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The Senior Apparatus Technician performs and directs acceptance, maintenance, and diagnostic testing of electrical apparatus across low, medium, and high voltage systems for a confidential electrical testing and field services company. Approximately 80 percent of the client’s field work is performed in high voltage substations and switchyards, and this role is expected to work confidently in those environments. The Senior Apparatus Technician plans assigned test scopes, executes complex apparatus testing with minimal supervision, leads smaller field crews, validates the work of other technicians, and approves test documentation.
LocationHeber City, Utah
TravelExtensive travel; up to 90% on some assignments
Compensation$45.00-$64.38 per hour, depending on experience
What you will do
- Perform and direct acceptance, maintenance, and diagnostic testing of electrical apparatus across low, medium, and high voltage systems, primarily in substation and switchyard environments.
- Test power transformers and voltage regulators, including insulation resistance, power factor and dissipation factor, bushing testing, excitation current, winding resistance, turns ratio, and insulating fluid sampling.
- Test circuit breakers of all types, including SF6, vacuum, oil, and air magnetic designs, using contact resistance, timing and travel analysis, insulation resistance, control circuit verification, and mechanism inspection.
- Perform SF6 gas quality testing, including dew point, purity, and decomposition byproduct measurement, and handle SF6 in accordance with environmental and company requirements.
- Test instrument transformers, including current transformer ratio, polarity, saturation, burden, and insulation testing, and potential transformer and coupling capacitor voltage transformer ratio and insulation testing.
- Test switchgear, motor control centers, disconnect switches, load interrupter switches, surge arresters, reactors, capacitor banks, and grounding transformers to applicable acceptance criteria.
- Support maintenance, repair, rebuild, and replacement of high voltage SF6 and oil circuit breakers, including mechanism overhaul, interrupter work, and post-work verification testing.
- Handle, fill, evacuate, and test SF6 insulating gas in accordance with factory certification requirements and environmental handling procedures.
- Perform cable testing including insulation resistance, DC and AC withstand, very low frequency testing, tan delta, and partial discharge testing where included in scope.
- Test and commission low voltage AC and DC station auxiliary systems, including station batteries, battery chargers, inverters, DC distribution panels, and AC distribution and station service equipment, including battery capacity, impedance, and load testing.
- Perform ground grid and ground resistance testing, continuity verification, and infrared thermographic inspection where included in scope.
- Read and interpret block diagrams, single-line and three-line diagrams, AC and DC schematics, logic diagrams, wiring and connection drawings, and factory equipment manuals, and redline field changes accurately.
- Operate electrical test equipment including Doble, Manta, Vanguard, and Omicron platforms, and work in associated apparatus test software including Doble Test Assistant (DTA).
- Write and issue clear test reports using Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Compare test results against manufacturer specifications, industry acceptance criteria, and client requirements; identify anomalies, determine root cause, and recommend corrective action.
- Support switching, clearance, tagging, and grounding activities in high voltage substation and switchyard environments in accordance with client and company procedures.
- Lead field crews on assigned scopes, including daily work planning, resource assignment, safety briefings, and schedule ownership.
- Conduct and lead Job Safety Task Analyses (JSTAs), safety briefings, and safety stand-down meetings; apply human performance and error elimination tools to identify, eliminate, or mitigate hazards; investigate and report incidents, near-misses, and safety observations in accordance with company protocols.
- Produce, review, and approve test reports and commissioning documentation, holding QA/QC responsibility for data produced by assigned technicians.
- Serve as a professional field representative of the hiring client, communicating findings, status, and technical recommendations clearly.
- Provide technical direction, training, and performance feedback to technicians and support workforce development within the apparatus testing group.
- Execute acceptance testing, servicing, livening, and troubleshooting on greenfield and brownfield electrical power systems, and support turnkey preventative maintenance programs for substations, power plants, and other utility systems.
- Participate in the client’s 24/7 emergency work and disaster recovery rotation, responding to outages, equipment failures, and storm events as assigned.
- Perform special projects and complete other duties as assigned or requested.
How you will make an impact
- Prove the condition and readiness of critical apparatus before it is energized, protecting client systems, personnel, and outage windows.
- Deliver test data that clients trust, with clear documentation, defensible acceptance comparisons, and accurate as-found and as-left records.
