Senior Engineer - Power Systems, Commissioning and Testing

Transpower New Zealand; Hamilton; Hybrid; NZD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy provider in New Zealand is seeking a Senior Engineer to ensure compliance with the Electricity Industry Participation Code and support power systems operations. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and over 7 years of experience, including power system analysis and simulations. The role offers opportunities for mentorship and is crucial to maintaining a reliable energy supply for Aotearoa.

Benefits

Employee health and wellness benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in power system operations, commissioning and testing.
• Experience conducting power system analysis and simulations.
• Ability to influence and provide timely engineering support.

Responsibilities

• Guide participants on compliance with the Electricity Industry Participation Code.
• Manage interactions regarding commissioning and testing assets.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to engineers.

Skills

Electrical Engineering

Power System Operations

Verbal and Written Communication

Coaching and Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

PowerFactory

PSCAD/EMT

Job description

Overview

Join the System Operator in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton or Christchurch.

Work with Electricity Industry Participants to commission new generation. Examine existing and future power system risks and technologies.

Advise our customers how their assets perform against the Electricity Industry Participation Code. Ensure security of the power system for Aotearoa.

Our core purpose is to empower the energy future for New Zealand — a future that delivers a net-zero carbon economy and a reliable and secure electricity system.

At the heart of ensuring security of our 24/7 power supply is the System Operator, which operates the wholesale electricity market and manages power system security now and into the future. Our Power Systems group provides power system analysis and engineering, risk and assurance management to enable Transpower in its role as System Operator to meet principal performance obligations. Read more about the System Operator here: https://www.transpower.co.nz/system-operator

About The Team

Our Engineering Assurance team, along with the Power Systems Development and Power Systems Engineering teams in the System Operator, work closely with electricity industry participants to understand how their assets perform against their obligations, as well as studying and understanding existing and future power system risks and technologies.

In doing so, the teams ensure our National Coordination Centre (balancing power supply and demand in real time), and the wider System Operator teams have access to the right information, models and engineering support for operating the electricity market and power system.

Our Engineering Assurance team focuses on providing comprehensive commissioning and testing guidance to Asset Owners to gain assurance that their assets operate and perform in accordance with Code obligations and power system requirements, along with investigating and supporting the resolution of any identified under performances. Read more here https://www.ea.govt.nz/code-and-compliance/the-code-electricity-industry-participation-code-2010/

The Opportunity

Working with a "live power system", every day is an interesting and exciting challenge. You will be exposed to the dynamic nature of our work and build relationships across Transpower and with our customers — generation asset owners, distribution network owners and industrial consumers who connect directly to the Grid. Your critical thinking and judgement, and ability to communicate and influence will be exercised, and you'll deepen your appreciation of the inter-connectivity of our electricity industry.

In our team of collaborative, humble and experienced experts, you'll play a key role primarily in:

• Supporting the Engineering Assurance team to guide participants on their compliance with the Electricity Industry Participation Code, particularly generation asset owners, and to manage systems within the System Operator to monitor their performance. This may include managing the System Operator interactions with commissioning and testing assets and investigating power system events.
• Developing and supporting the engineers within the Group by proactively participating in, and leading, training and coaching opportunities to uplift the technical and behavioural capabilities and competencies of the team.

Your mahi will have direct impact towards "keeping the lights on" for Aotearoa New Zealand every day and well into the future.

What will you bring?

In your preferred Transpower office location, as a Senior Engineer, ideally, we are seeking your CV and cover letter to demonstrate:

• A bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Power Electronics or a related field
• 7 years or more experience in power system operations, commissioning and testing of assets connecting to a power system
• Experience conducting power system analysis and simulations including preparing/validating powerflow cases in PowerFactory (or similar)
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills and experience influencing to ensure mutually beneficial
• Sound experience in providing timely, accurate engineering support and advice to help inform operational decisions and compliance
• Demonstrated ability to build the capability of engineers through coaching and mentoring.

Whilst not essential, advantageous are:

• Knowledge and experience in conducting system integration assessments for the connection of inverter-based resources, using tools such as PSCAD / EMT simulations
• Experience in professional affiliations and industry working groups such as CIGRE, IEEE, CPEng or substantial progress towards this or an international equivalent
• Knowledge of, and experience in assessing compliance against, the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010.

If you have some, but not all the relevant experience, we would still like to hear from you as we may be open to supporting a power systems Engineer with outstanding communications skills, to learn and deepen your experience in Wellington or Hamilton.

Join us at Transpower

Aotearoa is powered by the people who work here. This is your opportunity to join us on a mission that affects all New Zealanders — every day and long into the future.

With over 28 nationalities, our people provide diverse perspectives, knowledge, and deep and varied experience which we love to share and which we celebrate.

We work in the office or on-site for a minimum of three days each week, which helps us build and maintain relationships, support learning, deliver outcomes, and sustain our culture. This approach also offers staff the flexibility they need for both work and personal commitments, with adaptable daily start and finish times.

We prioritise wellbeing with a wide range of employee health and wellness benefits - check them out here.

Next steps

Please review the links in the advert, and position description below/via our careers website and apply without delay.

Role closes Monday 13th of October 2025 however, applications will be reviewed as they are received, and you may be contacted to explore your application further or to arrange an interview prior to the close date.