Technical Director - Primary; HV Plant Design

Overview

Let's secure the future of energy.

The Power Energy Systems (PES) Practice of AtkinsRéalis is seeking a HV Primary Plant Engineering Technical Director to join our team in the UK. We are looking for an energetic and experienced HV Primary Plant Engineer who can both lead as a technical expert in substation design and drive business results.

AtkinsRéalis specialises in all aspects of Transmission and Distribution engineering within the UK and internationally. We're committed to providing industry‑leading engineering solutions across the project lifecycle, from feasibility to commissioning, adding value through client‑side support as well as during construction. Our team is currently delivering work across the Transmission and Distribution sector in the UK, as well as supporting other energy and infrastructure business sectors.

By providing technical leadership across the organisation you'll drive results, by contributing to functional strategy, influencing senior stakeholders, and leading multidisciplinary project teams, to deliver measurable outcomes. In this role, you will set strategy for complex, high‑impact projects and initiatives, anticipate business and regulatory challenges or changes, and develop innovative solutions and offerings that move the business forward.

Become part of a team where every voice matters, and together we can tackle our clients' toughest challenges. We foster a diverse and inclusive environment where world‑class talent thrives without boundaries. For us, collaboration isn't a buzzword. We value the different perspectives our people bring and recognise everyone for their contributions equally. We also know that different people have different priorities, which is why we're here to support you with whatever you need.

Being a Technical Director with us involves UK‑wide travel. We offer hybrid working, which involves travel/office‑based working 3 days per week. This position can be based at any of our key locations:
Epsom, London, Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, or Glasgow. Other locations will be considered on a case‑by‑case basis.

The HV Primary Plant Technical Director will be accountable for engineering design and management, leading a team to deliver high‑quality solutions while ensuring compliance with project and company requirements. This is a senior appointment and the role reports to the Engineering Delivery Manager. The successful candidate will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership on detailed design projects across the power transmission and distribution sector.
• Influence practice‑wide initiatives and recommend best practices to improve internal processes and services.
• Develop discipline strategy, and oversee technical delivery and assurance across a growing portfolio of front‑end and detailed design projects for AIS/GIS HV substations (up to 400 kV), HVDC converter stations, etc.
• Serve as the recognised expert and technical authority in HV Primary Plant across the PES Practice and wider AtkinsRéalis business.
• Building strong and trusted relationships is a key part of this role. You'll enjoy working with others, sometimes directly at client sites, sometimes from our offices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, including internal and external clients, operational staff, project teams, and other external stakeholders.
• Recommend and drive improvements to processes, services, and technical practices while ensuring robust engineering governance is consistently upheld.
• Oversee technical input into bid proposals, defining the delivery strategy and working with cross‑functional teams to prepare high‑quality, compliant, competitive submissions.
• Proactively identify opportunities for cross‑selling and business growth, using commercial insight to strengthen and expand client partnerships and articulate our value proposition.
• Grow, develop, and manage HV Primary Plant engineering capability, particularly in the context of the T&D sector, supporting talent development and succession planning.
• Anticipate emerging business, regulatory, and technology challenges, identifying risks and opportunities early and advising…