Associate Director - HV Substation Design

Job Description

Are you ready to shape the future of energy infrastructure and be at the heart of a varied portfolio of groundbreaking projects? After an exciting period of growth, we are looking to hire an experienced and ambitious Associate Director who can be based in either the UK or Ireland. 

As Associate Director, you will be leading end-to-end HV substation design, shaping grid-scale power infrastructure from concept through to energisation on projects that few engineers get the opportunity to be involved in. Your work will be varied, and you’ll be using your expertise to contribute to the success of major projects such as;

• National Grid’s ‘Great Grid Upgrade’ Great Grid Partnership: Enabling the UK’s energy transition
• Working with the world’s leading Hyperscalers and Data Centre Operators on forward-thinking, revolutionary projects.
• EirGrid  AECOM appointed to EirGrid engineering design, planning and project management services framework

Start here. Grow here.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Lead HV substation technical discussions with clients and multi-disciplinary teams - establishing scopes, defining interfaces between HV infrastructure and ensuring coordinated delivery.
• Direct the technical delivery of substation design major projects, agreeing approach with engineering teams, monitoring progress, and quality-checking deliverables prior to client issue.
• Apply lifecycle expertise - from grid connection studies and concept design through FEED and detailed design in order to deliver HV substation schemes that meet the power density and availability.
• Liaise with project management teams to develop resourcing forecasts and programmes aligned to construction schedules and critical path milestones
• Demonstrate commercial awareness through proposal development, project cost monitoring, and identifying opportunities to expand HV scope on frameworks.
• Build trusted relationships with cleints, understanding their grid connection strategies and availability requirements.
• Champion safety in design principles across all HV substation deliverables, ensuring compliance with relevant standards and the specific operational safety requirements.
• Mentor and develop junior engineers, building team capability in HV substation design over the medium and long term.

Driving excellence.

At AECOM, we are dedicated to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within our Transmission and Distribution team. We believe that technology should empower you so that you can focus on creative problem-solving, successfully manage complexity and deliver exceptional results. By embracing advanced automation tools, we seek imaginative thinkers who are excited about leveraging these tools to drive efficiency and enhance our projects. Join us in shaping the future of infrastructure, where your unique insights and creativity will play a vital role in our success!

Enjoy the Perks.

At AECOM, you'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customised to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle, technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days.

Qualifications

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Previous experience with consultancy, contractor, or utility in the energy sector. Client experience with National Grid, SHET, SSE, SPT or any other transmission utility or developer in UK or Ireland
• Proven experience delivering HV infrastructure design at concept, FEED, and detailed design stages.
• Strong understanding of electrical AC HV plant and equipment — both AIS and GIS — including switchgear, busbars, cabling, earthing, and civil interfaces
• Working knowledge of National Grid standards and specifications
• Proposal and bid development experience, including leading multi-discipline submissions for Data Centre, HV infrastructure or grid connection projects
• Experience of design management and site construction review; primary plant focus is essential, with secondary systems knowledge (protection, control, SCADA) advantageous.
• Familiarity with Control systems, transformers, HVDC systems, interconnectors, HV Protection & Control knowledge and experience would be advantageous
• Ideally CDAE / LCDAE approval

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us at [email protected]. At AECOM, we value everyone's unique contributions and perspectives.

If you meet some of the requirements above or have transferable skills you believe would benefit us, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Additional Information

Interested in the role or curious about life at AECOM? Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to explore our AECOM voices, employee stories, latest projects, and much more!

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address [email protected]  if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.