Senior Protection & Control Engineer – HV Substations (Hybrid UK)

AECOM Corporation; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Career development opportunities

Job summary

AECOM is seeking a Principal Protection and Control Design Engineer in the UK, based in Birmingham with a hybrid work model. You will lead protection design for HV/EHV substations, develop SLDs, control and relay panels, and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams on international projects such as National Grid upgrades.

You will prepare relay settings, perform coordination studies, and ensure compliance with IEC/IEEE standards while supporting project execution and client engagements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• Excellent knowledge of protection schemes for Transmission and Distribution substations.
• Strong experience with protection relays from manufacturers such as Siemens, GE, ABB/Hitachi Energy, Schneider Electric, or SEL.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD and Microsoft Office.
• Experience in UK, Middle East, Europe, or international utility projects.
• Ability to independently deliver complete Protection & Control engineering packages.
• Knowledge of IEC 61850 and substation automation systems.
• Excellent communication and coordination skills.
• Familiarity with SCADA, RTU, SAS, and communication protocols.

Responsibilities

• Prepare Protection & Control engineering designs for HV/EHV substations (11kV–400kV or above).
• Provide expert-level input to develop and oversee Protection Single Line Diagrams (SLDs), AC/DC Schematics, Wiring Diagrams, Terminal Plans, Cable Schedules, and Interconnection Diagrams.
• Design Protection Relay Panels, Control Panels, Annunciation Panels, Metering Panels, and RTU/SCADA interfaces.
• Prepare Protection Relay Settings philosophy and coordinate with system studies where applicable.
• Perform protection coordination and review relay configurations.
• Prepare engineering calculations, cable sizing, voltage drop calculations, and battery sizing (where applicable).
• Coordinate with Civil, Primary, Telecom, and SCADA engineering teams.
• Review vendor drawings and ensure compliance with project specifications.
• Undertake client and stakeholder engagement, providing technical assurance, strategic direction, and value-engineered solutions on high-profile infrastructure programmes.
• Support FAT, SAT, commissioning, and technical issue resolution.
• Drive project execution, managing technical risks, interfaces, and quality reviews while supporting procurement, construction, and commissioning phases.
• Ensure designs comply with IEC, IEEE, National Grid, and client-specific standards.
• Champion mentorship, knowledge-sharing, and technical development within the wider team, supporting capability growth in cable systems engineering.
• Support business development activities, including proposals, bid reviews, and client presentations.

Skills

Electrical engineering knowledge

Protection schemes

Protection relays experience

SCADA/RTU/SAS knowledge

Communication & coordination

Analytical/problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

Microsoft Office

Job description

AECOM is seeking a Principal Protection and Control Design Engineer in the UK, based in Birmingham with a hybrid work model. You will lead protection design for HV/EHV substations, develop SLDs, control and relay panels, and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams on international projects such as National Grid upgrades.

You will prepare relay settings, perform coordination studies, and ensure compliance with IEC/IEEE standards while supporting project execution and client engagements.