Lead Protection & Control Engineer

Hunter Philips Executive Search; Ireland; Hybrid; EUR 111,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Hunter Philips Executive Search is recruiting a Distribution Protection Specialist Lead in Cork, Ireland, for a 24-month contract starting in October. You will lead the development and standardisation of protection solutions for 10kV–38kV distribution substations within a dedicated PAC engineering team, focusing on IED configurations and protection settings.

The role combines technical leadership with mentoring responsibilities, and a hybrid schedule (2 days in the office).

Qualifications

• 7+ years' experience in substation secondary systems design and Protection & Control application engineering.
• Experience with electricity distribution networks, substations or major power infrastructure programmes.
• Strong knowledge of power system protection principles, protection relays and IEDs.
• Experience developing IED configurations, settings, logic and protection schemes.
• Experience producing or reviewing secondary systems / PAC designs and schematics.
• Experience developing technical specifications and evaluating equipment tenders.
• Electrical Engineering qualification (Level 8 NFQ or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Develop standardised configurations and parameterisation for multifunctional protection and control IEDs.
• Develop programmable logic and protection functionality to meet DSO requirements.
• Produce and maintain standard PAC / secondary system schematic diagrams.
• Lead and mentor Protection / PAC Project Engineers.
• Conduct comprehensive IED homologation and functional testing alongside commissioning specialists.
• Develop technical specifications and tender documentation for PAC equipment.
• Carry out technical evaluations of supplier tender submissions.
• Perform protection design reviews and provide specialist technical guidance.
• Support stakeholder training and development.
• Provide technical leadership across distribution protection engineering projects.

Skills

Protection & Control expertise

IED configurations

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Substation design

Education

Electrical Engineering degree (NFQ Level 8)

Job description

Distribution Protection Specialist Lead - Cork, Republic of Ireland - €Excellent Day Rate - 24 Month Contract - October Start - Monday to Friday (8 Hour Days) - Hybrid Role (2 Days Per Week In Office)

We are currently seeking an experienced Distribution Protection Specialist Lead to support a major Irish electricity network engineering programme, working within a specialist Protection, Automation & Control (PAC) engineering team.

This is a long-term opportunity for an experienced Protection / PAC Engineer to take a technical lead role in the development and standardisation of protection solutions across 10kV–38kV distribution substations.

Role:

You will provide technical leadership across distribution Protection, Automation & Control engineering, with responsibility for developing and maintaining standardised IED configurations, protection settings templates and secondary system schematic designs.

Responsibilities

• Developing standardised configurations and parameterisation for multifunctional protection and control IEDs
• Developing programmable logic and protection functionality to meet DSO requirements
• Producing and maintaining standard PAC / secondary system schematic diagrams
• Leading and mentoring Protection / PAC Project Engineers
• Conducting comprehensive IED homologation and functional testing alongside commissioning specialists
• Developing technical specifications and tender documentation for PAC equipment
• Carrying out technical evaluations of supplier tender submissions
• Performing protection design reviews and providing specialist technical guidance
• Supporting stakeholder training and development
• Providing technical leadership across distribution protection engineering projects

Requirements

• 7+ years' post-qualification experience in substation secondary systems design and/or Protection & Control application engineering
• Experience within electricity distribution networks, utilities, substations or major power infrastructure programmes would be particularly relevant
• Strong knowledge of power system protection principles, protection relays and IEDs
• Experience developing IED configurations, settings, logic and protection schemes
• Experience producing or reviewing secondary systems / PAC designs and schematics
• Experience developing technical specifications and evaluating equipment tenders
• Strong technical leadership and mentoring capability
• Electrical Engineering qualification (Level 8 NFQ or equivalent experience)
• Legal right to work in Ireland
• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle
• Valid SafePass and Manual Handling certifications or ability to complete these courses

This is an excellent opportunity to join a technically challenging 24-month programme with significant responsibility for the development and standardisation of protection systems across the Irish distribution network.