Job Title: Principal Design Engineer – Primary
Location: Glasgow (Hamilton)
Reporting to: Section Lead – Primary
Business Unit: Omexom Design
Purpose of the Position
To lead the design of primary plant layouts and associated engineering for high-voltage (HV) substations, ensuring high technical standards, safety, and efficiency across the full design lifecycle. The Principal Design Engineer will act as a technical authority, supporting project delivery, mentoring design engineers, and ensuring that designs meet client, regulatory, and internal requirements.
Key Responsibilities and Duties
Including but not limited to:
1. Technical Leadership
Lead the development of substation primary layouts (typically 132kV to 400kV), including busbar arrangements, equipment spacing, plant orientation, and earthing zones.
2. Design Delivery
Oversee the production of general arrangements, layout plans, sections, cable routing plans, and associated deliverables across FEED, detailed design, and construction stages.
3. Client and Stakeholder Interface
Liaise directly with clients and internal stakeholders to develop and agree substation layouts in line with technical and operational requirements.
4. Standards Compliance
Ensure compliance with client specifications, industry standards, and statutory regulations, including ENA TS, NG TS, IEC, BS EN, and CDM 2015.
5. Multi-Disciplinary Coordination
Collaborate with civil, protection, control, and secondary design teams to ensure coordinated and constructible substation designs.
6. Design Assurance
Review and approve technical documents and drawings produced by design engineers. Participate in design reviews and hazard identification workshops.
7. Mentoring and Development
Provide technical guidance and support to junior engineers and graduate designers. Support skill development and technical leadership across the substation primary team.
8. Innovation and Continuous Improvement
Contribute to the development of internal design tools, processes, and standardisation initiatives. Drive innovation in plant layout optimisation and digital delivery.
9. Construction Support
Provide technical input during construction, including support for TQs, RFIs, site visits, and redlining of as-built documentation.
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications and Experience
10. Degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
11. Experience in HV substation primary design, ideally including projects at 132kV to 400kV.
12. Strong knowledge of substation equipment and layout design principles, including operational clearances, phase separation, and maintainability.
13. Experience producing and reviewing general arrangement drawings, equipment layout plans, and plant positioning documentation.
14. Familiarity with design and assurance requirements from clients such as National Grid, SPEN, or SSEN.
15. Understanding of applicable UK and international standards (e.g. IEC 61936, NG TS 2.10, ENA TS 41-series).
16. Proficiency in AutoCAD and familiarity with design tools such as Revit, BIM 360, or 3D plant layout software.
17. Knowledge of CDM regulations and experience incorporating Safety by Design into layouts and access arrangements.
Desirable Attributes
18. Chartered Engineer status (e.g. CEng MIET) or working towards professional registration.
19. Experience contributing to multi-disciplinary project bids and tender design stages.
20. Experience with Digital Twin concepts or integrated digital plant design.
21. Understanding of temporary works and constructability considerations for primary plant.