What is a protection engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

As a Protection Engineer, you will be working with electric power distribution systems. You will be supervising the maintenance of their protective equipment in order for service interruptions to be reduced. You may also be tasked to test, repair, and install equipment. As a Protection Engineer, you will continuously learn as you study new development aimed to identify the appropriate application to the protection systems you're working with.

Of course, since the job is not easy, you need to possess certain skills. You need to have good communication skills. Firstly, since you will be dealing with clients and other people here, you need to know how to efficiently and clearly communicate your thoughts. Next is creativity; you need to be creative when dealing with unexpected problems and see them through a different lens in order to easily solve them. Lastly, in relation to creativity is problem-solving skills; you need to know how to effectively solve problems you might face.

You can earn an annual average salary of $80,569 as a Protection Engineer with a 5% job growth rate. You also have the chance to further your career, so if you think you are fit for the job, you should definitely give it a try.

ScoreProtection EngineerUS Average
Salary
7.6

Avg. Salary $100,632

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.6

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 15.38%

Black or African American 4.28%

Hispanic or Latino 10.49%

Unknown 3.88%

White 65.80%

Gender

female 13.79%

male 86.21%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a protection engineer

  1. Explore protection engineer education requirements

    Most common protection engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    61.9 %

    Master's

    26.3 %

    Associate

    9.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific protection engineer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Scheme9.67%
    AC7.65%
    SCADA6.95%
    Project Management6.32%
    Windows5.91%
  3. Complete relevant protection engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New protection engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a protection engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real protection engineer resumes.
  4. Research protection engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
    • Shell scripting, cron, SAN and NAS environment synchronization.
    • Provide advice and devise methods for shielding and M/REM reduction and site ALARA program improvements, procedure review, plant inspections.
    • Skil at providing file, folder, disk and system restores.
  5. Prepare your protection engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your protection engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a protection engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Protection Engineer Resume templates

    Build a professional Protection Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Protection Engineer resume.
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
    Protection Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for protection engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a protection engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Protection Engineer Job

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Average protection engineer salary

The average Protection Engineer salary in the United States is $100,632 per year or $48 per hour. Protection engineer salaries range between $70,000 and $144,000 per year.

Average Protection Engineer Salary
$100,632 Yearly
$48.38 hourly

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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
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continuous learning


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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