The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is responsible for the safe, reliable, and economic planning and operation of the Alberta Interconnected Electric System. We provide open and non-discriminatory access to Alberta’s interconnected power grid and also facilitate Alberta’s competitive wholesale electricity market. The AESO strives to foster an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace where people feel respected and welcomed for who they are, together we deliver high performance and innovative results.
Help power Alberta's future through technical leadership on critical transmission infrastructure projects.
Reporting to the Manager, Project Engineering, the Lead Engineer, System Protection & Controls serves as AESO's senior technical expert for protection, control, and reliability engineering across Alberta’s electricity system.
In this role, you will lead complex protection studies, disturbance investigations, reliability initiatives, and standards development to support the secure, reliable, and resilient operation of Alberta's power grid. Working closely with internal teams, utilities, generators, regulators, and industry partners, you will provide technical leadership, influence strategic decisions, and help shape the future of Alberta's electricity system. You will collaborate across AESO, including Connection Projects, System Projects, Operational Engineering, Operational Planning, and Power System Modelling, to advance strategic organizational and industry initiatives.
This full-time opportunity offers a competitive salary, paid vacation and flex time, health and dental benefits, mental health support, a defined contribution pension plan, and learning and development opportunities as part of your overall compensation package. We support a hybrid work environment, where the team is in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays and Fridays are flexible for where you work best.
Why join AESO?
#LI-Hybrid
If you are contacted for a pre-screening and/or interview, please advise of any accommodation measures required to enable you to fully participate. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.
The Alberta Electric System Operator is unable to accept unsolicited agency resumes.
The Alberta Electric System Operator, and its members, officers, employees and agents (collectively, the "AESO") is committed to protecting personal information provided to it. When you submit your personal information to the AESO for the purpose of pursuing employment with the AESO, the collection, use and disclosure of personal information is in accordance with the provisions of the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) of Alberta.
As noted, the AESO is mandated to maintain the safe and reliable operations of the provincial power grid. As part of meeting its obligations, the AESO may require the successful candidate to undergo a criminal background check for the position. This collection of personal information for the purposes of a check will be conducted in accordance with Section 4 of POPA.
Our mandate is to provide for the safe, reliable and economic operation of the interconnected electric system and to promote a fair, efficient and openly competitive electricity market.
We do this in four key areas:
Direct The Safe and Reliable Operation of the Grid: We work with industry partners to keep electricity safely and reliably flowing throughout the province. Our System Controllers dispatch generation to meet electricity demand and direct the operation of the transmission system 24/7, 365 days a year. We ensure almost five million Albertans have power when they need it.
Plan the Transmission System: We plan ahead by developing power supply and demand forecasts and scenarios to ensure the right transmission lines are built in the right locations, as cost effectively as possible. We identify needed transmission solutions and work through the regulatory process to secure necessary approvals.
Connect customers to the grid: We ensure customers can connect to the transmission system in a safe and reliable manner. Timely transmission system access is facilitated through the AESO’s Connection Process. Using transmission tariffs, we recover the costs of the transmission system from customers. After deducting our costs of operating the system, we forward the remainder to transmission facility owners.
Operate the Wholesale Electricity Market: Electricity in Alberta is bought and sold through a wholesale market. We operate the market, manage its financial settlement function, and facilitate its ongoing development by designing and implementing market rules to ensure it is a fair, efficient and openly competitive market.
