Primary Design Engineer/HV Electrical Engineer

Purpose of the Role

The Primary Design Engineer is responsible for the primary electrical design of air-insulated (AIS) and gas-insulated (GIS) high-voltage substations and medium-voltage distribution systems serving data centre and industrial clients in the Scandinavian market. The role focuses on substation physical layout design, primary equipment arrangement, busbar configuration, clearance management, and the integration of primary equipment within the overall substation design. The position works with PRIMTECH and/or Revit as primary design tools and coordinates closely with civil and structural engineering partners for foundations, buildings, and access requirements. The Primary Design Engineer ensures that primary designs are technically sound, constructable, and aligned with client requirements, grid connection specifications, and applicable standards. The role also supports equipment interface design between HV/MV primary equipment and the secondary, protection, and automation systems. Note: DCS Norway operates a competence-based resource model. While this job description defines the primary function of the role, individuals are expected to contribute across other engineering and project functions based on their competencies and the needs of the business. This approach supports team flexibility, professional development, and efficient resource utilisation across projects.

Key Responsibilities

AIS Substation Design

• Develop physical layout designs for AIS high-voltage substations.
• Design busbar configurations, equipment spacing, and clearance management.
• Prepare primary equipment arrangement drawings and general arrangement plans.
• Ensure compliance with insulation coordination requirements and safety clearances.
• Coordinate with civil and structural engineering partners for foundations, structures, and buildings.
• Support constructability reviews and site-specific design considerations.

GIS Substation Design

• Develop bay arrangement and layout designs for GIS substations.
• Design interfaces between GIS equipment and external connections (cable sealing ends, bushings, transformer interfaces).
• Support GIS extension philosophy and future expandability design.
• Ensure GIS layout integration with overall substation design.
• Coordinate with GIS equipment suppliers on layout requirements and interface details.

MV Distribution Design

• Support MV distribution layout design for data center applications.
• Ensure MV distribution topology meets data center redundancy requirements (N+1, 2N, concurrent maintainability).
• Design MV switchgear room layouts and equipment arrangements.
• Coordinate MV design with data center MEP boundary requirements.

Primary Equipment Integration

• Coordinate primary equipment interfaces with secondary, protection, and SCADA systems.
• Support specification of primary equipment (transformers, switchgear, busbars, cable systems).
• Ensure primary design is consistent with power system study results and equipment sizing.
• Prepare technical specifications for primary equipment procurement.
• Support equipment selection in coordination with the Procurement Engineer.

Engineering Coordination & Documentation

• Coordinate primary design with all engineering disciplines and external engineering partners.
• Prepare and maintain primary design documentation, including layout drawings, sections, and elevations.
• Participate in engineering design reviews.
• Support preparation of as-built documentation.
• Ensure primary design documentation is complete for construction handover.

Required Qualifications & Competencies

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in primary substation design.
• Experience with AIS and/or GIS substation layout design.
• Experience with HV equipment arrangement and clearance management.
• Experience coordinating with civil and structural disciplines.
• Experience in data center or industrial electrical infrastructure is a plus.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in PRIMTECH and/or Revit for primary substation design.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD for engineering drawings.
• Understanding of HV and MV primary equipment (transformers, switchgear, busbars).
• Knowledge of insulation coordination and safety clearance requirements.
• Working knowledge of ETAP for equipment sizing validation.
• Understanding of data center MV distribution and redundancy architectures.
• Knowledge of IEC standards for substation design.
• Familiarity with AIS and GIS substation configu