Secondary Protection Engineer

Role Brief Secondary Protection Engineer

(Operator-Side, Hyperscale Data Centre Construction)

Purpose of the Role

The Secondary Protection Engineer provides technical oversight and assurance of low- and medium-voltage electrical protection systems during the design, construction, and commissioning of a hyperscale data centre. The role ensures that all secondary protection schemes are compliant, coordinated, and reliable to protect uptime and critical infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

Design & Review

• Review single-line diagrams (SLDs), relay schedules, CT/VT ratios, and trip logic.
• Validate protection coordination studies to ensure correct fault discrimination.
• Confirm designs meet operator standards, local codes, and uptime requirements.

Protection Settings & Coordination

• Approve relay types and settings.
• Verify selective coordination between upstream and downstream devices.
• Ensure settings files are documented and stored for long-term maintainability.

Testing & Commissioning Oversight

• Witness secondary injection testing for relays and trip circuits.
• Participate in Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT).
• Sign off on protection system performance prior to energisation.

Interface & Handover

• Act as liaison between EPC contractors, OEMs, and operator engineering teams.
• Integrate protection devices into SCADA/BMS for operational monitoring.
• Deliver as-built documentation, test reports, and operator training.

Skills & Experience

• Degree-qualified in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent).
• 5+ years in LV/MV protection systems for data centres, utilities, or industrial power.
• Strong knowledge of protection relays (SEL, Schneider, Siemens, ABB) and IEC/IEEE standards.
• Experience with IEC 61850 protocols and integration into SCADA/BMS.
• Proven ability to interpret complex SLDs and troubleshoot protection issues.