Operating Engineer Electrical Auxiliary & Automation [Expat / EU-Resident] - Malaysia Johor Bahru

TenneT; Arnhem; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Expat package

International assignment

Job summary

TenneT is seeking an Operating Engineer Electrical Auxiliary & Automation to bridge project delivery and future operations for offshore assets. The role starts with about 2–3 years on the yard in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, as Site Inspector, then returns to Arnhem for Operational Readiness Engineering – Offshore Netherlands, applying hands-on experience to enable safe handover to Operations.

You will review technical deliverables, support risk management, and ensure documentation, testing and

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with electrical auxiliary systems, LV distribution, automation, SCADA/PLC systems, construction, commissioning, O&M or asset support.
• Experience interpreting single-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, loop drawings, I/O lists, P&IDs and cause & effect documentation.

Responsibilities

• Represent Operational Readiness within the project team on site for electrical auxiliary and automation topics.
• Review construction, integration and commissioning activities from an operations perspective, focusing on safety, availability, maintainability, lifecycle cost and long-term asset integrity.
• Translate yard and commissioning experience into structural improvements for future offshore assets.
• Support handover to Operations and ensure documentation, test results and remaining actions are transferred properly.

Skills

Electrical engineering knowledge

Automation & SCADA/PLC experience

Construction & commissioning

Cross-disciplinary communication

Expat readiness

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Mechatronics or related

Tools

SCADA/PLC systems

I/O diagrams interpretation

Job description

Introductie

How will you help power the Netherlands?

The energy transition requires offshore assets that are safe, reliable and maintainable from day one. As an Operating Engineer Electrical Auxiliary & Automation, you contribute directly to this goal. You help ensure that new offshore grid connection assets are not only built and commissioned successfully, but can also be operated, maintained and handed over to Operations in a controlled and practical way.

This role connects two important worlds: international project execution at the yard and the future operational organization of TenneT in the Netherlands. During the first phase, you will work temporarily on site in Malaysia Johor Bahru as Site Inspector Electrical Auxiliary & Automation for the HE-LT portfolio. After this assignment, you will return to the Netherlands and use your project and yard experience within Operational Readiness Engineering – Offshore Netherlands in Arnhem.

Your contribution helps ensure that offshore grid connection assets are ready for safe, reliable and efficient operation from the moment they are taken into service.

Jouw rol

As Operating Engineer Electrical Auxiliary & Automation, you work in a role with two clear phases.

In the first phase, you are deployed on the yard in Johor Bahru Malaysia as part of the Project Delivery organization. You bring the operational readiness perspective into the project execution phase and help safeguard that what is being built, integrated and tested can later be operated and maintained safely and efficiently.

In the second phase, you return to the Netherlands and use your practical project experience to strengthen Operational Readiness Engineering, support handover to Operations and improve future offshore projects.

The added value of this role lies in connecting project realization and future operations, without creating parallel governance, duplicate reporting lines or unclear responsibilities.

Phase 1: Site Inspector Electrical Auxiliary & Automation on the yard in Johor Bahru Malaysia

During the first approximately 2 to 3 years, you will work on site in Johor Bahru Malaysia as Site Inspector Electrical Auxiliary & Automation.

You will be embedded in the relevant Project Delivery team and work according to the applicable project governance, procedures, reporting lines and escalation routes. Daily project-related direction, coordination and reporting take place within the project organization.

At the same time, you maintain regular alignment with Operational Readiness Engineering in Arnhem. This alignment is focused on knowledge transfer, operational risks, lessons learned, documentation quality and preparation for future handover to Operations.

This role is not intended as a parallel engineering, commissioning or acceptance line. Formal project decisions, contractor instructions, design changes, commissioning releases and acceptance remain with the designated responsible roles within the project organization. Your role is to bring the operational perspective into project execution in a structured, constructive and timely way.

In this phase, you will:

• Represent Operational Readiness within the project team on site for electrical auxiliary and automation topics.
• Work closely with project engineering, commissioning leads, HSE, package vendors, yard teams and other project stakeholders.
• Review construction, integration and commissioning activities from an operations perspective, focusing on safety, availability, maintainability, lifecycle cost and long-term asset integrity.
• Perform technical walkdowns and verifications for systems such as LV switchgear, MCCs, UPS systems, batteries, emergency power supply, lighting, heat tracing, earthing and bonding, and cable systems.
• Assess practical maintainability aspects such as accessibility, clearances, functional segregation, lifting and handling requirements, replaceability and safe working conditions.
• Participate in mechanical completion, pre-commissioning, commissioning, HAT/SAT, energization checks, punch listing, loop checks, cause & effect testing and functional testing of UPS and generator systems.
• Identify and substantiate risks or deviations that may impact operability, maintainability, availability, safety or handover quality.
• Register and report findings, risks, actions and progress through the agreed project reporting lines.
• Escalate relevant operational risks via the agreed project escalation routes, with additional alignment to Operational Readiness where future operation, asset integrity or handover quality may be affected.
• Capture lessons learned and support knowledge transfer from the yard to the future operational organization.

