Utility Scale Design Engineer

Rivan; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Significant share options

Private health insurance

Unlimited time off

Relocation support

£6,000 yearly relocation allowance

Job summary

Rivan is building the world’s largest synthetic fuel plants across the UK, Spain and Portugal, seeking a solar farm design specialist. You will transform blank land into build-ready layouts, balancing planning, environmental and engineering constraints to maximise generation.

The role focuses on feasibility through planning submissions, GA drawings, and collaboration with Origination, Permitting, and Deployment teams.

Qualifications

• 3-7 years of professional experience designing utility-scale solar projects.
• Strong proficiency in AutoCAD, PVCase, and PVsyst.
• Experience producing planning-stage layouts for large-scale solar developments.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Renewable Energy, Civil Engineering, or related discipline.
• Experience with biomethane and gas connections process is desirable but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Producing feasibility and planning-stage solar farm layouts across the UK, Spain and Portugal.
• Optimising site layouts to maximise installed capacity and energy yield whilst satisfying planning, environmental and engineering constraints.
• Developing General Arrangement (GA) drawings and planning submission drawings.
• Questioning, and optimising approaches to our panel, direct air capture, reactor, access track, internal electrical cable routes, earthworks, connection to existing gas infrastructure, and associated onsite infrastructure assumptions.
• Reviewing topographical, ecological, hydrological and environmental surveys and incorporating constraints into project designs.
• Working closely with Development Team to support planning applications and technical submissions.
• Working closely with the Development Team and Deployment Team to act as an interface between Development and Deployment for both pre-permit submission reviews and also for pre-construction post consent review.
• Continuously improving our internal design standards, templates and workflows as we scale our portfolio across Europe.
• Managing auditable design and design change control processes.
• Providing technical guidance, support, and knowledge sharing across the wider team.

Skills

AutoCAD

PVCase

PVsyst

Planning experience

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

PVCase

PVsyst

Job description

After proving our technology over the last 18 months, we’re now embarking on our next project - to build the world’s largest synthetic fuel plants across the UK, Spain, and Portugal. Our projects will rapidly scale from 10MW up to 1GW, producing >1TWh of synthetic natural gas every year, distributed over Europe to decarbonise areas you can’t electrify.

We’re looking for someone who knows how to transform a blank piece of land into a ready-to-build Solar Farm for our Deployment Team. You’ll work closely with our Origination and Permitting Team to take sites from early feasibility through planning layouts, balancing engineering, environmental and planning constraints to maximise generation while creating designs that can actually be built. Your work will underpin every planning application and ultimately every project we deliver. If you want to look back and say your designs helped accelerate Europe’s transition away from fossil fuels, make this role yours.

The role:

• Producing feasibility and planning-stage solar farm layouts across the UK, Spain and Portugal
• Optimising site layouts to maximise installed capacity and energy yield whilst satisfying planning, environmental and engineering constraints
• Developing General Arrangement (GA) drawings and planning submission drawings
• Questioning, and optimising approaches to our panel, direct air capture, reactor, access track, internal electrical cable routes, earthworks, connection to existing gas infrastructure, and associated onsite infrastructure assumptions
• Reviewing topographical, ecological, hydrological and environmental surveys and incorporating constraints into project designs
• Working closely with Development Team to support planning applications and technical submissions
• Working closely with the Development Team and Deployment Team to act as an interface between Development and Deployment for both pre-permit submission reviews and also for pre-construction post consent review
• Continuously improving our internal design standards, templates and workflows as we scale our portfolio across Europe
• Managing auditable design and design change control processes
• Providing technical guidance, support, and knowledge sharing across the wider team

Core skills:

• 3-7 years professional experience designing utility-scale solar projects
• Strong proficiency in AutoCAD, with experience using PVCase, and PVsyst
• Experience producing planning-stage layouts for large-scale solar developments
• Strong understanding of solar planning designing constraints
• Ability to interpret topographical and hydrological surveys, environmental constraints and engineering requirements to develop practical layouts
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Renewable Energy, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline
• Experience with biomethane and the gas connections process is desirable but not essential

Specifics:

• £55-75k Salary depending on experience
• Significant share options as part of the early team
• In-person work at our HQ in Bermondsey, South London
• Extensive relocation support, including £6,000 per year extra to live close to our HQ
• Private health insurance
• Unlimited time off

We encourage exceptional applicants from all backgrounds to apply for this role, even if they do not meet all the requirements listed.