Principal Ec&I Engineer - Nuclear Decommissioning

Principal EC&I Engineer (Power & Protection)

Location: Cumbria (Hybrid Working Available)

Job Type: Permanent | Full Time

Sector: Nuclear | Electrical Engineering | Power Systems

Westlakes Recruit is a specialist recruitment partner supporting major engineering organisations across the UK's nuclear, defence and highly regulated sectors. We are currently recruiting for a Principal EC&I Engineer (Power & Protection) on behalf of a leading engineering consultancy delivering critical infrastructure projects across the UK nuclear industry.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Electrical Power & Protection Engineer to take a technical leadership role, delivering complex electrical infrastructure projects while supporting the development of engineering standards and best practice across major nuclear programmes.

We are looking for a Principal EC&I Engineer with specialist expertise in electrical power systems and protection engineering to lead the delivery of complex design packages across safety-critical nuclear facilities.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team, you will provide technical leadership for power system studies, protection schemes, electrical infrastructure upgrades and network modelling. You will also act as a technical authority, mentoring engineers and supporting clients through all stages of the project lifecycle.

• Lead EC&I engineering teams in the delivery of complex electrical power and protection projects.
• Provide technical leadership throughout the engineering lifecycle, from feasibility through detailed design, commissioning and operational support.
• Act as Lead Engineer during design reviews, technical workshops and engineering assurance activities.
• Mentor and support engineers, promoting technical excellence and continuous professional development.

• Develop, maintain and update ETAP power system models.
• Produce fault level studies in accordance with BS EN 60909
  .
• Undertake protection coordination studies and relay settings calculations.
• Produce arc flash risk assessments and protection reports.
• Design and review 11kV and 400V electrical distribution systems and substations.
• Develop unit protection schemes including differential and high-impedance protection.
• Support electrical infrastructure upgrades across operational nuclear facilities.
• Provide specialist technical guidance on power distribution and protection engineering to multidisciplinary design teams.

• Plan and coordinate engineering activities to ensure successful project delivery.
• Work closely with Project Managers to deliver projects safely, on programme and within budget.
• Identify technical risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Ensure engineering outputs comply with project specifications, quality standards and regulatory requirements.

• Act as the primary technical interface with clients and key project stakeholders.
• Support technical meetings, design reviews and engineering workshops.
• Build strong relationships with clients, suppliers and internal project teams.
• Provide expert advice on complex electrical engineering challenges.

• Support the development and continuous improvement of engineering standards and best practice.
• Contribute to updates of client engineering procedures and electrical standards.
• Ensure compliance with nuclear quality assurance processes and engineering governance requirements.
• Promote safe, efficient and innovative engineering solutions throughout project delivery.

• Proven experience delivering electrical power and protection engineering projects within nuclear or another highly regulated industry.
• Strong knowledge of BS EN 60909 fault level calculations.
• Experience using power system modelling software such as ETAP
  .
• Knowledge of protection and control systems for 11kV and 400V electrical networks.
• Experience designing electrical substations and distribution systems.
• Understanding of differential and high-impedance protection schemes.
• Experience delivering electrical infrastructure upgrades on operational industrial facilities.
• Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.

Experience in any of the following would be advantageous:

• Sellafield electrical distribution network.
• Sellafield engineering design processes.
• IEC 61850 protection and communications.
• Power System SCADA.
• DigSILENT Power Factory.
• Trimble.
• ERACS.
• Electrical safety studies.
• Arc flash analysis.
• Network modelling and protection coordination studies.

Essential

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering or a related discipline.

Alternatively

• HNC/HND in a relevant engineering discipline supported by significant industry experience.

Desirable

• Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, or actively working towards professional registration.

Due to the nature of…