Senior OHL Design Engineer

82467 - Senior OHL Design Engineer

This Senior OHL Design Engineer will report to the Design Lead and will work within Capital Programme based in our offices in Bury St Edmunds. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £84,160 plus business needs car and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote

Close Date: 20/05/2026

We also provide the following additional benefits

• 25 days Annual Leave plus bank holidays
• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers’ products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme.

Job Purpose:

To produce OHL designs from a scope provided by Project Managers, Customers or the Design Lead and will include project costings to customer requirements for time, quality and budget. We ask that you have experience producing all designs, calculations, reports and drawings associated with the new build and refurbishment of overhead line projects from 11kV up to 132kV. These schemes could be for APP and Connections (non-contestable) works, following UK Power Networks design standards.

You will collaborate with the Project Manager, Electrical, Civil designers and PDC, ensuring compliance to design, CDM and standards for both the regulated network solutions for all customers.

We ask that you can satisfy the following general requirements:

• Produce detailed OHL design packages compliant to required technical industry standards.
• Produce and prepare drawings for GS6 Guidance and Injurious Affection (IA) claims related to any works conducted near UKPN's overhead line assets.
• Prepare calculations and technical / equipment specification documentation.
• Execute complex assignments requiring the use of advanced techniques, resulting in the development of new or improved processes, equipment, and technological methods.
• Undertake a lead role on FEED stage projects, including production of technical reports and presentations.
• Maintain compliance to CDM Regulations and all other legal and regulatory requirements associated with the nature of substation / P&C and electrical system design.
• Take a leadership role with the project team, providing direction and leading by example
• Manage the delivery of projects following Management Systems to meet time, quality, and budgetary and health and safety targets.
• Overall OHL design with PLS-CADD following BS-EN 50341.
• Production and checking of detailed drawing for the OHL design.
• Fulfil the role of Principal Designer for allocated schemes.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Overall OHL design with PLS-CADD & PLS Tower following BS-EN 50341 and UK Power Networks design standards.
• Produce and check of detailed drawings for the Overhead Line designs.
• Produce drawings / reports for GS6 & Injurious Affection claims.
• Produce climatic loads following BS-EN 50341 and BS 6399.
• Analyse overhead line structures with PLS-Tower and PLS-Pole.
• Produce foundation loads and structural reports.
• Design and analysis of Overhead Line Foundations.
• Prepare design technical reports and other written documents.
• Produce design concepts, drawings, specifications and other technical documents.
• The adherence to and control of documents and drawings following company management procedures.
• Design input/output within the designated risk management process.

Qualifications:

• BEng or BSc in Civil / Structural Engineering with experience in OHL design
• Chartered engineer or working towards achieving Chartership;
• Experience in an OHL engineering environment;
• Experience in either CAD packages such, AutoCAD or Microstation or any other drafting software;
• Knowledge of standard industry software PLS CADD & Tower is necessary
• Experience with the British, the European and ENA Standards and technical specifications of utility providers – especially UK Power Networks;
• Knowledge of Microsoft desktop applications, in particular: Word, Excel, Project and PowerPoint;
• Work with external engineering organisations and customers / partners representing UKPN to best effect;
• Learn new skills and transfer existing skills to overcome new challenges;
• A good level of business, environmental, safety, financial, and regulatory awareness;
• A good safety culture and sound understanding of Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations and their application in this role including IOSH trained;
• Must be competent at creating and laying out quality drawings that can be constructed and fabricated;
• Capable to approve the designs

Nature and Scope:

Largely desk-based, the post also requires you to visit operational sites, construction sites, site meetings, manufactures meetings (at their premisses) and internal review meetings.

UK Power Networks is committed to a policy of equality in its employment practices and values a workforce that is representative of the customers we serve and the communities in which we work. We consider our people to be crucial to achieving success. We believe that it is important for our employees to strike a sensible balance between work and life outside work and will consider requests for working arrangements under the Work-Life Solutions process.

UK Power Networks is committed to securing the highest standards of health and safety at work and of care for the environment. You will have an appropriate level of understanding of the arrangements for health, safety and the environment that apply to this business and are required for this opening.

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

If in doubt ask!

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Where applicable, this role is subject to safer recruitment processes and robust pre‑employment checks

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.