At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact Jacobs is a global provider of technical, professional, and scientific services including engineering, architecture, construction, operations, and project management. Our portfolio spans industrial, commercial, and government clients across multiple markets and geographies. We have a PAN-India presence, with world-class engineering delivery centres in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai and Kolkata.

Challenging

Today…Reinventing Tomorrow. Jacobs is seeking a Associate Director- Protection &

• Control to support a range of high-profile projects across our Power &

• Energy portfolio. In this role, you will serve as a global Subject Matter Expert – Protection &

• Control, IEC 61850 &

• Digital Substations providing advanced technical leadership for protection and control engineering across substations, transmission and distribution systems, renewable interconnections, industrial power networks and digital grid infrastructure. The SME will act as a technical authority for conventional, hybrid and fully digital substations, supporting projects across global markets including UK, Australia, Middle East, Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The role requires deep domain expertise in protection schemes, relay settings, substation automation, IEC 61850 integration, SCADA interfaces, cybersecurity, commissioning support and future-ready digital substation technologies.

The Primary Responsibilities Would Be

Protection & Control Engineering Provide specialist technical leadership for protection and control design of medium voltage, high voltage and extra high voltage substations.

Lead, review and technically assure protection schemes for

Line protection

Transformer protection

Busbar protection

Breaker failure protection

Feeder protection

Capacitor bank and reactor protection

SVC / STATCOM protection

Renewable and BESS interconnection protection

Industrial power network protection

Grid connection and interconnection protection

Lead and review key engineering deliverables including

Protection Single Line Diagrams / Key Line Diagrams

Protection and control schematics

Control logic diagrams

Trip and alarm matrix

AC/DC auxiliary schematics

Panel GA and BOQ

Wiring diagrams

Interface drawings

Interconnection schedules

Cable schedules

Relay assembled forms

Test and commissioning documentation

Provide expert review of relay setting calculations and protection coordination studies.

Review and approve relay settings, protection philosophies, technical reports and protection coordination documents.

Provide technical direction for distance protection, differential protection, overcurrent protection, earth fault protection, REF, synchro-check, auto-reclose, breaker failure and busbar protection applications.

Support fault level studies, protection grading, grid code compliance and system performance validation.

Provide technical support during FAT, SAT, commissioning, energization and post-energization troubleshooting.

Review vendor drawings, relay configuration files, test procedures, test reports and as-built documentation. IEC 61850 Integration and Digital Substations Lead advanced engineering for IEC 61850-based digital substations, including concept design, detailed design, configuration strategy, integration, testing and commissioning support.

Define and review complete digital substation architecture including

Station bus

Process bus

Protection IEDs

Merging units

SCADA gateways

HMI systems

Engineering workstations

Network switches

Time synchronization systems

Provide expert guidance on IEC 61850 applications including

GOOSE messaging

MMS communication

Sampled Values

Logical nodes and data modelling

Dataset configuration

Report control blocks

GOOSE control blocks

Sampled Value control blocks

Multi-vendor interoperability

Lead preparation and review of IEC 61850 deliverables including

IEC 61850 architecture drawings

Communication architecture

IED capability assessment

Signal lists and data point schedules

GOOSE mapping schedules

MMS mapping schedules

Sampled Value design documents

Logical node mapping

ICD, CID, IID, SCD and SSD file review records

FAT/SAT procedures for IEC 61850 systems

Provide expert review and validation of IEC 61850 configuration files and ensure consistency between drawings, relay configuration, automation configuration and SCADA mapping.

Lead or support multi-vendor integration involving Siemens, Hitachi Energy / ABB, GE Vernova, Schneider Electric, SEL, NR Electric and other global OEMs.

Support digital substation testing using tools such as Omicron, Doble, Wireshark, IEDScout, StationScout, IET600, DIGSI 5, PCM600, EnerVista and equivalent platforms.





Guide project teams on migration from conventional hardwired systems to hybrid or fully digital substation architecture.

Develop digital substation templates, standard architectures, reusable design libraries and configuration governance processes.

Substation

Automation, SCADA and Communication Networks Provide technical leadership for substation automation systems, SCADA integration, RTU/Gateway interfaces, HMI systems and control centre communication.

Review communication protocols and interfaces including IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-101/104, IEC 60870-5-103, DNP3, Modbus, OPC UA, SNMP and synchrophasor interfaces where applicable.

Lead design and review of digital substation communication networks including

Ethernet LAN architecture

Managed switch configuration philosophy

VLANs and IP addressing

Multicast management

PRP / HSR redundancy

Network segmentation

Remote engineering access

Network monitoring and diagnostics

Provide guidance on time synchronization systems including IEEE 1588 PTP, SNTP, IRIG-B and GPS-based time sources.

Review communication architecture for high availability, resilience and reliable operation of critical protection and control systems.

Cybersecurity Considerations

Provide technical leadership on cybersecurity requirements for protection, control, automation and digital substation systems.

Ensure cybersecurity is embedded across the engineering lifecycle from concept design through commissioning and handover.

Review designs against relevant cybersecurity standards and requirements such as IEC 62351, IEC 62443, NERC CIP where applicable, utility standards and client-specific cybersecurity requirements.

Provide guidance on secure substation architecture including

Network segmentation

Defense-in-depth design

Secure remote access

Role-based access control

User authentication

Password and credential management

Firewall and gateway interface requirements

Secure engineering access

Logging and event monitoring

Asset inventory

Patch and firmware management considerations

Backup and recovery strategy

Configuration file control

IED, gateway, HMI and workstation hardening

Define cybersecurity requirements for vendors and OEMs during specification, procurement, FAT, SAT and commissioning stages.

