Electrical Project Engineer – Secondary Systems

Hitachi, Ltd.; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

40 days PTO in the Netherlands (buy/s'

Flexible working: 3 days remote, 2 in-

Job summary

Hitachi Energy in Rotterdam, Netherlands, seeks a Senior Secondary Engineer to design and deliver secondary systems for HV/MV substations, including protection, control, SCADA, and auxiliaries, from design through commissioning.

You will collaborate across disciplines with customers, suppliers, and field teams, in a hybrid setup with limited travel, bringing 4+ years of secondary engineering experience to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (power systems, protection and control) or related field.
• 4+ years’ experience in secondary engineering for substations or industrial power systems, from design to commissioning.
• Proficient with protection concepts and tools (e.g., differential, distance, overcurrent, IEC 61850, relay configuration, FAT/SAT).
• Able to work independently within multidisciplinary teams; influence stakeholders using sound engineering practices and clear communication.
• Strong documentation rigor and quality mindset; hands‑on problem solving at site and with suppliers.
• Fluency in English; Dutch is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Produce secondary engineering deliverables: SLDs, protection/control schematics, wiring diagrams, I/O lists, and panel layouts.
• Specify and select equipment (protection relays, CTs/VTs, switchgear auxiliaries, PLC/RTU/SCADA) and define settings philosophies.
• Validate protection and control schemes, perform calculations, and prepare relay setting files and FAT/SAT procedures.
• Coordinate with civil, primary, and telecom engineers to ensure complete interfaces and constructability.
• Support installation, testing, and commissioning: respond to site queries, review as-builts, and facilitate customer handover.

Skills

Protection concepts

Protection tools

Independent work

Documentation rigor

Clear communication

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

IEC 61850

Job description

The opportunity

Hitachi Energy is seeking a Secondary Engineer to join our Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service team in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In this role, you will design and deliver secondary systems for high- and medium-voltage substations and grid connections—including protection, control, SCADA, and auxiliary systems—ensuring safe, reliable, and standards-compliant solutions from design through commissioning. You will collaborate across disciplines and with customers, suppliers, and construction/commissioning teams to enable successful project execution supporting the energy transition. The preferred base is Rotterdam with hybrid working; limited travel to project and customer sites is expected.

How you’ll make an impact

• Produce secondary engineering deliverables: SLDs, protection/control schematics, wiring diagrams, I/O lists, and panel layouts.
• Specify and select equipment (protection relays, CTs/VTs, switchgear auxiliaries, PLC/RTU/SCADA) and define settings philosophies.
• Validate protection and control schemes, perform calculations, and prepare relay setting files and FAT/SAT procedures.
• Ensure compliance with IEC/EN standards, Dutch grid codes, and Hitachi Energy QHSE requirements; drive design quality and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate with civil, primary, and telecom engineers to ensure complete interfaces, proper cable routing, and constructability.
• Support installation, testing, and commissioning: respond to site queries, review as-builts, and facilitate customer handover.
• Manage suppliers and panel builders: review drawings, perform factory acceptance tests, and close technical actions.
• Engage customers as a trusted technical partner: clarify requirements, present solutions, and capture lessons learned for future projects.

Your background

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (power systems, protection and control) or related field.
• 4+ years’ experience in secondary engineering for substations or industrial power systems, from design to commissioning.
• Proficient with protection concepts and tools (e.g., differential, distance, overcurrent, IEC 61850, relay configuration, FAT/SAT).
• Able to work independently within multidisciplinary teams; influence stakeholders using sound engineering practices and clear communication.
• Strong documentation rigor and quality mindset; hands‑on problem solving at site and with suppliers.
• Fluency in English; Dutch is a strong asset.

More about us

We pride ourselves on offering a holistic range of competitive benefits to support your financial, physical and mental wellbeing and personal development. We want you to truly thrive with us, in work and out.

For this role in the Netherlands, depending on grade and experience, we offer the following employee benefits (subject to the respective plan rules):

• Pension plan
• 40 days PTO in the Netherlands with the possibility to buy or sell vacation days
• Flexible working: 3 days remote, 2 days office (hybrid)