Senior Project Lead Engineer

At ABB, we help industries run leaner and cleaner—and every person here makes that happen. You’ll be empowered to lead, supported to grow, and proud of the impact we create together. Join us and help run what runs the world.
This position reports to:
Electrical Engineering Manager
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ABB is seeking a Senior Project Lead Engineer with a strong background in Protection and Controls to join our team. Working at ABB offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience across the full spectrum of power system engineering. Our group actively engages in substation design, protection and controls engineering, power system studies, and the design and implementation of power management systems. Being part of this team allows engineers to collaborate across multiple disciplines, contribute to complex and impactful projects, and develop a well-rounded understanding of modern power infrastructure up to 69kV.
The work model for the role is: hybrid #LI-Hybrid
This role is contributing to the Automation Energy Industries division in Houston, TX.
Your role and responsibilities:
Lead and support engineering projects, ensuring successful delivery through effective technical leadership, coordination, and adherence to project scope, schedule, and quality expectations.
Create and review substation and electrical building integration design packages and follow those projects from the conceptual stage to construction completion.
Lead customer technical meetings, design reviews, and interdisciplinary engineering coordination meetings.
Serve as the technical lead for Protection and Controls across projects, providing guidance, standards, and technical oversight to the engineering team.
Develop and review protection and control system designs, including relay selection, protection philosophies, settings development, configuration, and coordination.
Support and mentor team members on protection and control best practices, helping build capability within the group
Review engineering deliverables to ensure technical accuracy, consistency, and compliance with industry standards, project specifications, and internal engineering practices.
Coordinate and provide technical oversight of multi-discipline vendors and subcontractors, ensuring alignment with project requirements, engineering standards, schedules, and overall project objectives.
Support proposal development, engineering estimates, technical risk assessments, and engineering execution planning.
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Additional tasks with varying scope depending on experience level:
Perform and review power system studies (e.g., short circuit, protection coordination, arc flash, load flow) to support protection design and validate system performance.
Design/review/implementation of power management systems (PMS).
Our Team Dynamics
Our teams support each other, collaborate, and never stop learning. Everyone brings something unique, and together we push ideas forward to solve real problems. Being part of our team means your work matters - because the progress we make here creates real impact out there.
Qualifications for the role:
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
10+ years of experience in power systems engineering, with experience in Protection and Controls.
Strong knowledge of protection principles, relay coordination, and protection scheme design for medium and high voltage power systems.
Hands-on experience with protective relay configuration and settings development (e.g., SEL, GE, Siemens, ABB or similar platforms).
Experience interpreting power system studies such as short circuit, protection coordination, load flow, and arc flash.
Familiarity with power system analysis software (e.g., ETAP, SKM PowerTools, EasyPower, PSCAD, or similar).
Working knowledge of substation design and electrical building integration, including protection and control system interfaces.
Familiarity supporting or implementing power management systems (PMS) or SCADA-based monitoring and control systems is considered an asset.
Strong understanding of relevant industry standards and codes (IEEE, NFPA, NEC, ANSI, IEC, or equivalent as applicable).
Demonstrated experience serving as the Lead Project Engineer or Engineering Lead on complex engineering projects.
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams and coordinate technical execution across multiple concurrent projects.
Excellent technical problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.
Ability to mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance within the team.
Professional Engineering designation (PE) strongly preferred.
You enjoy occasionally working in the field and traveling to customer and manufacturing sites to support project execution (approx. 25% travel).
What's in it for you
We empower you to take initiative, challenge ideas, and lead with confidence. You’ll grow through meaningful work, continuous learning, and support that’s tailored to your goals. Every idea you share and every action you take contributes to something bigger
ABB is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer for protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities at ABB.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their- sex (gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation), marital status, citizenship, age, race and ethnicity, inclusive of traits historically associated with race or ethnicity, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles, color, religious creed, national origin, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic information, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal and state law.
For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following websites: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf
As an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer for Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, applicants may request to review the plan of a particular ABB facility between the hours of 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. EST Monday through Friday by contacting an ABB HR Representative at 1-888-694-7762.
Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access ABB's career site as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling an ABB HR Representative at 1-888-694-7762 or by sending an email to US-AskHR@abb.com. Resumes and applications will not be accepted in this manner.
ABB Benefit Summary for eligible US employees
[excludes ABB E-mobility, Athens union, Puerto Rico]
Go to MyBenefitsABB.com and click on “Candidate/Guest” to learn more
Health, Life & Disability
Choice between two medical plan options: A PPO plan called the Copay Plan OR a High Deductible Health Plan (with a Health Savings Account) called the High Deductible Plan.
Choice between two dental plan options: Core and Core Plus
Vision benefit
Company paid life insurance (2X base pay)
Company paid AD&D (1X base pay)
Voluntary life and AD&D – 100% employee paid up to maximums
Short Term Disability – up to 26 weeks – Company paid