based resources.
Specify relays, current and voltage transformers, trip circuits, lockout schemes, breaker-failure protection, and communications-assisted schemes such as permissive, blocking, and transfer-trip schemes.
Perform short-circuit, protective-device coordination, and arc-flash studies; keep settings aligned with the study of record as the system changes.
Commission protection systems, including functional checks, primary and secondary injection, end-to-end scheme tests, and in-service timing checks using industry test sets such as Doble and Omicron.
Collect and analyze fault and disturbance records, including COMTRADE and equivalent formats; recommend setting or scheme changes after events, misoperations, or staged tests.
Maintain the settings management database, as-left files, and firmware and configuration control for in-service relays.
Integrate protection with supervisory control and data acquisition systems, remote terminal units, and plant or facility monitoring using DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850 including GOOSE, and IEEE C37.118 synchrophasors as applicable.
Support NERC PRC evidence and testing where required by the interconnection or generation and storage fleet, including PRC-005, PRC-019, PRC-024, and PRC-027.
Work with field technicians, operators, and contractors during outages, switching, and troubleshooting; perform hands-on work at the panel.
Apply IEEE C37 standards, including line, transformer, bus, and generator protection, NESC, NFPA 70 and 70E, IEEE 1547, and IEEE 2800 as applicable to the assets in scope.

Desired Qualifications

At least 5 years in a protection and controls role at a utility, independent power producer, engineering, procurement, and construction firm, relay manufacturer, or hyperscale or colocation data center operator.
Hands-on experience with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories relays and software such as AcSELerator QuickSet and synchroWAVe Event, or equivalent; GE, ABB, Siemens, or Beckwith experience is also valued.
Experience with SELogic or equivalent relay logic, settings templates, and a formal settings management process.
Experience performing short-circuit and coordination studies using ETAP, ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, SKM, or EasyPower.
Transmission and distribution protection experience for lines, buses, transformers, and feeders, plus at least one of generator protection, battery energy storage or inverter-based resource protection, or mission-critical facility or data hall medium-voltage protection.
Commissioning experience with Doble F6150, Omicron CMC, or equivalent, and event-record analysis after faults.
Familiarity with DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850, IEEE C37.118, IEEE C37.111, and IEEE C37.232.
Working knowledge of IEEE C37.102 for generators, C37.91 for transformers, C37.234 for buses, IEEE 1547 and 2800 for interconnection and inverter-based resources, and applicable NERC PRC standards.
Hold a Professional Engineering license or be actively working toward one.
Ability to support technicians in the field and remain effective during outages and event investigations.

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.

SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.

PROTECTION & CONTROLS ENGINEER

Join the High Power Engineering team to design, set, commission, and maintain protection and control systems for large electrical infrastructure. As a Protection & Controls Engineer, you will own schemes and settings from the transmission interconnection through distribution, on-site generation, and battery energy storage, down to medium- and low-voltage buses serving data halls and other mission-critical loads. The position is based in Memphis, TN, with potential travel to other sites.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Develop protection philosophy, one-line and three-line diagrams, DC control schematics, wiring diagrams, and relay panel layouts for the electrical system from the utility interconnection to facility buses
Calculate, implement, and maintain protective relay settings and logic for transmission lines, buses, power transformers, distribution feeders, generators, and battery energy storage / inverter-based resources
Specify relays, current and voltage transformers, trip circuits, lockout schemes, breaker-failure protection, and communications-assisted schemes (permissive, blocking, transfer trip)
Perform short-circuit, protective-device coordination, and arc-flash studies; keep settings aligned with the study of record as the system changes
Commission protection systems: functional checks, primary and secondary injection, end-to-end scheme tests, and in-service timing checks by using industry test sets (e.g. Doble, Omicron)
Collect and analyze fault and disturbance records (COMTRADE and equivalent); recommend setting or scheme changes after events, misoperations, or staged tests
Maintain the settings management database, as-left files, and firmware/config control for in-service relays
Integrate protection with SCADA, RTUs, and plant/facility monitoring: DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850 (including GOOSE), and IEEE C37.118 synchrophasors as applicable
Support NERC PRC evidence and testing where the interconnection or generation/storage fleet requires it (e.g. PRC-005, PRC-019, PRC-024, PRC-027)
Work with field technicians, operators, and contractors during outages, switching, and troubleshooting. Stay hands-on at the panel
Apply IEEE C37 (including line, transformer, bus, and generator protection), NESC, NFPA 70 / 70E, IEEE 1547, and IEEE 2800 as they apply to the assets in scope

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or another engineering discipline
3+ years of protection and controls experience (settings, design, or commissioning) on medium or high-voltage systems

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

5+ years in a protection and controls role at a utility, independent power producer, EPC, relay manufacturer (e.g. SEL), or hyperscale / colocation data center operator
Hands-on experience with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) relays and software (AcSELerator QuickSet, synchroWAVe Event, or equivalent). GE, ABB, Siemens, or Beckwith experience also valued
SELogic or equivalent relay logic; settings templates; a formal settings management process
Short-circuit and coordination studies in ETAP, ASPEN OneLiner, CAPE, SKM, or EasyPower
Transmission and distribution protection (line, bus, transformer, feeder) plus at least one of: generator protection, BESS/inverter-based resource protection, or mission-critical facility / data hall medium-voltage protection
Commissioning with Doble F6150, Omicron CMC, or equivalent; event-record analysis after faults
Familiarity with DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850, IEEE C37.118, IEEE C37.111, and IEEE C37.232
Working knowledge of IEEE C37.102 (generator), C37.91 (transformer), C37.234 (bus), IEEE 1547 / 2800 (interconnection and inverter-based resources), and applicable NERC PRC standards
Professional Engineering license, or actively working toward one
Ability to support technicians in the field and to remain effective during outages and event investigations

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Perform hands-on work in all environments (heat, cold, rain), in tight quarters or at heights
Work extended hours and weekends as needed to support construction, energization, and operations
Remain focused in hazardous environments while wearing appropriate PPE
Lift up to 25 lbs unassisted
Provide 24/7 on-call support for emergencies
Willing to work on-site in Memphis, TN – this is not a remote or hybrid role
Travel up to 25% for factory witness testing, vendor and OEM engagement, and supporting other sites
Valid driver's license

SpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.

About the Company

xAI

Generative AI chatbot leveraging real-time data

xAI builds Grok, a generative AI chatbot with a Hitchhiker's Guide-inspired persona that uses real-time data from X to produce current, culturally aware responses. Grok is accessible to premium subscribers on X, via a standalone website, mobile apps, and through an API for developers. The company also develops large-scale AI infrastructure, such as the Colossus supercomputer, to train and run its models. Its goal is to pursue truth-seeking AGI research and grow a capital-intensive platform that could support a major public offering in the future.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Series E
Total funding: $42.1B
Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA
Founded: 2023

Recently Posted Jobs

Explore more opportunities at xAI

See more jobs