Circuit Design Engineer

Location: Glasgow

Role Summary
We are looking for an experienced EAD Circuit Designer to support telecoms circuit delivery into electricity substation and utility environments.
This is not a standard network design role. The person must have strong experience in BT/Openreach EAD / Ethernet access circuit delivery, with the ability to assess site feasibility, interpret survey outputs, understand access constraints, and produce practical design packs for implementation.
The role is specifically focused on sites where telecoms delivery may be affected by electromagnetic interference, EMC requirements, Earth Potential Rise, fibre/copper suitability, cabinet specification, cable entry, ventilation, earthing, and substation access constraints.
The designer will work with Vodafone engineering, SPEN stakeholders, BT/Openreach, field engineers, commissioning teams and cabinet suppliers to ensure each circuit design is technically feasible, safe, installable and supportable.

Key Responsibilities
EAD circuit design  Design Ethernet Access Direct / leased-line / carrier Ethernet access circuits for SPEN substation locations.
Access feasibility  Review whether proposed circuits are technically feasible based on site type, BT/Openreach survey outputs, routing, access node/cabinet location and local constraints.
BT/Openreach coordination  Interpret BT/Openreach survey notes, site classifications, delivery assumptions and circuit provisioning constraints.
EMI/EMC assessment  Identify design implications arising from electromagnetic interference and EMC requirements in substation environments.
EPR risk awareness  Consider Earth Potential Rise implications and ensure high-risk sites are appropriately flagged for specialist assessment or design treatment.
Fibre/copper assessment  Assess whether copper-based access is suitable or whether fibre-only/alternative access should be considered due to site conditions.
Cabinet integration  Review cabinet and rack requirements, including 45U EMC cabinets, ventilation, extractor fans, air filters, EMC inlet filters, gland plates, cable entry and site-specific colour/specification requirements.
Design documentation  Produce practical HLD/LLD/implementation design packs suitable for engineering, installation, commissioning and operational handover.
PT task mapping  Review SPEN PT task sheets and translate task-level requirements into circuit, cabinet, material and implementation design requirements.
Supplier support  Engage with cabinet suppliers and telecoms suppliers to confirm manufactured solutions meet SPEN/Vodafone technical requirements.
Delivery risk management  Identify design gaps, site-readiness issues, ordering risks and installation blockers early.
AILS/handover readiness  Ensure designs include as-built details, circuit references, inventory records and support notes needed for Acceptance Into Live Support.
Stakeholder engagement  Work closely with Vodafone design authority, delivery managers, SPEN stakeholders, field engineers, commissioning engineers and suppliers.
Required Skills and Experience
Mandatory:
Hands-on experience designing BT/Openreach EAD, Ethernet access, leased line or carrier Ethernet circuits.
Strong understanding of the BT/Openreach delivery lifecycle, including survey, order validation, civils, provisioning, wayleaves and site readiness.
Experience producing telecoms access design packs, HLDs, LLDs, implementation diagrams or as-built documentation.
Ability to interpret site surveys, task sheets, supplier notes and technical constraints.
Experience working with fibre access design and circuit routing.
Experience coordinating with BT/Openreach, field engineers, commissioning teams and equipment suppliers.
Strong documentation discipline and ability to produce clear, implementation-ready design outputs.
Highly desirable (EMI/EMC and EPR awareness are near-mandatory for this role):
Understanding of copper access limitations in electrically sensitive or high-voltage environments.
Awareness of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and EMC requirements and their impact on telecoms design.
Awareness of Earth Potential Rise (EPR) and why it affects telecoms delivery into substations.
Experience…