Mott MacDonald
Principal Electrical Engineer -Substations

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Location/s: Brighton, Altrincham, Croydon, Glasgow, York
Recruiter contact: ABHIJEET BARPANDA
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.
Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.
About the business unit
The Energy unit delivers services to clients globally across several sectors including hydropower, nuclear, waste, renewable generation and transmission & distribution networks. Together we provide integrated engineering and project management services across the project lifecycle – from concept and design to construction and operations, to decommissioning or repowering and life extension. Together with our clients, we’re helping to deliver the energy transition globally.
Job Overview
Mott MacDonald has an exciting opportunity for a Principal Electrical Engineer to join our expanding Power Transmission and Distribution team, this role can be based in various locations in UK. The successful candidate will be motivated to work on a range of diverse industry leading projects developing innovative solutions for power transmission grid systems and for client transmission and distribution installations ensuring security of electricity supply, developing the integration of renewable energy sources and bringing large power infrastructural plans from concept to delivery stage.
Your role will include working with a range of clients/stakeholders including major utilities and large global demand customers in a rapidly changing energy sector.
The role is a permanent position within our team for an ambitious and enthusiastic Electrical Engineer. Reporting to the Power team Principal Engineer, you will be responsible for a range of tasks including:
- Primary plant layout for HV substations
- Equipment specifications for HV Plant and ancillary equipment
- Providing engineering design input to major electrical power infrastructural development projects through various lifecycle stages from feasibility/front end engineering stages to detailed design/site construction monitoring and commissioning
- Coordination with client project teams and internal team disciplines within Mott MacDonald including civil, structural, environmental, survey/geotechnical, transport, protection and control and CAD/BIM team
- Delivering projects in new technologies e.g. energy storage, HVDC systems, smart grid solutions, waste to energy etc
- Provide professional services to clients in the UK and overseas
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Candidate Specification :
- Qualified to degree level and will ideally be, or working towards Chartered Engineer status;
- Experience working in the power transmission and distribution industry;
- Experience relating to design, delivery and supervision of HV substation solutions (110kV to 400kV);
- Experience in development of specifications for HV AIS/GIS substations and associated primary/secondary equipment;
- Experience of all stages of project lifecycles;
- Experience in applying regulatory and client specific health and safety requirements to HV plant system designs;
- Experience in the preparation of technical reports in English;
Preferred, but not required :
- Experience in design of Overhead Line Systems for transmission networks:
- Experience in design of HV cable systems (minimum 110kV);
- Experience in site construction and/or testing/commissioning for HV plant systems;
- Experience in earthing software design (CDEGs) and system studies/protection co-ordination software (ETAP);
- Experience in control and protection systems design.
- Masters Degree
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Agile working
At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion
We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.
Accessibility
We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.
We offer some fantastic benefits including:
Health and wellbeing
- Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
- Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
- Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
- A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
- Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.


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Financial wellbeing
- We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
- Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
- Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
- Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
- As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.
Lifestyle
- A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
- Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
- Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.
Enhanced family and carers leave
- Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
- Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
- Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
Learning and development
- Primary annual professional institution subscription.
- A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.
Networks, communities, and social outcomes
- Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
- Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes https://www.mottmac.com/about-us/social-outcomes?appliedFilters=%22CultureId%20eq%20127%20and%20SubsiteIds%2Fany(t%20%3A%20t%20eq%20%271%27%20or%20t%20eq%20%27105%27)%22&searchTerm=%22Social%20outcomes%22&highlightedFilters=%5b%5d&filterOption=exact&searchType=general.
Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here. https://www.mottmac.com/careers/faqs
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