Support cybersecurity risk reviews for IEC 61850 systems, SCADA links, remote access, vendor interfaces and third-party equipment.

Promote secure-by-design principles for digital substations, renewable plants and future grid automation systems.

Renewable

Energy, Grid Connection And Future Capabilities Provide SME support for solar, wind, battery energy storage, hybrid renewable plants, collector substations and grid interconnection facilities.

Support protection design for inverter-based resources, weak grids, low fault current networks and changing grid behaviour.

Provide technical guidance on grid code compliance for renewable interconnections across different countries and regions.

Support future capability development in

Digital substations

Process bus implementation

Centralized protection systems

Virtual protection and control concepts

Wide Area Monitoring, Protection and Control

Synchrophasor-based applications

Digital twin for substations

Model-based engineering

Automated relay setting workflows

AI-assisted engineering checks

Cloud-based asset monitoring

Predictive maintenance

Cyber-secure remote commissioning

Standardized global digital substation delivery models

Technical Assurance, Quality and Delivery Act as the highest level of technical support for complex protection, control, automation and digital substation issues.

Provide independent technical review, design assurance and quality validation for critical deliverables.

Ensure engineering outputs comply with client specifications, utility standards, grid codes, IEC, IEEE, CIGRE recommendations, regional requirements and Jacobs quality procedures.

Support project execution plans, design criteria, risk registers, assurance plans and quality review processes.

Support resolution of client queries, technical deviations, design changes, non-conformances and site issues.

Work with Design Project Engineers, Project Managers and global delivery teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and to expected quality standards.

Demonstrate strong understanding of technical, commercial, schedule, risk, HSEC and quality aspects of projects. Client, Proposal and Capability Development Lead technical discussions with clients, utilities, OEMs, contractors and global project teams.

Support proposals, bids, tenders, technical estimates, capability statements and technical bid evaluations.

Manage technical relationships and build appropriate level contacts with key clients.

Strengthen client relationships through technical excellence,



practical problem solving and high-quality project delivery.

Mentor Lead Engineers, Senior Engineers, Graduate Engineers and design teams.

Develop internal capability through training, technical sessions, lessons learned and knowledge sharing.

Create and maintain technical standards, design guides, checklists, templates, automation workflows and best-practice documents.

Drive innovation, digital delivery, standardization and future-ready engineering practices across the Protection & Control discipline. Here's what you'll need BE / B Tech / ME / M Tech in Electrical Engineering.

Minimum 18+ years of experience in Protection & Control engineering, substation automation, digital substations or associated power system engineering.

Strong experience in MV, HV and EHV substation protection and control systems.

Experience with substations up to 400kV / 765kV and above is desirable.

Proven experience supporting international utility, renewable, industrial and grid connection projects.

Expert knowledge of protection philosophies, relay applications, control systems, SCADA integration, substation automation and digital substation technologies.

Solid experience in IEC 61850 design, configuration review, integration, testing and troubleshooting.

Strong understanding of cybersecurity requirements for protection, automation and digital substation systems.

Ability to interpret international standards, utility requirements, client specifications and grid codes.

Excellent technical report writing, communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to act as a global technical authority, mentor teams and support capability growth across the business.

Mandatory Skill Sets

Expert-level knowledge of Protection & Control engineering for substations, T&D; systems, renewable interconnections and industrial power networks.

Strong knowledge of protection schemes, relay setting calculations, relay configuration, protection coordination and testing.

Advanced knowledge of IEC 61850 including station bus, process bus, GOOSE, MMS, Sampled Values, logical nodes, datasets, control blocks and SCD file management.

Strong understanding of digital substation architecture, IED integration, communication networks and multi-vendor interoperability.

Strong awareness of cybersecurity standards and secure-by-design principles.

Strong technical assurance, quality review and independent design checking capability.

Ability to lead complex technical discussions with clients, utilities, OEMs and global project teams.

Experience supporting FAT, SAT, commissioning and troubleshooting of protection, control and digital substation systems.

Strong communication and presentation skills to articulate clear technical direction.

Preferred Skill Sets

Experience with tools such as DIGSI 5, PCM600, EnerVista, Easergy Studio, AcSELerator, IET600, Omicron Test Universe, StationScout, IEDScout, Doble and Wireshark.

Experience with AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, MicroStation, ETAP, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PSCAD or PSS/E.

Experience in Australia, UK, Middle East, Europe, US or other international utility projects.

Experience in solar, wind, BESS, hybrid renewable plants and grid interconnection projects.

Experience with IEC 62351, IEC 62443, NERC CIP or utility cybersecurity frameworks.

Knowledge of PRP, HSR, VLANs, multicast traffic management, PTP, SNTP, IRIG-B and network resilience requirements.

Experience in model-based engineering, digital twin, automation workflows or data-centric engineering delivery.

Basic understanding of Python or scripting for engineering process improvement is preferred. We welcome applications from qualified professionals currently based overseas who are open to relocating to India. Relocation support may be provided for exceptional candidates having extensive experience in delivering E&P; infrastructure projects.

At Jacobs we value people. Having the right balance of belonging, career and lifestyle enables us to consistently deliver and exceed clients’ expectations. Working alongside industry leaders, you will have the opportunity to develop your career working on key projects in an environment which encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation.

To support your professional growth, Jacobs flexible working arrangements, extended leave options and a host of social, health and wellbeing events and initiatives will underpin our commitment to you. At Jacobs it’s all about what you do, not where you are, which counts! We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery.

We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work. Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.

📌 Associate Director- Protection & Control (Hyderabad)
🏢 Jacobs
📍 Hyderabad