Lead/Principal Protection Engineer

About The Role

Worley is expanding rapidly within New Zealand's power sector, engaging in projects such as large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), solar initiatives, and providing electrical design services to distribution and major industrial clients with substantial electrical demand. We are growing our Technical Services team and seek an experienced Senior or Principal Protection Engineer to lead and enhance our capabilities in protection engineering across diverse brownfield and greenfield projects. This role is pivotal for ensuring the safety, reliability, and security of energy transmission and grid-connected infrastructure as New Zealand's energy landscape evolves.

Company Background

Worley is an international leader in energy, chemicals, and resources with headquarters in Australia. We collaborate closely with customers to deliver comprehensive project solutions spanning consulting, engineering, procurement, construction, operations, and decommissioning. Supported by AI-driven methods and nearly 50,000 professionals globally, our New Zealand team of around 250 specialists is dedicated to fostering sustainable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technically and mentor engineering/design teams.
• Promote a culture prioritizing accuracy and pragmatic engineering outcomes from the outset.
• Engage in hands-on protection engineering design activities while supporting business growth and mentoring.
• Coordinate across disciplines to ensure top-tier delivery in the power sector.
• Design and implement protection and control systems for transmission and distribution networks with voltages up to 500kV across Australia and New Zealand.
• Perform protection coordination and wide-area protection studies using PowerFactory, PSSE, and PSCAD.
• Create conceptual, FEED, and detailed protection scheme designs.
• Review protection schemes including relay and instrumentation diagrams, detailed schematics, and protection settings.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Proven experience in protection and primary design covering concept through construction phases.
• Leadership skills to develop and guide engineering teams.
• Comprehensive understanding of power networks and regulatory contexts.
• Professional demeanor capable of representing Worley with key stakeholders.
• Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• Progress towards or attainment of Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) registration in New Zealand.
• In-depth knowledge of electrical engineering principles focusing on protection schemes, power system analysis, and secondary design.
• Familiarity with relevant standards, statutory regulations, and frameworks.
• Expertise in areas such as HV switchyard secondary design, electrical protection design, power system analysis, earthing design, and HV/MV switchboard secondary design.
• Excellent communication, analytical thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Proficiency using PowerFactory and PSCAD; experience with ETAP, CYMCAP, CDEGS is a plus.
• Knowledge of SmartPlant Electrical, Autodesk Plant 3D, AutoCAD, Navisworks, or comparable design tools is beneficial.
• Practical experience in construction and commissioning is advantageous.
• Strong technical skills ensuring high-quality, accurate, and timely deliverables.
• Experience in renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, BESS, and high-voltage systems.
• Several years of protection systems experience.

Why Join Us

• Attractive employment compensation.
• Flexible working arrangements to maintain work-life balance.
• Paid parental leave benefits.
• Options to purchase additional leave.
• Support from a local team and global network of power experts.
• Opportunity to be involved in a wide array of renewable energy, transmission, distribution, and industrial power projects.
• Contribute directly to New Zealand’s sustainable energy transition.