- Strengthen the client’s reputation in high voltage substation and switchyard work through disciplined execution, safe switching practices, and dependable field judgment.
- Reduce project risk by catching apparatus defects, wiring errors, and installation problems in the field before they become failures in service.
- Build technical depth across the workforce by mentoring technicians and setting the standard for test quality and safety behavior.
Required qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent required. Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent field experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressive field experience testing electrical apparatus across low, medium, and high voltage systems.
- Demonstrated ability to hold your own clearance and take switching directly from the customer's system operator, rather than working under another party's clearance.
- Signature authority on test and commissioning reports, or demonstrated readiness to assume it.
- Demonstrated discipline in redlining drawings and turning over accurate as-built documentation as part of every scope.
- Extensive hands-on experience testing power transformers, circuit breakers, instrument transformers, switchgear, cable, and station auxiliary systems, personally performed rather than observed.
- Working knowledge of test methods and acceptance criteria including insulation resistance, power factor and dissipation factor, contact resistance, breaker timing and travel analysis, turns ratio, winding resistance, hi-pot and withstand testing, and battery capacity and impedance testing.
- Advanced ability to read and interpret one-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, and equipment manuals, and to redline field changes.
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot apparatus and test anomalies, determine root cause, and implement corrective action with minimal supervision.
- Experience leading field crews or serving as a lead technician on assigned test scopes.
- Strong technical report writing and review skills with the ability to produce and approve test and commissioning documentation.
- Working knowledge of substation switching, clearance, tagging, and grounding practices.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook).
- Mathematical proficiency through trigonometry.
- Thorough knowledge of safety and health regulations applicable to high voltage electrical work, including NFPA 70E and OSHA standards.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to represent the hiring client in client-facing interactions.
- Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record; willingness to travel extensively, including overnight stays.
- Ability to pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen.
- Willingness to travel extensively in support of projects across the United States and Canada, with travel approaching 90 percent on some assignments. Traveling schedules are tailored to the individual technician where project demands allow.
- Willingness to participate in the 24/7 emergency work and disaster recovery on-call rotation.
Preferred qualifications
- Substantial experience working in high voltage substation and switchyard environments is highly preferred; approximately 80 percent of the client’s field work is performed in these environments.
- Depth across multiple test equipment platforms including Doble, Manta, Vanguard, Omicron, or Megger.
- Factory certification or documented training in SF6 gas handling, recovery, filling, and analysis.
- Experience with high voltage SF6 and oil breaker overhaul, rebuild, or replacement.
- Experience with cable diagnostic testing including very low frequency, tan delta, and partial discharge methods.
- Experience with infrared thermography, including Level I certification or above.
- Working knowledge of protective relay testing and protection and control commissioning.
- Prior experience in electric utility transmission and distribution, generation, industrial, data center, or battery energy storage environments.
- Experience developing test procedures, switching orders, or commissioning plans.
- Commercial Driver's License (CDL).
- Experience responding to emergency, outage, or storm restoration work on short notice.
- Certification is not required for this role. NETA, NICET Electrical Power Testing, or Military Prime Power credentials are welcome, but demonstrated field capability is weighted equally. Technicians from utility protection and control shops and substation departments are encouraged to apply.
Physical requirements
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods (up to 8 to 12 hours).
- Ability to climb stairs, ladders, and substation structures and access elevated work areas.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds occasionally.
- Ability to bend, kneel, crouch, and work in confined spaces.
- Ability to work near energized electrical equipment.
- Ability to wear required PPE at all times, including hard hat, safety glasses, steel-toe boots, FR clothing, gloves, and hearing protection.
- Ability to operate company vehicles safely and maintain a valid driver's license.
- Ability to travel frequently, including overnight stays.
Work environment
- Regular outdoor work in varying weather conditions including extreme heat, cold, humidity, and wind.
- Exposure to electrical hazards, energized equipment, and arc flash environments.
- Exposure to noise, dust, vibration, and industrial job site conditions.
Driving and safety-sensitive position
- This position is classified as safety-sensitive and requires maintenance of a valid driver's license, acceptable driving record, compliance with company motor vehicle policies, and compliance with drug and alcohol testing requirements.
Reasonable accommodation
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions as defined by company policy.