A leading Australian power and energy infrastructure organisation is seeking an experienced Senior Commissioning Engineer to join their team.
This role is ideally suited to a commissioning professional with strong experience operating within regulated electricity network environments and a background in testing, commissioning, protection systems, energisation and utility infrastructure.
Working across projects up to 500kV, you will take ownership of commissioning activities from planning and testing through to energisation and final handover.
The Opportunity: You will play a key role in the delivery of critical electrical infrastructure, supporting large-scale transmission, distribution, renewable energy, data centre and network infrastructure projects.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the testing, commissioning and energisation of primary and secondary systems while ensuring compliance with utility standards, safety requirements and operational frameworks.
Key Responsibilities:
Testing & Commissioning (Senior Level)
- Lead HV testing and commissioning activities on primary plant from 415V through to 500kV.
- Perform secondary injection testing across a broad range of protection schemes.
- Test protection relays, control systems, SCADA and communications platforms.
- Integrate AC and DC control systems in both greenfield and brownfield environments.
- Review designs and drawings to validate protection schemes and constructability.
- Apply, verify and modify IED settings using OEM software.
- Develop commissioning methodologies, test plans, ITPs and acceptance documentation.
- Support energisation programs, outage activities and operational handovers.
Candidates holding any of the following will be viewed favourably:
- Advanced Diploma of ESI (Power Systems)
- Electrical Engineering Degree
- Protection & Control qualifications
- HV Switching Authorisations
- Senior Authorised Person experience
- Utility competency programs
- Network access competencies
- Utility-specific authorisations and approvals
Utility & Network Experience:
Candidates with experience operating within regulated electricity network environments are strongly encouraged to apply.
We are particularly interested in professionals who can demonstrate:
- Experience working within transmission, distribution or utility network environments.
- Exposure to utility operating standards, procedures and approval frameworks.
- Experience supporting testing, commissioning and energisation activities on live network assets.
- HV switching, outage coordination and operational access experience.
- Previous involvement in transmission, distribution and substation infrastructure projects.
- Experience operating under network authorisations, permits and access requirements.
- Participation in network energisation programs and staged commissioning activities.
Desired Experience:
Transmission & Distribution Infrastructure
- Transmission substations
- Distribution substations
- Terminal stations
- Zone substations
- Utility infrastructure projects
- Network augmentation projects
- Data Centres
- Renewable Energy Projects
- Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
- Generation Assets
- Rail & Traction Infrastructure
- SEL
- Siemens Siprotec
- ABB Relion
- GE Multilin
- MiCOM / Areva
- Omicron Test Universe
- CMC256 / CMC356
- CPC100
- CT Analyser
- Doble Protection Suite
- Secondary and primary injection testing equipment
Qualifications & Experience
- Degree qualified in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline.
- 5+ years' experience in testing and commissioning of primary and secondary systems.
- Strong understanding of power system protection principles and applications.
- Proven experience leading commissioning activities within utility, industrial or infrastructure environments.
- IEC 61850 exposure highly regarded.
- Strong understanding of testing, commissioning and energisation principles.
- Lead and coordinate commissioning teams, subcontractors and technical specialists.
- Develop commissioning strategies that improve safety, efficiency and project outcomes.
- Manage commissioning schedules, outage coordination and staged implementation activities.
- Provide senior technical support to project managers, designers and site teams.
- Mentor and support commissioning engineers, technicians and electricians.
- Act as a key technical stakeholder during testing, commissioning and energisation phases.
- Drive a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with WHS requirements.
- Identify, manage and mitigate commissioning and energisation risks.
- Work closely with clients, senior management and external stakeholders.
- Provide clear reporting on commissioning progress, risks and outcomes.
- Ensure all activities are completed in accordance with industry, utility and regulatory requirements.
- Strong technical and decision-making capability.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Safety-focused with a proactive mindset.
- Commercially aware and outcomes-driven.
- Able to lead from the front while remaining hands-on when required.
You may currently be working as:
- Senior Commissioning Engineer
- Protection & Control Tester
- Protection Engineer
- HV Commissioning Engineer
- Secondary Systems Engineer
- Testing & Commissioning Engineer
- Substation Commissioning Engineer
- Protection & Control Engineer
- Senior Test Engineer
- Network Commissioning Engineer
- Exposure to complex HV transmission, distribution and critical infrastructure projects.
- Opportunity to work on assets up to 500kV.
- Strong pipeline of infrastructure, utility, renewable energy and data centre projects.
- Strong safety culture and technical excellence.
- Long-term career development within a specialist power systems environment.
- Opportunity to contribute to some of Australia's most significant energy and network infrastructure projects.
At Chandler Macleod, we are committed to fostering a diverse workforce where everyone is welcome. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, neurodiverse, people living with a disability and the LGBTIQA+ community.
You can read more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion at https://www.chandlermacleod.com/diversity-and-inclusion.
