Principal Design Engineer

ZipRecruiter; Leeds; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading infrastructure firm in the UK is looking for a Principal Design Engineer to join their Power Transmission & Distribution division. You will lead Control & Protection design for major substation projects, ensuring compliance with international standards. The ideal candidate will have an HNC or higher in Electrical Engineering and extensive experience in substation design. This is a contract role with significant responsibility and the opportunity to mentor junior team members.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in substation design, ideally with Grid standards.
• Proficiency in Control & Protection systems and relay settings.
• Skilled in engineering calculations (AC/DC loading, trip circuits).

Responsibilities

• Lead Control & Protection designs and ensure compliance with standards.
• Manage design deliverables and coordinate with teams.
• Approve engineering documents and mentor junior team members.

Skills

Control & Protection design

Substation design

Risk assessments

Strong communication

Education

HNC or higher in Electrical Engineering

Job description

Overview

We are working with a leading Tier 1 infrastructure business seeking a Principal Design Engineer to join their Power Transmission & Distribution division on an initial 12 month contract. You’ll take the lead on Control & Protection design for major electrical substation projects, playing a pivotal role in delivering designs up to 400kV.

Responsibilities

• Lead Control & Protection designs including SLDs, logic/tripping diagrams, protection settings, and interface schematics.
• Ensure compliance with international standards.
• Manage design deliverables, coordinate with internal teams and suppliers, and support procurement activities.
• Support planning, resource allocation, and progress reporting across the project lifecycle.
• Approve engineering documents, mentor junior team members, and contribute to continuous design improvement.

Qualifications

• HNC or higher in Electrical Engineering.
• Extensive experience in substation design, ideally with Grid standards.
• Proficiency in Control & Protection systems, relay settings, and panel/cubicle design.
• Skilled in risk assessments, specifications, and engineering calculations (AC/DC loading, trip circuits, etc.).
• Strong communicator with the ability to lead, influence and collaborate across disciplines.

If you’re interested in this role, please click apply or send over your updated CV at your earliest convenience.