Principal Primary Substation Design Engineer

Overview

As a Principal Substation Engineer, you will shape complex HV/EHV substation projects across industrial, transmission/distribution, and renewable sectors. You’ll collaborate with senior stakeholders and cross-disciplinary teams to deliver safe, cost-effective designs while navigating regulatory and technical challenges. The role blends project leadership with hands-on electrical engineering deliverables, contributing to Arcadis’s mission of sustainable, impactful outcomes. You’ll work on a mix of new build, retrofit, and network reinforcement initiatives, with opportunities to broaden expertise and influence across projects.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with clients from initial contact to project delivery
• Deliver small to medium projects with minimal support across lifecycle
• Produce electrical engineering deliverables
• Coordinate with CAD and engineering teams on safe, cost-effective designs
• Interpret National Grid, DNO regulations and British/IEC standards
• Identify and mitigate health and safety risks
• Apply CDM designer regulations for HV/EHV projects
• Coordinate across civils, protection & controls, earthing and studies teams
• Prepare specifications for HV/EHV plant equipment and evaluate supplier documents
• Support bid development and related documentation
• Contribute to delivering projects to budget, time, and quality targets and promote Arcadis services

Key requirements

• Degree or relevant qualification in Electrical Engineering
• CDAE/LCDAE authorisation (preferable)
• Experience as a substation/plant engineer in regulated industries
• Preparation of HV substation primary plant design deliverables, feasibility studies, and cost estimation
• Broad knowledge of transmission technologies and their impact on the system
• Proven experience in HV & EHV substation design (AIS & GIS) up to 400 kV
• Experience in LV and power distribution of substations
• Hands-on Amtech software for LVAC fuse/MCCB selectivity studies (desirable)
• Experience working on National Grid, SSEN, SPEN, SPR projects
• Knowledge of HVDC primary plant (advantage)
• Track record delivering engineering/projects safely to budget, time, and quality
• Ability to work with internal and external parties in a collaborative team
• Experience writing clear, concise documentation

• Stakeholder management
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Strong written communication
• Amtech software
• HV/LV substation design
• AIS & GIS for HV/EHV

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