Control Engineer – Chargé de conduite

Aventa Group; Dieppe; Remote; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Aventa seeks an experienced Control Engineer / Chargé de Conduite for offshore wind projects in France. You will operate and maintain HV/LV assets, serving as the qualified electrical authority on site across OSS, cables, and WTG.

You will oversee switching operations, SHE, and grid compliance, upskilling staff while coordinating with O&M teams. English is mandatory; French is a strong advantage. Rotation: 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of HV operation experience up to 225 kV
• Experience as Control Engineer or SAP up to 225 kV
• Offshore wind farm commissioning or operations experience
• English fluent; French advantageous

Responsibilities

• Act as Chargé de Conduite per CGMO-HV, with final switching authority
• Manage HV/MV electrical network across OSS, cables, WTG
• Coordinate switching operations and LOTO procedures
• Act as SAP when required; mentor junior staff
• Maintain electrical safety culture and ensure grid code compliance

Skills

HV operation

Electrical switching

SCADA control

Offshore wind

Safety management

Education

GWO certifications (WaH, SS, MH, FA, FF)

Tools

SCADA systems

Job description

Location: Dieppe, France (onshore base); offshore substation operations also possible

Work mode: Offshore rotation – 2 weeks ON / 2 weeks OFF; 12-hour shifts (day and night)

Contract type: Contract

Start date: Immediate availability preferred – to be discussed

Duration: To be discussed

Compensation: Competitive

Reporting to: Lead-SAP and Wind Farm Commissioning Manager

Projects: Two French offshore wind farms – Channel and Atlantic coast

Languages: Fluent English mandatory; French a strong advantage

Right to work / visa: EU right to work required

Client: Confidential – French offshore wind developer

Description

About the client

A leading developer and operator of offshore wind energy in France, responsible for two major offshore wind projects on the French coast. Both projects are in active commissioning and early operations phases, requiring experienced electrical operations personnel to manage the wind farm electrical networks, ensure grid compliance, and maintain the highest standards of electrical safety throughout the transition from construction to full commercial operation.

Role overview

The Control Engineer / Chargé de Conduite (CCO) is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the wind farm's HV and LV electrical assets, acting as the qualified electrical authority on site. The role combines the formal responsibilities of the Chargé de Conduite under French regulation (CGMO-HV / NF C18-510) with the practical oversight of day-to-day electrical network operations, switching authorisation, SCADA control, and electrical safety management across the full asset scope – Offshore Substation (OSS), array cables, foundation structures (FOU), and wind turbine generators (WTG).

The role operates on a 2 weeks ON / 2 weeks OFF rotation with 12-hour shifts covering both day and night operations. The Chargé de Conduite holds final authority over all switching decisions and is the primary electrical safety interface between the project team, contractors, and the national grid operator.

Required Qualification

Key responsibilities

• Act as Chargé de Conduite (CCO) per the CGMO-HV and as Electrical Safety Control Engineer (ESCE), holding final decision-making authority on all HV and MV switching operations
• Monitor, operate, and manage the project's complete electrical network across OSS, array cables, FOU, and WTG assets
• Coordinate, perform, oversee, and authorise switching operations for Electrical Safety Isolations and network operations
• When required, act as Senior Authorised Person (SAP): apply and remove LOTO and perform local or remote switching operations
• Develop and enforce a strong electrical safety culture across all project personnel and contractors
• Ensure compliance with all French electrical safety standards and regulations, and all local/national grid code requirements

Switching operations and documentation

• Prepare, validate, and manage all Electrical Safety Documentation: Permits for Work (PfW), Letters of Authorisation (LoA), Sanctions for Test (SfT), switching schedules, cross-boundary documents, permits, and log registers
• Prepare cross-package switching protocols; prepare method statements and switching schedules
• Monitor and authorise all local and remote HV and MV switching operations on behalf of the project
• Review and comment on applied PtW requests and RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statements)
• Update and maintain LV/MV/HV Single Line Diagrams
• Maintain daily operational log of switching activities and network status

SCADA, control room, and network operations

• Operate and manage the project Control Room, including operational logs and the electrical safe system of work
• Monitor and operate electrical equipment via SCADA systems, including signal testing and alarm handling
• Identify necessary measures in response to alarms; manage emergency and critical alarm response
• Optimise wind farm production to maximise power export at all times
• Active control of the electrical network during System Integration Testing (SIT) and through to Network Handover to Asset Management

Grid operator interface and commissioning

• Act as the primary interface with the grid operator RTE; ensure compliance with all grid code requirements and submit required reports and inputs
• Communicate all outages and activities impacting stakeholders; coordinate Emergency Response with all relevant parties
• Coordinate with operators of other systems and interconnection points before carrying out switching operations
• Ensure high quality of MV/HV network commissioning works and review related documentation; report commissioning progress and participate in commissioning meetings
• Collaborate with the O&M team to ensure conformance with Asset Operation requirements; capture and transfer operational experience from commissioning into asset operations

Training, mentoring, and HSE

• Implement and provide training programmes for personnel in accordance with project Electrical Safety Rules
• Act as mentor to junior Control Engineers and Senior Authorised Persons (SAPs), supporting their development in HV switching operations
• Train O&M personnel ahead of commercial operations handover
• Participate in authorisation panels; handover and takeover of operational responsibility per shift
• Perform site safety inspections and audits for electrical matters; involved in HSE daily with a focus on electrical safety

Requirements

Mandatory certifications – hard gate

Both certifications below are required.

• GWO certifications: Working at Height (WaH), Sea Survival (SS), Manual Handling (MH), First Aid (FA), Fire Fighting (FF), Escape Shoot – mandatory for offshore operations

Experience

Must-have

• Minimum 3 years of experience in HV operation and management of electrical networks up to 225 kV
• Experience as Control Engineer and/or Senior Authorised Person (SAP) up to 225 kV
• Experience in offshore wind farm commissioning or operations – essential
• Strong knowledge of HV/LV transmission networks and power systems
• Excellent understanding of electrical networks, control and protection systems

Nice-to-have

• Experience with SCADA systems in an offshore wind or transmission network environment
• Familiarity with French grid operator (RTE) interface and reporting requirements
• French language skills for direct coordination with RTE and on-site teams

Technical skills

• HV/MV electrical switching operations: authorisation, LOTO, cross-package protocols, remote and local operations
• Electrical safety documentation: PfW, LoA, SfT, switching schedules, RAMS review
• Single Line Diagram interpretation and update
• Offshore wind asset knowledge: OSS, array cables, FOU, WTG electrical systems

Languages

• English: fluent (spoken and written) – mandatory; primary project language
• French: strong advantage – required for direct RTE interface and on-site coordination in France