Job Title: Relay Technician/Commissioning Technician Job Description The Commissioning Engineer plans, coordinates, performs, and documents commissioning activities for utility substations and related protection, control, and power systems. This role focuses on testing, troubleshooting, and energization of complex electrical equipment while ensuring safety, reliability, and compliance with project requirements, budgets, and schedules. The position involves extensive field work, technical analysis, and collaboration with project teams across multiple sites in the North Texas area. Responsibilities + Plan, coordinate, perform, and document all commissioning activities, including pre-commissioning, construction support, testing, energization, and project close-out for utility substation protection, control, and power circuits in accordance with project requirements, budgets, and schedules. + Review wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documents in advance of projects and outages to prepare for safe and effective commissioning activities. + Perform troubleshooting and root-cause analysis on protection and control systems and utility substation equipment, including resolving application errors and omissions, drawing errors and omissions, wiring errors and omissions, settings errors and omissions, equipment malfunctions, questionable apparatus test results, and battery ground faults. + Participate in project meetings, including kickoff, planning, progress, and lessons-learned meetings, and provide technical input on commissioning scope, risks, and status. + Prepare detailed daily, weekly, and project completion reports that clearly document project progress, issues or problems, recommendations, test results, and technical analyses. + Assist in developing project-specific testing and commissioning plans, energization plans, and other project documentation required to safely and efficiently execute commissioning activities. + Identify risks associated with utility systems and equipment and develop mitigation techniques, including creating a Site Risk Assessment that documents high-risk construction and commissioning activities. + Formalize processes for circuit isolation and restoration to ensure no unintended operations of station equipment and protection systems and to promote personnel safety. + Ensure all applicable tests and commissioning activities are performed on every piece of equipment or system in accordance with project plans and procedures. + Verify that all test results are acceptable, properly documented, permanently recorded, and appropriately filed and distributed. + Develop detailed test reports for various types of electrical equipment and review and approve test reports prepared by others for accuracy and completeness. + Perform basic apparatus testing and interpret test results with supervision, particularly for medium and high voltage substation and power plant equipment. + Carry out commissioning activities on substation utility protection and control circuits, interpret results with supervision, and apply commissioning methods to accurately conduct and document commissioning activities. + Travel to project sites on a project-to-project basis, sometimes for several weeks at a time, to support field testing, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities. + Communicate and negotiate effectively with clients and internal teams, providing clear technical explanations and recommendations in both verbal and written form. Essential Skills + At least 5 years of related experience in testing and commissioning services; electric utility experience is preferred, but experience commissioning complex commercial or industrial equipment with protective relays or power systems field engineering experience with relay knowledge is acceptable. + Demonstrated ability to read and understand construction drawings, manufacturer drawings and specifications, and schematic diagrams. + Strong knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, electrical protection systems, including relay communication. + Basic understanding of, or the ability to quickly learn, AC and DC schematics, wiring diagrams, one-line diagrams, and three-line interconnection diagrams. + Prior professional experience in, or the ability to quickly learn, medium and high voltage substation and power plant equipment. + Ability to perform basic apparatus testing and interpret test results with supervision. + Solid knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, substation utility protection and control circuits and associated testing and commissioning practices. + Ability to perform commissioning activities and interpret results with supervision, applying commissioning methods to accurately conduct and document commissioning activities. + Experience with protection and control systems for utilities, including relay, protection and control (P&C), and apparatus testing. + Hands-on experience or strong familiarity with commissioning in utility construction, substations, SCADA systems, relays, current transformers (CTs), and transmission line environments. + Willingness and availability to travel, including out-of-town assignments lasting up to several weeks at a time. + Availability to work flexible hours, including weekends, overtime, holidays, and night shifts as required by project schedules. + Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate and negotiate effectively with clients and project teams. + Current work eligibility in the United States. + Valid United States driveru2019s license in good standing, issued by the state of residence. + Ability to meet the physical demands of field work in substations and construction environments, with reasonable accommodations as needed. Additional Skills & Qualifications + Test experience using Doble Protection Suite and/or ProTest is highly preferred. + Experience with SEL AcSELerator or similar relay configuration and testing software is highly preferred. + Experience with SCADA systems and utility protection and control schemes is beneficial. + Experience in utility commissioning, substation work, relay checkouts, and SCADA integration is advantageous. + Experience working on transmission line and substation construction projects is a plus. + Strong troubleshooting skills in substation environments, including protection, control, and apparatus issues. + Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and maintain strong client relationships. + Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage documentation, test records, and reporting for multiple projects. Work Environment This position is field-based on a project-to-project basis, with assignments primarily located across the North Texas area. The Commissioning Engineer travels to different substations and project sites as assigned, with all travel expenses covered. Work hours vary by project, and due to a heavy workload there is significant opportunity for overtime, with a typical workweek often ranging from 50 to 60 hours. The role involves working in active substation and construction environments around medium and high voltage equipment, requiring strict adherence to safety procedures and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment. The work includes both outdoor and indoor conditions, exposure to varying weather, and frequent on-site presence during critical outages, energizations, and testing windows, which may occur at night, on weekends, or on holidays. The environment is highly collaborative, with close coordination among engineering, construction, and client teams, and emphasizes thorough documentation, technical rigor, and a strong safety culture. Job Type & Location This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Dallas, TX. Pay and Benefits The pay range for this position is $65.00 - $80.00/hr. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: u2022 Medical, dental & vision u2022 Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital u2022 401(k) Retirement Plan u2013 Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available u2022 Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) u2022 Short and long-term disability u2022 Health Spending Account (HSA) u2022 Transportation benefits u2022 Employee Assistance Program u2022 Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Dallas,TX. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Apr 30, 2026. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through: + Hiring diverse talent + Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection + Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes + Ensuring growth opportunities for our people Actalent is an equal opportunity employer. About Actalent Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, weu2019ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APACu2014with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day. Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at .
Job Title
Relay Technician