Project Plant Lead

Job Description Summary
The Lead Plant Engineer - HVDC is the technical authority responsible for the overall engineering design integrity, system integration, and technical execution of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter station projects. This role leads a multidisciplinary engineering team across the full project lifecycle-from proposal and design phase through manufacturing, civil works, installation, testing, and final commissioning. The Lead Plant Engineer acts as the primary technical interface with customers, partners, suppliers, and internal project teams, ensuring compliance with specifications, safety standards, and project schedules.

Job Description

• Lead the technical execution of HVDC plant design, ensuring compliance with project specifications, grid codes, international standards (IEC, IEEE, CIGRE), and statutory requirements.
• Own the overall plant layout, system architecture, and optimization of AC/DC converter stations (including valve halls, transformer yards, GIS/AIS switchyards, control buildings, and auxiliary systems).
• Provide technical direction to multidisciplinary engineering teams (civil, electrical, mechanical, control & protection, telecommunications, and safety).
• Resolve complex technical issues, design clashes, and engineering challenges during project execution.

• Oversee the integration of major HVDC sub-systems, including converter valves, converter transformers, smoothing reactors, harmonic filters, DC switchyards, control & protection, and auxiliary power systems.
• Manage complex technical interfaces between primary equipment, secondary systems, civil structures, and external grid connections.
• Ensure seamless collaboration between engineering, procurement, manufacturing, project management, and site construction teams.

• Identify technical risks, design gaps, and constructability challenges early in the project lifecycle and lead mitigation strategies.
• Enforce rigorous engineering quality processes, design reviews, technical risk assessments, and Value Engineering initiatives.
• Ensure all engineering outputs (drawings, calculations, specifications, data sheets) undergo proper verification and approval workflows.
• Oversee technical non-conformances, root-cause analyses, and corrective action implementations.

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for clients, consultants, and external stakeholders.
• Lead technical alignment meetings, design reviews, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT).
• Defend technical design choices, clarify specifications, and negotiate technical approvals with customers.

• Support the Inquiry-to-Order (ITO) phase by providing technical inputs, scoping, preliminary designs, and cost estimations for proposals.
• Support the Order-to-Remittance (OTR) phase by managing engineering schedules, document deliverables, and technical milestones.
• Coordinate with procurement and sourcing to ensure technical alignment with equipment suppliers and sub-vendors.
• Provide technical support during site installation, testing, and commissioning phases up to final handover.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Engineering experience in high-voltage power systems, power transmission, substations, or specifically HVDC projects.
• Proven experience in multidisciplinary engineering management and leading technical teams in large-scale EPC environments.
• Understanding of HVDC converter station technologies (LCC and/or VSC), power electronics, control & protection, and high-voltage equipment.
• Familiarity with international standards (IEC, IEEE, CIGRE) and grid code compliance.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or chartered engineering status.
• Experience with design tools and software used in power systems modeling (e.g., PSCAD, ETAP, MATLAB) and 3D plant design coordination.
• Strong background in both vendor management and customer-facing technical leadership.

• Advanced technical knowledge of HVDC systems and substation design
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Effective communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management
• Strong project execution discipline (time, cost, and quality management)
• Proactive risk identification and mitigation planning
• Ability to manage multiple interfaces in complex matrix organizations