Protection And Control Engineer

You have built solid experience in protection & control design for high-voltage substations and you are ready to take a senior technical role on projects that sit at the heart of the energy transition. If designing the protection, control, and monitoring systems that keep critical grid infrastructure running safely and reliably is where you do your best work, this role is worth your full attention.

Company Information

Our client is a recognised leader in the design, implementation, and management of high-voltage systems in the Netherlands. With a strong focus on innovation and sustainable energy strategy, they work at the forefront of grid enhancement and energy transition projects across the sector. Their engineering teams bring deep technical expertise to secondary HV systems covering protection, control, SCADA, and monitoring across a wide variety of substation types. This is a technically driven organisation where quality, precision, and engineering integrity are central to everything they deliver. The rapid pace of development in the energy transition means the work remains technically challenging and genuinely varied.

Vacancy Information

As Protection and Control Engineer, you are the key designer of the systems required to control, monitor, and protect all high-voltage components installed at substations. Your work covers extensions, renovations, and new builds across a broad range of substation types and voltage levels. No two projects are the same and the ongoing developments in the energy transition ensure that your technical skills are continuously challenged and developed.

You will translate functional requirements into concrete secondary system designs, prepare and review engineering documentation, and support the Lead Engineer and Technical Manager across all project phases. When design bottlenecks arise you identify and resolve them. When quality checks are needed you perform them. This is a senior engineering role with real ownership and direct technical responsibility from the earliest design stages through to final delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Translating functional designs and client requirements into concrete technical designs and project plans for HV secondary systems.
• Designing secondary and auxiliary systems including protection schemes, control systems, SCADA, and monitoring systems for high-voltage substations.
• Designing and verifying integrated solutions based on client specifications, applicable technical standards including IEC and ABNT, and relevant laws and regulations.
• Preparing and reviewing technical documentation, engineering drawings, calculations, and execution documents across all project phases.
• Supporting the Lead Engineer and Technical Manager from basic design in the preparation phase through to detailed execution design.
• Identifying and resolving design bottlenecks, reporting findings to the wider project team, and performing quality checks on all deliverables.
• Working closely with primary, civil, and instrumentation disciplines to ensure secondary systems are fully integrated with the broader substation design.

What You Need

• Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering, or a comparable technical field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience designing complex high and medium voltage secondary systems, with a strong understanding of availability, reliability, maintenance, and safety requirements in substation environments.
• Solid working knowledge of protection and control systems, SCADA architecture, and monitoring systems for HV substations covering both new builds and brownfield extensions and renovations.
• Familiarity with applicable technical standards and design codes relevant to secondary HV systems including IEC standards. Familiarity with ABNT NBR requirements is considered an advantage.
• Strong analytical thinking with the ability to develop and verify integrated secondary system solutions under project conditions.
• A proactive and results-oriented mindset with the drive to deliver quality outcomes for both the project and your own professional development.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary engineering team across project phases.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken. Willingness to learn Dutch and integrate into a Dutch working environment is expected and will be an important part of settling into the team successfully.

If you do not meet every requirement but have a strong background in high-voltage and a genuine interest in protection and control design, we still encourage you to apply. The right combination of technical experience, motivation, and willingness to grow can make you a strong candidate.

Relocation

This position is based in the Netherlands and will require relocation. We understand that making an international move is a significant decision and we are here to make that process as straightforward as possible.

As part of your contract, FairPlay Engineering provides a Premium Relocation Package. This includes visa sponsorship, guidance before your move, and dedicated support from a relocation consultant throughout the process. You can find more information on the Relocating with us page on our website.

Apply

We appreciate every application we receive. Because this is a specialised role, we will contact candidates whose experience closely matches the requirements.

If you have not heard from us within two weeks, your application has unfortunately not been selected for the next step.

FairPlay Engineering specialises in recruiting engineers for roles in the Netherlands. If this vacancy is not the right match for you, keep an eye on our vacancies page for future opportunities.