Job Description

Senior Protection & Control Technician

Location

Tasmania, Australia

Employment Type

Full-Time | Permanent

About the Opportunity

An established electricity transmission and distribution organisation is seeking an experienced Senior Protection & Control Technician to join its high-voltage field services team in Tasmania.

This is a key technical position responsible for leading the testing, commissioning, maintenance, and fault investigation of protection and control systems across a critical transmission network. Working on major network upgrades, asset replacement programmes, and renewable energy integration projects, you will provide technical expertise while supporting the safe and reliable operation of high-voltage infrastructure.

The successful candidate will act as a senior technical specialist, mentoring junior technicians, leading commissioning activities, and working closely with engineering, operations, and project delivery teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the testing, commissioning, maintenance, and fault diagnosis of protection and control systems across high-voltage substations.

• Provide technical leadership during commissioning and outage activities, ensuring work is completed safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards.

• Commission new protection schemes, secondary systems, and substation automation equipment for transmission and distribution projects.

• Perform advanced testing and configuration of numerical protection relays and associated secondary equipment.

• Investigate complex network faults and protection operations, identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions.

• Interpret and review protection philosophies, logic diagrams, wiring schematics, and commissioning documentation.

• Conduct secondary injection testing, functional testing, end-to-end testing, and relay verification.

• Support asset lifecycle management through condition assessments, planned maintenance, and technical reporting.

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to Protection & Control Technicians and apprentices.

• Liaise with protection engineers, project managers, operations teams, and external contractors during project execution.

• Ensure compliance with Australian Standards, network operating procedures, and electrical safety legislation.

• Prepare detailed commissioning reports, maintenance records, technical documentation, and test results.

• Participate in emergency fault response, planned outages, and after-hours support when required.

• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, technical standards, and best practices across the protection and control function.

Required Experience

• Extensive experience working on high-voltage transmission or distribution networks.

• Proven background in testing, commissioning, and maintaining protection and control systems.

• Strong knowledge of electrical protection principles, including transformer, feeder, busbar, generator, line, and distance protection.

• Experience configuring and testing numerical protection relays from manufacturers such as SEL, Siemens, ABB/Hitachi Energy, GE Vernova, Schneider Electric, or equivalent.

• Demonstrated experience using secondary injection and protection testing equipment.

• Ability to interpret complex protection schematics, logic diagrams, and wiring drawings.

• Strong analytical, fault-finding, and troubleshooting skills.

• Experience leading field activities, coordinating outages, and supervising commissioning works.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to mentor and support junior team members.

Desirable Experience

• High Voltage Switching authorisation.

• Experience with IEC 61850, SCADA, RTUs, and substation communication systems.

• Exposure to transmission asset replacement and renewable energy connection projects.

• Knowledge of asset management systems and maintenance planning.

• Experience working within live operational substations and critical infrastructure environments.

Qualifications

• Certificate III or Certificate IV in Electrotechnology (or equivalent trade qualification).

• Current Electrical Licence (where applicable).

• Current Australian Driver's Licence.

• High Voltage Switching and Protection Testing qualifications are highly desirable.

• Additional training or certifications in protection systems or substation commissioning are advantageous.

What's on Offer

• Permanent opportunity within a leading electricity infrastructure organisation.

• Work on some of Australia's most critical transmission assets and renewable energy projects.

• Competitive salary package with overtime, allowances, and additional employee benefits.

• Ongoing investment in technical training, certifications, and career progression.

• Opportunity to mentor the next generation of Protection & Control Technicians.

• Supportive team culture with a strong focus on safety, innovation, and operational excellence.

• Lifestyle opportunity to live and work in Tasmania while contributing to the state's evolving energy network.

Ideal Background

This role is well suited to experienced Senior Protection & Control Technicians currently working within:

• Electricity transmission network operators

• Electricity distribution network operators

• High-voltage utility service providers

• EPC contractors delivering substation and transmission projects

• Renewable energy developers and owners

• Industrial power generation and critical infrastructure sectors

Candidates with extensive experience in protection testing, commissioning, fault investigation, and technical leadership within high-voltage substations are encouraged to apply.