Principal Engineer (Smartgrids)

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description:

• Provide technical leadership within the Smartgrids team. This includes acting as technical engineering lead on projects which include, distribution network design, private network design, renewable generation connection design and electrical systems control and automation. 

• Establish and consolidate relationships in a client facing role, assist the workstream lead in the delivery of the region’s technical capability and support multidisciplinary project delivery. 

• Support the development of Arcadis capability in the Smartgrids area and build and maintain an engineering professional reputation as an individual and for Arcadis. 

• Take a leadership role within the project team, providing direction, managing and co-ordinating and leading on delivery. 

• Work with the Smartgrids lead, HR and other internal and external resources, to implement training of team members, encourage their growth, provide direction and facilitate professional development. 

• Manage the multidisciplinary technical delivery of projects in accordance with Management Systems to meet time, quality, budgetary, programme and health and safety targets. 

• Manage all aspects of the client relationship so that engineering delivery meets technical compliance and/or exceeds client expectations. 

• Work to ensure maximum client satisfaction, champion client care and proactively work with clients to provide resource and capability support delivery. 

• Promote both the regional and global culture of the Arcadis Smartgrids business. 

• Provide temporary embedded support to major clients as required. 

Role accountabilities:

• Promote continual improvement in SHE performance across the business and lead and manage by example. 

• Build relationships with clients to identify and realise new business opportunities as part of Smartgrid business development. 

• Ensure that client delivery meets expectations providing customer satisfaction while meeting Arcadis’ project commercial objectives. 

• Engage with and champion the involvement and inclusion of Arcadis Global Engineering Capability (GEC) Design resources, facilitating two-way performance feedback with support from project teams  

• Provide Smartgrids subject area technical leadership and support as required. 

• Assist the Smartgrids lead in the evaluation of technical competence of staff proposed for projects and identify any additional support, mentoring or training to upskill as required. 

• Take technical line management responsibility for the development and performance management of team members to support the delivery of Arcadis’ business. 

• Support recruitment process and be personally involved in the selection and interview process for new engineering staff within the Smartgrids team. 

• Alongside the Smartgrids team lead, lead on the design of innovative engineering solutions for clients that resolve complex problems. 

• Coach and mentor fellow engineering professionals to support the development of Arcadis’ talent pool. 

• Perform independent technical review and assurance for major projects. 

• Encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking amongst team members. 

• Manage new project tendering/proposal process, co-ordinating multidisciplinary design input following all pursuit Arcadis governance. 

• Promote effective and efficient bid management and lead or contribute to Go-No-Go discussions. 

• Provide input into specific technical aspects of individual bids to support the production of high-quality winning pursuits. 

• Keep up to date with developments in the industry sector and with technical and legislative developments and seek out suitable opportunities to develop a strong professional profile at a national level (e.g. conference presentations, publications and participation in technical committees). 

• Maintain records of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and make these available for audit by their professional institution. 

Qualifications & Experience:

• Significant knowledge and track record in an Smartgrids, distribution grid and private networks engineering and or renewable generation connection delivery role. 

• A minimum 2:1 degree in an Electrical Engineering, or Renewable Energy discipline. 

• Membership of a professional engineering body e.g., the IET.  

• Chartered Engineering status with an appropriate professional engineering body, or the ability to achieve this in future. 

• Significant knowledge and track record in the development and delivery of Smartgrid, distribution grid and private networks and/or renewable generation connections projects and a good knowledge and understanding of the challenges in the multidisciplinary delivery process. 
• Significant knowledge and a demonstrable track record of supporting clients during the different design phases of project delivery co-ordinating between all relevant stakeholders.  

• Managing and co-ordinating project design change process with Project Management team. 
• Demonstrable experience in the multidisciplinary delivery of Smartgrid, distribution grid and private network and/or renewables connection projects. 

• Knowledge of Grid, DNO, British, IEC and ENA Standards. 

• Knowledge of the modelling, analysis and calculation software’s used to validate and verify designs as appropriate. 

• Awareness of the project delivery cycle to different unique client and customer delivery requirements. 

• Awareness of the roles of EPC, IPC and IDNO in the renewable’s generation connection project area. 

• Awareness of Net Carbon Zero and decarbonisation process including the role out of EV charging and Electric boilers and Air Sourced heat pumps. 

• High level knowledge of BESS and its implementation. 

• Awareness of Grid export and import capacity connection requirements – G99 application process and Grid Code compliance 

• Awareness of the pre-construction, construction and post-construction support process 

• Awareness of CDM and Principal contractor role 

• Proactive personal and team development by engaging in activities promoted by appropriate UK professional institutions. 

• Proactively discuss ideas and be able to plan and strategies competently and with confidence. 

• Able to manage ethical and diversity issues. 

• Able to communicate new concepts and ideas to technical and non-technical colleagues including effective use of English verbally and in writing. 

• Champion continuous improvement in "Safe by Design", lead on HAZID reviews and safe systems of work. 

• Manage teams and develop staff to meet changing technical, environmental and managerial needs. 

• Implement quality management processes and demonstrate continuous improvement 

• Strong consulting skills including project management and client relationship management at senior management level. 
• Ability to use a sound evidence-based approach to problem solving and be able to contribute to continuous improvement. 

• Maintain and extend a sound theoretical approach in enabling the introduction and exploitation of new and advancing technology. 

• Engage in the creative and innovative development of engineering technology and continuous improvement systems. 

• Have extensive consulting experience on large scale/highly complex projects in a client facing role. 

• Able to identify, review and select techniques, procedures and methods to undertake engineering tasks. 

• Conduct appropriate research, relative to design and appreciate its relevance within own area of responsibility 

• Awareness and implementation of sustainable development best practice. 

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.