A professional who plans layout and oversees maintenance of protection equipment of an electric power distribution system to minimize interruption to service and danger to lives and equipment from abnormalities, such as overload, no load, and short circuits. Responsibilities include:

• Studies drawings of power system and makes complex calculations to determine type, number, location, and correlation of protectors, such as relays, circuit breakers, fuses, and grounding devices.
• Plans adjustments and additions to protective system necessitated by increased demands in development of new residential areas and unusual requirements of heavy industry.
• Coordinates testing, repair, and installation of equipment.
• Studies new developments to determine suitability of their application to protection system.
• May program and direct computer analyses of system operating characteristics, such as power flow under normal and short-circuit conditions, system stability, and voltage and load limitations to obtain data used for such purposes as timing major system changes and additions, and analyzing interconnecting system problems.
• May be designated according to specialization as Grounding Engineer (utilities); Relay Engineer (utilities)