
Staff Electrical Engineer - Protection Applications (Vancouver, WA)
Vancouver, WAFull-time$120–170K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 5 days ago
Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.
Watch jobs like this. New roles like this one near Vancouver, WA, by email.
Don't just apply. Show up ready.
Olive works from this exact posting.
At a glance
Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.
Job overview
The Staff Electrical Engineer leads or executes power system protection applications engineering projects across distribution and transmission systems. The role performs system studies, protection settings coordination, relay configuration, and design reviews, while coordinating project work and communicating with clients. It also provides technical guidance and mentorship, supports business development, and may offer advancement into leadership or management roles.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Description
Responsible for leading or executing power system protection applications engineering projects. Projects range in size, complexity, and voltage class from small distribution equipment upgrades to large transmission projects. This position can influence the future of the resiliency, reliability and economic operation of the electric grid. Opportunities to advance into leadership/management roles are available.
Position may include following assignments:
-
Executes complex assignments requiring the use of advanced electrical engineering techniques, resulting in the development of new or improved processes, equipment, and/or technological methods.
-
Develop and evaluate plans for major projects. Assess feasibility or soundness of proposed applications when data is insufficient or testing is advisable.
-
Coordinate departmental or divisional project studies, reports, or project design assignments.
-
Responsible for performing power system studies and system protection settings coordination on various projects (up to 500-kV voltage level).
-
Develop design basis documentation for protective settings and generate native relay configuration files.
-
Provide technical guidance to the project team, conduct design reviews, and support quality control.
-
Act as primary contact for both internal and external client-side communication.
-
Assist project manager to develop scope of work and conceptual design for the projects.
-
Train, guide, and mentor less experienced engineers.
-
Support business development and marketing initiatives.
Qualifications
Required Experience:
-
Requires a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a directly related field plus (3) years of experience in electrical systems studies in the electric utility or industrial power distribution industry.
-
Will accept a Master’s degree plus (2) years of related experience in lieu of a bachelor’s degree plus (3) years of related experience.
Preferred Experience/Skills:
-
A Professional Engineer licensure is strongly preferred.
-
Knowledge of the predominant protection schemes and philosophies that are encountered in Transmission, Distribution and Renewable Collector Substations.
-
Application of industry standards for the protection of system equipment, including power busses, power transformers, HV/MV circuit breakers, capacitor banks, reactors, transmission lines, and distribution feeders.
-
Power systems modeling and protective relay coordination analysis using ASPEN OneLiner or Siemens CAPE, ETAP, SKM, CYME software.
-
Designing calculations, including short circuit calculation, current transformer performance and ratio selection, over-current element coordination, zone-distance element selection and coordination, and relay loadability calculation.
-
Developing native relay setting files using SEL’s AcSELerator/Grid configurator and GE’s Enervista and similar vendor software programs.
-
Providing engineering support with construction and commissioning activities for substations.
-
Leading multiple engineering teams on engineering design and scope for multiple projects.
-
Knowledge of FERC and NERC requirements as they pertain to electric utility reliability requirements is a plus.
-
Knowledge of IEC61850 and its implementation is a plus.
Compensation
$120,000.00-170,000.00 Yearly
The expected compensation range for this position is displayed in compliance with all local/state regulations. The expected compensation range for this position is based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: individual education, qualifications, prior work experience and work location. The total annual compensation package will consist of a base salary and eligibility to participate in our discretionary year-end incentive bonus program.
Benefits
Our extensive benefits package takes care of you so that you can focus on doing great work. From insurance and disability to time off and wellness programs, we provide the tools to meet your needs. As part of being 100% employee-owned, eligible employees participate in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in addition to our 401(k) retirement program. For more information, please visit the Benefits & Wellness page.
This job posting will remain open a minimum of 72 hours and on an ongoing basis until filled.
EEO/Disabled/Veterans
Job Electrical Engineering
Primary Location US-WA-Vancouver
Schedule: Full-time
Travel: Yes, 25 % of the Time
Req ID: 265187
Job Hire Type Experienced #LI-JNH #T&D
How this job compares
Set against the 10,388 open Electrical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 2, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$120–170K/yr
- Washington median$121–185K/yr256 salary ranges
- US median$108–170K/yr6,645 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $145K, is 7% below the Washington median midpoint ($157K) — in the middle half of Electrical Engineer salary ranges in Washington.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 304 open Electrical Engineer jobs in Washington and 10,388 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 3 years of experience; Electrical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (8,662 postings).
- Education
- 6,940 of the 10,388 open Electrical Engineer jobs (67%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 2, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.




