Electrical Design Engineer

Sp Electricity North West; Salford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus scheme

Salary sacrifice car scheme

26 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Professional development through L&D

Job summary

SP Electricity North West is looking for an Electrical Design Engineer to shape designs from concept to delivery on high-voltage networks up to 132kV. You’ll drive substation design activities and work with project managers, construction teams, and contractors across the full lifecycle.

The role requires HV systems knowledge, a proactive approach, and strong teamwork. AutoCAD and MS Office familiarity is expected, with opportunities for professional development and career progression.

Qualifications

• HNC in Electrical Engineering or equivalent; degree-focused toward chartered status preferred.
• Understanding of high-voltage systems (132kV/33kV/11kV) and substation equipment.
• Experience or interest in electrical design within the electricity or utilities sector.
• Familiarity with AutoCAD and MS Office; protection calculations knowledge beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver design strategies for major electricity projects.
• Lead substation design activities with consistent, high-quality outputs.
• Collaborate with project managers, construction teams and contractors throughout the lifecycle.
• Evaluate new equipment and technologies for transmission and protection systems.
• Provide accurate forecasts and project information to support planning.
• Support factory acceptance testing and ensure equipment meets standards.
• Create robust technical specifications for plant and equipment.
• Maintain design standards across the business and carry out protection calculations.

Skills

Electrical design

Protection calculations

Team collaboration

Project delivery

Education

HNC Electrical Engineering

Chartered status (desirable)

Tools

AutoCAD

Microsoft Excel

Job description

We're looking for an Electrical Design Engineer to play a key role in delivering our capital projects across high-voltage networks (up to 132kV). In this role, you'll be involved throughout the full project lifecycle-shaping designs from initial concept through to detailed delivery, construction, commissioning, and final handover. You'll collaborate with a range of teams to help ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and to a high standard. We are willing to see candidates on a developmental basis. What you'll be doing:

• Develop and deliver design strategies that support safe, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of major electricity projects
• Lead substation design activities, ensuring clear, consistent, and high-quality outputs across the capital programme
• Work collaboratively with project managers, construction teams, and contractors throughout the full project lifecycle
• Contribute to the evaluation and introduction of new equipment, technologies, and approaches within transmission and protection systems
• Provide accurate forecasts and project information to support planning and delivery
• Support factory acceptance testing, helping to ensure equipment meets required standards
• Produce clear and robust technical specifications for plant and equipment
• Work with colleagues across the business to develop and maintain effective design standards
• Carry out protection settings calculations to support reliable network performance
• Minimum of HNC in Electrical Engineering or equivalent, ideally degree qualified leading to chartered status
• Understanding of high-voltage systems (132kV, 33kV, 11kV/6.6kV) and substation equipment such as switchgear, transformers, and circuits
• Experience or interest in electrical design practices within the electricity or utilities sector
• Awareness of CDM regulations and their application in utility or infrastructure projects
• Strong teamwork and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across a range of teams and stakeholders
• A proactive and adaptable approach, with the ability to think creatively and respond to changing project needs
• Familiarity with tools such as AutoCAD and Microsoft Office (particularly Excel)
• Exposure to power systems software or protection calculations is beneficial but not essential
• Awareness of substation environments and access considerations

About the Company

SP Electricity North West manages and invests in the power network that supplies electricity to the 2.4m homes and businesses across the North West. Our 2,400 colleagues manage the 13,000km of overhead lines, 44,000km of underground cables and thousands of electricity substations to keep power flowing and supporting green growth. We’re one of six distribution network operators in the UK and are regulated by Ofgem. We’re proud that in December 2024 we were named Utility of the Year by Utility Week magazine who said we punched above our weight and used innovation to solve some of the industry’s most difficult challenges. Now part of the Iberdrola and ScottishPower group, we’re collectively building smarter, greener electricity networks that will get Britain growing by investing in a better future, quicker.

We value your expertise. In return, you’ll receive:

• An annual bonus scheme
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• 26 days annual leave increasing with length of service
• An employee rewards portal offering discounts on several well-known brands
• A market-leading contributory pension scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Opportunity for professional development through our L&D function.

Commitment to Inclusion

We’re proud to foster a workplace where everyone can thrive. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We believe that embracing our differences makes us stronger.

Any offer made will remain conditional until pre-employment checks are complete to a level deemed satisfactory by Electricity North West.

Due to the of this role, the following pre‑employment checks will be required; references from previous employers, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and a Drug & Alcohol test.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early.