Principal Protection & Control Engineer

Overview

In this Principal P&C Engineer role, you help design high‑voltage protection schemes for up to 400 kV and guide projects across industrial, transmission/distribution, and renewable sectors. You’ll collaborate with clients and senior stakeholders, review designs, and lead junior engineers to deliver on time, within budget, and to quality standards. You’ll shape protection strategies, risk management, and interface with multiple disciplines to implement robust solutions. This is a chance to influence critical infrastructure and sustainability in a client‑facing, cross‑functional environment.

Responsibilities

• Design transmission protection systems up to 400 kV and review both in‑house and external contractor designs
• Deliver tender design man-hour estimates, deliverables lists, and design programs
• Lead and mentor junior engineers on P&C tasks with technical guidance
• Advise on design and design change issues, and ensure competent personnel and sub‑contractors undertake design work
• Identify, assess, and implement best technical solutions while challenging existing specifications and practices
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, with required quality and within budget
• Undertake site visits and non‑intrusive surveys as part of design activities or site support
• Manage risks proactively and coordinate client interfaces including planners, resources, and procurement
• Oversee CDM risk management and ensure compliance with safety and design standards
• Prepare and review protection-related deliverables such as schematics, SLD/KLD, and panel layouts

Key requirements

• Proven design capability in power system protection, preferably up to 400 kV
• Experience with protection applications within transmission utilities or consultancies; distribution background accepted
• Experience in protection and control deliverables, studies, programs, and cost estimating
• Ability to coordinate with suppliers, service providers and professional bodies in a team environment
• Experience drafting detailed electrical schematics for substation protection and control systems
• Knowledge of protection elements (busbar, feeders, transformers, faults, SCADA interfaces) and related standards
• Familiarity with IEC 61850 and protection system interfaces; experience with relay coordination and short‑circuit calculations (ASPEN OneLiner, ETAP, DIgSILENT advantageous)
• Experience with interface engineering between protection systems and plant equipment
• Strong communication for complex technical/commercial discussions and cross‑functional leadership
• Protection and settings authorisation (advantageous) and chartered status (advantageous)
• SCADA system design experience (Zenon/Copa‑Data advantageous)

• Strong communication with peers and senior managers
• Cross‑functional collaboration and leadership
• Problem solving and ability to propose alternatives
• Protection and Control design
• Relay settings and logic programming
• SLD/KLD preparation

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