Senior Substation Design Engineer

SSEN Transmission; Aberdeen City; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

Gym memberships

Online GP

Counselling service

Cycle to Work

Maternity/adoption pay

Paternity leave

Job summary

SSEN Transmission in Scotland seeks a Senior Substation Engineer to lead the technical development of major electricity transmission projects from 33kV to 400kV, including HVDC integration.

This role requires base from Scottish locations with 50% office presence, and involves reviewing designs, delivering senior technical input, and guiding engineers while collaborating with consultants and contractors to ensure high-quality outcomes.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in substation, transmission or complex electrical infrastructure design.
• Sound understanding of relevant engineering standards, legislation and design requirements including CDM.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to stakeholders.
• Collaborative approach and ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues, consultants and contractors.
• Degree in Electrical Engineering; Chartered Engineer status or progress towards chartership advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Review and approve primary substation designs from up to 400kV during development and delivery, including single line diagrams, electrical layouts and scopes of work.
• Provide senior technical input into engineering decisions, identifying opportunities to improve specifications and manage engineering risk.
• Influence solutions across the wider project portfolio through technical challenge and peer review.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching and support to Project Engineers, helping build capability across the Substation Engineering team.
• Work closely with engineering consultants, contractors and other supply-chain partners, providing technical direction and high-quality engineering outcomes.

Skills

Substation design

Electrical infrastructure design

Stakeholder communication

Leadership / mentoring

CDM compliance

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Job description

Base Location: For this role, we require successful applicants to be based from one of our Scottish locations and you'll be expected to spend 50% of your working week in the office – Aberdeen, Perth, Inverness, Glasgow

Salary: £59,800 - £89,800 + car /car allowance + performance-related bonus + a range of benefits to support your finances, wellbeing and family.

Working Pattern: Permanent | Full Time| Flexible First options available

The role

Join our Offshore AC Project Engineering team and take a leading technical role in the development of major electricity transmission infrastructure supporting Scotland’s transition to Net Zero.

As Senior Substation Engineer, you’ll work across our Island projects, helping shape technically complex AC infrastructure connecting into HVDC systems. With projects incorporating substations from 33kV to 400kV, grid control and stabilisation technology, this is an opportunity to use your technical expertise across some of our most significant transmission investment.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced substation or electrical engineer looking to broaden their influence, work on technically challenging infrastructure and help develop engineering capability across our growing team.

You will

• Review and approve primary substation designs from up to 400kV throughout development and delivery, including single line diagrams, electrical layouts and scopes of work.
• Provide senior technical input into engineering decisions, identifying opportunities to improve specifications, introduce innovative technology and effectively manage engineering risk.
• Influence solutions across the wider project portfolio through technical challenge, peer review and collaborative decision-making.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching and support to Project Engineers, helping build capability across the Substation Engineering team.
• Work closely with engineering consultants, contractors and other supply-chain partners, providing technical direction and helping ensure high-quality engineering outcomes.

You have

• Strong experience in substation, transmission or complex electrical infrastructure design, with the ability to assess technical challenges and evaluate engineering solutions.
• A sound understanding of relevant engineering standards, legislation and design requirements, including CDM, and how these influence the development and delivery of major projects.
• The confidence to communicate complex technical information clearly and influence engineering decisions with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues, consultants, contractors and other delivery partners.
• A degree in Electrical Engineering or another relevant engineering discipline. Chartered Engineer status, or progress towards chartership, would be highly advantageous.

About SSE

SSE’s purpose is to be restless every day until we make electricity clean, affordable and available for all.

We do this by developing, building, operating and investing in electricity infrastructure and businesses needed in the energy transition. This includes electricity transmission and distribution networks, onshore and offshore wind farms, hydro-electric power and flexible thermal generation. We also provide products and services for businesses and other customers.

Our investment plan will see SSE invest £33bn in critical electricity infrastructure to 2030.

SSEN Transmission own and operate the electricity transmission network across the north of Scotland. We transport electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed, ensuring a safe and reliable electricity supply for the communities we serve. But that's not all – we're upgrading the grid to deliver cleaner, homegrown power for the future and building the infrastructure needed for a cleaner electricity system to create secure power for generations to come.

Flexible Benefits To Fit Your Life

Enjoy discounts on private healthcare and gym memberships. Wellbeing benefits like a free online GP and 24/7 counselling service. Interest‑free loans on tech and transport season tickets, or a new bike with our Cycle to Work scheme. As well as generous family entitlements such as maternity and adoption pay, and paternity leave.

Work with an equal opportunity employer

SSE will make any reasonable adjustments you need to ensure that your application and experience with us is positive. Please contact Hannah on [e-mail] / 01738 341147 to discuss how we can support you.

We're dedicated to fostering an open and inclusive workplace where people from all backgrounds can thrive. We create equal opportunities for everyone to succeed and especially welcome applications from those who may not be well represented in our workforce or industry.