Principal Engineer - Hydro

We’re looking for a Principal Engineer
-Hydro to lead the design, development, and integration of advanced control systems across the hydro industry. In this senior role, you’ll take full ownership of technical solutions, guiding projects from concept through to delivery while ensuring quality, performance, and client satisfaction at every stage.

You’ll provide leadership and direction to engineering teams, mentoring and developing colleagues while working closely with cross‑functional teams and clients to deliver robust, innovative solutions. With your deep expertise in control systems, associated software and hardware including nuclear environments, you’ll apply a strategic approach to problem‑solving and ensure compliance with all relevant quality standards.

Alongside your technical leadership, you’ll have the opportunity to play a key role in client engagement, relationship building, and networking, while also contributing to project planning, reporting, and budget management. This is a high‑impact role offering the opportunity to shape technical excellence and drive successful project outcomes.

• Review and approve complex system architectures, designs, and detailed specifications to meet client requirements.
• Manage the integration of the overall systems compatibility, performance and compliance.
• Be accountable for the system testing and validation routines to verify that systems meet design specifications and performance criteria.
• Lead and approve the delivery of comprehensive technical documentation, including requirements, design specifications, test plans, operator manuals and quality documentation.
• Analyse and translate client requirements into functional and non‑functional specifications independently or as a part of a larger team, whilst checking against any compliance standards.
• Lead technical discussions with the project teams and identify and resolve technical issues.
• Plan and lead commissioning at client sites.
• Track and control the resource and expenditure across the project, including authorisation as required.
• Coordinate the testing and troubleshooting of bespoke systems.
• Identify and champion changes and improvements as opportunities arise.
• Identify and encourage continuous learning and development, balancing the skills of the team in line with the project requirements, inclusive of mandatory training.
• Provide coaching, mentorship and technical guidance to the team, fostering a collaborative and knowledge‑sharing environment.
• Be responsible for the maintenance and/or development of the Client interface, relationship building and networking, includes the leading of project meetings with clients.
• Be responsible for the technical sign off during the bidding process, including approval of time.
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams, including software, hardware, workshop and project management, to ensure successful project delivery.
• Communicate and report to relevant stakeholders and colleagues to ensure project success.
• Accurately report on project delivery, highlighting successes, failures and recovery plans.
• Plan and control resource.
• Identify, manage and elevate any welfare and/or wellbeing issues
• Have full accountability for project timesheet authorisation, allocation and attributable project budgets.
• Manage unacceptable and challenging behaviours, escalating when appropriate.
• Successfully close out projects.
• Be responsible for overall delivery of project scopes to company quality management system, processes and procedures.
• Have excellent knowledge of client specific standards and international standards.
• Be the technical and professional expert during quality and technical reviews, and be able to conduct reviews on peers.
• Follow all health and safety regulations, procedures and protocols.
• Have line management and functional responsibility for assigned team.

• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in systems engineering.
• Technical expertise of software packages relevant to the role of a senior systems engineer (e.g. SCADA, PLC, HMI).
• A good understanding of project management principles, including cost control and client…