Senior HVDC Design Lead - Substations & European Grid

GE Vernova; Stafford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

GE Vernova seeks a Primary Design Team Leader HVDC to own end-to-end primary design of HVDC and HV/EHV substations across European markets, coordinating with civil, protection and control, system studies, valves, and building services teams.

You will lead a team of HVDC primary design engineers, mentoring and delivering high-quality outputs on time, while liaising with clients and suppliers and managing budgets and design changes.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Power/Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent).
• HVDC or HV substation design experience (10+ years preferred).
• Familiarity with IEC/IEEE HVDC standards and high‑voltage equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver primary designs for HVDC converter stations and HV/EHV substations (AIS, GIS) for major European transmission projects, in accordance with applicable standards.
• Develop and review a fully integrated 3D model, general arrangement drawings, section drawings, and layout designs.
• Review and approve vendor drawings and specifications, ensuring alignment with project requirements.
• Ensure high-quality and timely delivery of engineering outputs.
• Perform and oversee primary design calculations, including busbar sizing, short circuit force analysis, SAG-tension, cantilever strength, and grounding design.
• Lead, manage, and coordinate the primary design of HVDC projects and a team of HVDC primary design engineers, ensuring effective workload distribution, technical development, and delivery of project objectives.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and coaching to team members, fostering growth within the HVDC engineering discipline.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including cross-functional teams, clients, and suppliers, to resolve technical queries and deliver fully integrated substation designs.
• Manage design budgets, track engineering time spent, and ensure on‑time delivery of design outputs to procurement, manufacturing, and site erection stakeholders.
• Oversee subcontracted design work packages, coordinate with partners and key suppliers, and identify and flag scope or design changes while supporting cost optimisation across all design phases.
• Present at project design reviews, provide regular progress reporting to senior management, and contribute to lessons‑learned processes to drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with applicable European and national regulations, including health and safety standards, contract specifications, and relevant European directives.
• Ensure quality assurance, design governance, and best practices in design for safety throughout the project lifecycle.

Skills

Excellent communication

Team leadership

Contract specs understanding

Education

Degree in Electrical/Power/Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent)

10+ years HVDC/substation design experience

Tools

CAD

BIM/3D tools (Revit, Navisworks)

Job description

GE Vernova seeks a Primary Design Team Leader HVDC to own end-to-end primary design of HVDC and HV/EHV substations across European markets, coordinating with civil, protection and control, system studies, valves, and building services teams.

You will lead a team of HVDC primary design engineers, mentoring and delivering high-quality outputs on time, while liaising with clients and suppliers and managing budgets and design changes.