Principal Protection Design Engineer

NES Fircroft; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

NES Fircroft is looking for an experienced Senior/Principal Protection & Design Engineer to lead protection and control activities across high‑voltage infrastructure projects in New Zealand.

You will develop, review and coordinate protection systems, ensuring safe and reliable operation of electrical networks and coordinating with SCADA and automation teams. The role suits engineers with strong HV substations, relay experience and multidisciplinary delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related discipline.
• Substantial experience in protection and control engineering in HV environments.
• Strong understanding of protection principles, relay coordination and fault analysis.
• Experience with protection systems from Siemens, ABB/Hitachi Energy, Schneider Electric, GE or SEL.
• Familiarity with numerical relays, secondary circuits and substation automation systems.
• Understanding of IEC 61850 and IEC/AS/NZS standards.
• Ability to produce and review engineering documentation and calculations.
• Strong stakeholder management and technical communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead protection and control design for HV substations and transmission and distribution infrastructure.
• Develop and review protection philosophies, schemes, logic diagrams and documentation.
• Undertake or review protection coordination, relay settings and calculations.
• Design and review protection systems for transformers, feeders, busbars, lines and assets.
• Support selection and integration of numerical protection relays and secondary equipment.
• Coordinate interfaces with primary engineering, SCADA and automation teams.
• Review control schematics, wiring diagrams and interlocking arrangements.
• Provide technical support for factory and site acceptance testing and commissioning.
• Participate in design reviews, risk assessments and QA.
• Liaise with clients, operators, suppliers and project teams.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering standards.

Skills

Protection & control engineering

Relay coordination

Electrical fault analysis

Substation automation systems

IEC 61850 knowledge

Stakeholder management

Engineering documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or Power Engineering

Job description

Sector: Protection & Control | HV Substations | Power Transmission & Distribution

About the Company

Our client is a well-established New Zealand electrical engineering and infrastructure services provider specialising in the design, construction, testing, commissioning and maintenance of critical electricity network assets.

Supporting utility companies, electricity network operators and renewable energy developers, the organisation delivers complex engineering solutions across high-voltage substations, transmission and distribution networks and emerging energy infrastructure.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Senior or Principal Protection & Design Engineer to lead protection and control engineering activities across high-voltage electricity infrastructure projects.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing, reviewing and coordinating protection system designs, ensuring reliable, safe and efficient operation of electrical networks.

This opportunity is particularly suitable for engineers with strong experience in utility substations, protection relays, secondary systems and multidisciplinary engineering delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead protection and control design for HV substations and transmission and distribution infrastructure.
• Develop and review protection philosophies, protection schemes, logic diagrams, schematic drawings and associated engineering documentation.
• Undertake or review protection coordination, relay settings and technical calculations.
• Design and review protection systems for transformers, feeders, busbars, transmission lines and other electrical network assets.
• Support the selection and integration of numerical protection relays and associated secondary equipment.
• Coordinate protection and control interfaces with primary engineering, SCADA, telecommunications and automation teams.
• Review control schematics, wiring diagrams, interlocking arrangements and secondary system designs.
• Provide technical support for factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, commissioning and troubleshooting.
• Participate in design reviews, technical risk assessments and engineering quality assurance.
• Liaise with clients, network operators, suppliers and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to engineering standards and technical best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Power Engineering or a related discipline.
• Substantial experience in protection and control engineering within HV transmission, distribution or substation environments.
• Strong understanding of protection principles, relay coordination and electrical fault analysis.
• Experience with protection systems from manufacturers such as Siemens, ABB/Hitachi Energy, Schneider Electric, GE or SEL.
• Familiarity with numerical relays, secondary circuits and substation automation systems.
• Understanding of IEC 61850 and relevant IEC/AS/NZS standards.
• Ability to produce and review engineering documentation and technical calculations.
• Strong stakeholder management, problem-solving and technical communication skills.
• Experience providing technical leadership or mentoring engineers is advantageous.
• Professional engineering registration is advantageous.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Work on complex protection and control engineering projects.
• Contribute to the reliability and modernization of New Zealand's electricity infrastructure.
• Opportunity to operate at Senior or Principal Engineer level.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers across primary, secondary and power systems disciplines.
• Competitive salary package aligned with experience.
• Opportunities for suitable overseas candidates considering relocation.