Phase 2: Operating Engineer within Operational Readiness in the Netherlands

After completion of the project assignment, you will return to the Netherlands and continue your role within Operational Readiness Engineering – Offshore Netherlands in Arnhem.

In this phase, you will:

• Translate yard and commissioning experience into structural improvements for future offshore assets.
• Capture lessons learned and contribute to improvements in systems, architecture, working methods and the Operational Readiness Framework.
• Support the controlled handover from project delivery to Operations.
• Help ensure that technical documentation, test results, remaining actions and operational risks are properly transferred into the operational organization.
• Strengthen the safe, reliable and efficient operation and maintenance of offshore assets throughout their lifecycle.
• Contribute to future offshore projects by bringing practical knowledge from construction, integration and commissioning into earlier project phases.

Continuous responsibilities in both phases

In both phases, you act as a bridge between project realization and future operations. You help ensure that decisions made during design, construction, integration and commissioning also work in daily operation.

You review and safeguard relevant technical documentation and contractor/vendor deliverables, such as single-line diagrams, as-built drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams, cable schedules, I/O lists, cause & effect matrices, maintenance procedures, spares lists and O&M manuals.

You assess not only technical correctness, but also completeness, traceability and practical usability for the people who will operate, maintain and manage the assets.

Safety is a key part of your role. Onshore, offshore and at the yard, you promote a strong safety culture and demonstrate exemplary behaviour around lock out/tag out, energization controls, test regimes and work permits.

Scope of systems

Your technical scope typically includes:

• LV power distribution, including switchgear, MCCs, UPS systems, batteries, emergency and standby generators, earthing and bonding, lightning protection, power quality and protection coordination.
• Auxiliary and building services, including lighting, ELV, small power, heat tracing, emergency lighting, cable systems and routing, EMC/segregation, cable sizing and derating.
• Automation and control systems, including SCADA/ICSS, PLCs, HMI, historian, I/O, networks such as Profinet and Modbus, hardwired ESD/F&G interfaces, loop checks and cause & effect validation.
• Instrumentation and safety-related interfaces, including F&G detection loops, gas detection, UPS-backed critical circuits and interfaces to mechanical auxiliary systems such as HVAC, freshwater maker and diesel generator systems.

Waar kom je terecht

Grid Field Operations is executing Field Operations, Maintenance and (Baseload) Projects. We ensure the integrity and safety of our assets entrusted to us, while also ensuring their maximum availability. We make sure that the onshore grids of TenneT is reliable in Germany and the Netherlands.

Jouw profiel & achtergrond

You combine technical insight with a practical operational mindset. You understand that a system is only truly successful when it can be safely operated, maintained, tested and handed over in a controlled way.

You bring:

• A degree in Electrical Engineering, Industrial Automation, Energy Technology, Mechatronics or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on experience with electrical auxiliary systems, LV distribution, automation, SCADA/PLC systems, construction, commissioning, O&M or asset support.
• Experience interpreting single-line diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, loop drawings, I/O lists, P&IDs and cause & effect documentation.
• Familiarity with commissioning deliverables such as FAT/SAT, loop checks, energization plans, punch management and O&M documentation.
• A structured and constructive working style.
• The ability to communicate clearly across disciplines, cultures and organizational interfaces.
• The ability to challenge constructively while respecting project governance, decision-making structures and formal reporting lines.
• Willingness to relocate temporarily to Johor Bahru Malaysia for approximately 2 to 3 years under applicable expat and Dutch contract conditions.
• Willingness to travel and work in offshore environments, including medical suitability and working at heights capability.

Your team

You will join the Offshore Electrical & Automation discipline within Operational Readiness Engineering – Offshore Netherlands. This is an international, growing and quality-driven team where collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement are central to how we work.

During the yard assignment, you will work closely with the Project Delivery organization, while maintaining regular alignment with Operational Readiness Engineering in Arnhem. This ensures that project execution and future operations remain connected, with one clear TenneT approach towards contractors, vendors and yard teams.

Together, we ensure that offshore assets are not only delivered successfully, but are also ready to be operated safely, reliably and sustainably from day one.