Senior Engineer; Electric Control and Instrumentation), Electrical Engineering

About us

National Grid is hiring a Senior Engineer for our engineering team at the Sandy Pond HVDC Converter Station in Ayer, MA.

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live.

The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry. To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business.

This engineer will be responsible for providing engineering support for projects involving the operation, modification and maintenance of the HVDC control and protection system, with a heavy focus on digital substation control systems and data networks.

• Review, approve and develop control software via block coding application (HiDraw). Interpret, troubleshoot and modify control system hardware using tools such as CAD (Microstation)
• Analyze and troubleshoot an operating HVDC converter station control system for proper continuous operation. Develop and implement solutions to correct problems, utilizing Microstation and HiDraw.
• Analyze control system for proper operation following system disturbances and determine causes of any improper operations. Develop and implement corrective actions.
• Develop design briefs for control system projects detailing various aspects of the project including the philosophy, design, equipment details, RTU/annunciator point lists etc.
• Investigate, evaluate, and propose new/replacement cubicle wiring and control equipment.
• Review, approve, and develop electrical schematics for control equipment including computers, breaker controls, protective relays, networks and equipment power.
• Participate in the review and development of control and protection specifications.
• Develop standard guidelines for control system.
• Document software and hardware modifications, utilizing vendor‑specific specialized engineering change order procedures.
• Evaluate new control technologies.
• Provide training to newly hired engineers.

• Design and configure communications systems within the HVDC converter station that transport digital data between intelligent electronic devices and entrance devices.
• Develop standards, guidelines and procedures for the selection, installation, configuring and commissioning of station network components.
• Support HVDC Converter station integration testing during project construction and commissioning.
• Evaluate new HVDC converter station network communications technologies, requirements, and procedures.

• Meet the qualifications for a Senior Engineer according to National Grid's Technical Progression Series - Engineer standard including:
• • Minimum 4 years' relevant experience in engineering with a professional engineering license, 6 years without.
  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from an ABET accredited engineering school with knowledge of high voltage power systems required.
  • Professional Engineering License desirable.
  • Master's degree desirable.
• Knowledge of substation control system design (knowledge of digital control systems desirable).
• Ability to read electrical schematics and a working knowledge of the devices represented on typical utility substation schematics with a focus on control systems.
• Knowledge of HVDC converter station control and protection systems desirable.
• Knowledge of substation automation, digital communications techniques, and protocols desirable.
• Knowledge of Microstation and HiDraw tools desirable.
• Proficient with MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Demonstrate a high level of personal initiative and ability to interact with company personnel, contractors, and others in a positive, team building manner.
• Excellent interpersonal,…