High Voltage Control Engineer

UK Power Networks; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 68,000 - 84,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Shift allowance

3% bonus

Permanent employment

Job summary

UK Power Networks is seeking a High Voltage Control Engineer in Ipswich to monitor and control the distribution network, using SCADA and related systems. You will help restore supply quickly after faults and advise field teams while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

Reporting to Network Manager within Network Operations and Control, this permanent role offers shift work with a potential shift allowance and a 3% bonus, plus career progression opportunities in the HV/EHV domain.

Qualifications

• Minimum ONC or equivalent required; HNC desirable.
• Experience as Authorised Person or Senior Authorised Person or control engineer on distribution systems preferred.
• Understanding of Distribution Safety Rules and related procedures.
• Experience managing safe working practices and electrical safety procedures.
• Knowledge of regulatory environment and safety documentation.

Responsibilities

• Manage a section of the distribution network using SCADA and other network information systems.
• Provide rapid restoration of supply in fault situations.
• Provide technical advice to field operators and Operations Centre staff.
• Sanction safety documents and plan high voltage schedules for compliance.
• Ensure customer service targets and safety rules are met.
• Mentor other control team members and support continuous improvement.

Skills

SCADA systems

Fault restoration

Safety procedures

IT literacy

Communication

Teamwork

Education

ONC or equivalent

HNC desirable

Tools

SCADA software

Job description

This High Voltage Control Engineer will report to Network Manager and will work within Network Operations and Control based in our Fore Hamlet - Ipswich (Sometimes Bury) office. You will be permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £68,144 - £84,160 per annum, may be available for those with suitable skills and qualifications. It is a shifted position which attracts a shift allowance upon authorisation.per annum and a bonus of 3%.

Close Date: 25th October 2026

All applications will be reviewed after the close date.

Job Purpose:

Responsible to the Network Manager the Control Engineer will manage a section of the distribution network. You will maintain an overview of network security and availability. You ensure the Distribution Safety Rules are complied with alongside other procedures that are important for the safe operation of an high voltage system. Giving both advice and instruction and operating the system remotely they are important to making sure that UK Power Networks provides a safe and rapid response to faults and other unplanned situations. They also check and authorise planned operations on the network. They provide important data to the business to ensure compliance with licence conditions. This is an exciting and important role in ensuring UK Power Networks delivers many of its regulatory targets.

Network Control operates 24 hours a day and monitors & operates the Network throughout this period. Pattern working in both full and part shift roles is a requirement of the role. You must be prepared to work a full-shift pattern if required as a condition of the appointment.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Manage a section of the distribution network using SCADA and other network information systems.
• Provide rapid restoration of supply in fault situations.
• Provide technical advice to field operators and Operations Centre staff.
• Sanction the issue of safety documents.
• Comply with IIP fault reporting requirements.
• Checking and authorising planned high voltage schedules to provide compliance with the Distribution Safety rules and other relevant procedures
• Comply with the Grid and Distribution Codes and all relevant Safety Rules, Instructions and Codes of Practice.
• Maintain awareness of customer requirements and provision of relevant information.
• Communicate with other members within the Network Operations team and building relationships with other teams across the Business.
• Help develop procedures. Challenging existing processes and striving for continuous improvement.
• Mentor other members of the control team
• Ensuring Customer Minutes Lost (CMLs), Customer Interruptions (CIs) are minimised and targets delivered.
• Ensure that information is provided to help deliver a high BMoCS (Broad Measure of Customer Service) score

Nature and Scope:

High voltage Control Engineers are responsible, for the duration of their shift, for the safe operation of a section distribution system. You will be trained to control the high voltage network, where you are qualified and have a good track record opportunities to progress onto EHV control will be available.

Network Control is a team environment – you can demonstrate the ability to work within a team and adjust in real-time to the needs of the team throughout a shift.

You can expect to become authorised over all three license areas.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of an ONC or an equivalent is required for this role. An HNC is desirable
• Experience working on and around the high voltage system as an Authorised Person or Senior Authorised Person is desirable, or alternatively experience as working as a Control Engineer on electricity distribution systems.
• An understanding of the Distribution Safety Rules
• Familiarity with other procedures relevant to operating high voltage networks
• Experience of managing safe working practices and working to electrical safety procedures
• Knowledge the regulatory environment in which UK Power Networks operates
• Knowledge of the Safety Documents used within the industry and their significance and requirements
• A focus on safety
• A focus on customer service
• The ability to process information quickly to allow correct actions following procedure to be made promptly to guarantee a rapid response to faults and other unplanned scenarios
• In real-time on knowledge on ongoing work and the priorities of each job
• The ability to switch between different faults and planned outages as you progress work throughout the day
• IT skills to a competent user level
• You can both understand and convey important technical and safety information to Field Engineers over the phone during high profile incidents

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they fully understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and particularly where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to be themselves. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If you meet the essential criteria and believe your skills, experience or transferable strengths could make you a great fit for the role, we’d love to hear from you. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

We may use AI-enabled tools to support elements of our recruitment process. These tools help us manage applications more efficiently and consistently, but they do not make hiring decisions. All recruitment decisions are made by trained employees using human judgement and oversight. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly and transparently, in line with our legal, regulatory and ethical obligations.

Your data will be hosted within a secure environment and will only be used by UK Power Networks for the purpose of which it is intended. The data is used only as an input to provide insights for the screening process and is not retained by the model or by UK Power Networks’ contractor, shared with the contractor’s other customers or with OpenAI, or used to train or improve AI models.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Where applicable, this role is subject to safer recruitment processes and robust pre‑employment checks

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.