Senior Technician – Protection & Control

Key Role:

To provide advanced technical and operational support to the Protection & Control Engineer in ensuring the highest levels of reliability, safety, and performance of all protection, control, and metering systems across the GCCIA network. This role combines field execution with analytical tasks, involving first-line maintenance, testing, and contributing to the core engineering functions of relay setting calculation and power system analysis to safeguard the integrity of the electrical grid.

Job Responsibilities:

• Relay Setting Calculations: Assist in performing detailed calculations for protection relay settings (e.g., overcurrent, distance, differential, breaker failure) under supervision, using specialized software and methodologies.
• Power System Analysis: Support senior engineers in conducting power system studies, including short-circuit analysis, load flow, and coordination studies, to determine protection requirements and ensure system stability.
• Data Collection: Gather and validate system parameters (line impedances, transformer data, CT/VT ratios) from field equipment and single-line diagrams to be used as inputs for analysis.
• First-Line Maintenance: Assist in performing and overseeing the routine and corrective first-line maintenance of protection relays, control systems, energy meters, and communication switches.
• Supervision of Contractors: Conduct regular site visits to supervise, validate, and quality-check maintenance and installation work performed by third-party contractors, ensuring compliance with GCCIA standards and specifications.
• Calibration & Testing: Execute precise calibration, functional testing, and performance verification of protection relays and energy metering equipment to ensure accurate operation and measurement.
• Light Maintenance: Perform minor maintenance and basic hardware interventions on relays, control panels, and network switches.
• Defect Identification & Resolution: Proactively identify, attend to, and diagnose technical defects and anomalies within the protection and control systems. Initiate and follow through on corrective actions to resolve issues promptly.
• Troubleshooting: Utilize schematic diagrams, logic charts, and technical manuals to troubleshoot, isolate, and diagnose complex problems in relay logic, control circuits, and metering systems.
• Impact Analysis: Assess and identify the potential consequences of proposed changes or defects on the overall system stability, safety, and reliability before implementation.
• Safety Rules Adherence: Strictly adhere to and enforce all GCCIA Safety Rules, HSE policies, and operational procedures without exception.
• Operational Switching: Be fully competent and authorized to perform safety and operational switching of high-voltage apparatus according to established protocols.
• Safety Documentation: Authorized to issue, cancel, and manage various safety documents (e.g., Permits-to-Work, Sanctions-for-Test, Limitation-of-Access) to ensure a safe working environment for all personnel.
• Test Sanctioning: Prepare and submit requests for "Sanction for Test," obtaining necessary approvals to carry out live testing and maintenance activities.
• Drawing Management: Assist the manager in reviewing, correcting, and updating single-line diagrams, schematic drawings, wiring diagrams, and layout drawings to maintain an accurate as-built record.
• Report Preparation: Support the preparation of detailed technical reports, maintenance logs, test reports, and project documentation.
• Setting Implementation: Under the guidance of the Protection Engineer, implement and verify new protection relay settings in the field, ensuring they align perfectly with the approved study guidelines and coordination reports.
• Verification Checks: Perform thorough checks to validate that the settings applied in relays match the calculated values and intended protection schemes.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret technical data and perform calculations.
• Hands-on approach combined with the ability to understand and apply complex engineering concepts.
• Unwavering commitment to personal and peer safety.
• Meticulous attention to detail in calculation, testing, calibration, and documentation.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills for reporting and coordination with team members and contractors.

Preferences:

• Experience in a substation maintenance, protection, or control role within a utilities or heavy industrial environment. Experience with power system analysis software (e.g., ETAP, CYME, DigSILENT) is highly desirable.
• Strong fundamental understanding of electrical power systems, relay protection principles, symmetrical components, and SCADA systems.

Electical Engineering (Power Systems specialization is preferred).