Senior Engineer - Innovation and Planning - Generic

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We are the people behind Ireland’s electricity grid. We operate the power system with world leading levels of variable non-synchronous renewable generation, ensuring that everyone has power when they need it. But that’s not all, we are now transforming the power system for future generations.

That’s just the beginning of our story. We have a critical purpose. That purpose is to transform the power system to enable our society to reduce our carbon emissions and meet our climate change and net zero ambitions.

Be part of the transformation!

The Opportunity

We now have several opportunities for Senior Engineers across the Transformation and Technology team at EirGrid Group. Creating a culture of continuous improvement that drives technical, and process innovation is central to delivery in these roles and the successful candidates will play a key role in both driving and supporting transformative change across the team.

These roles require innovative engineers who are, solution-focussed, resilient and motivated, and who will play a key role in ensuring operational excellence across the teams below and transition to a low carbon energy future.

The Teams

The Transformation and Technology Offshore Office (CTTOO) comprises highly skilled professionals with a variety of different disciplines, including engineering, IT, commerce and policy, all committed to helping meet the ambitious targets for adding renewable generation to our network and the electricifation of our economy and society.

Future Networks and Offshore Strategic Planning Team’s vision is to plan the power system and market of the future. To do this you will work collaboratively across the organisation and with our stakeholders as we strive to transform the power system for future generations. Provide the expertise and insight to form our vision of the future power system. Contribute effectively to complex projects, including carrying out high profile studies related to the power system to investigate and understand the evolution of the electricity energy system in Ireland out to 2050. Apply skills, knowledge and experience to effectively deliver on team’s objectives, overcoming new challenges and technical issues as they arise. Continually improve how we use our range of system study tools, for example through automation and data analytics. Communicate effectively to customers, business, and public stakeholders, as well as senior management team, via meetings, presentations and reports

Future Operations Function is leading the programme for putting in place what is needed to operate the power system in 2030 and is responsible for developing the scenarios, options and optimum pathways to ensure that the operational ambition for the power system is realised. The work of Future Operations is wide-ranging covering the design and development of the operational systems, tools, system services, standards and operational policies required to operate the power system of the future. Undertaking steady-state and dynamic modelling, and supporting the development and operation of online control centre decision support tools. Undertaking system studies and /or analysis to support operational policy development. Managing a suite of projects contibuting to the evolution of operational policy. Facilitating the development and integration of new technologies and innovations on the power system to enable them to operate efficiently and effectively.

Power System Insights and Research Function is responsible for driving the Innovation & Research strategy for the entire organisation. To do this we work with a wide range of stakeholders, internally and externally, to carry out research and provide insights into technologies and trends that are both new and important to the company as we transition to a low carbon energy future. We lead the engagement with research and academic institutions, and we are building our research networks externally. We are responsible for reporting to the CRU annually on our innovation and research activity. We are responsible for running the internal Research Forum. The team aims to identify the most important areas for research and innovation and ensure they are being resourced properly and that objectives are being met in the research.

The Future Power Markets team is responsible for providing thought leadership in relation to market changes needed to deliver on the renewable electricity targets and is also responsible for delivering large programmes of work to deliver on changes approved by the regulatory authorities. There are currently a number of key projects which the team is delivering on including; Future Arrangements for System Services: This project is developing new arrangements for the procurement of innovative System Services which will be vital in facilitating operational change which will allow the power system to be operated with increasingly high levels of low carbon technologies and in achieving our 2030 renewables targets; Scheduling and Dispatch: This project is developing design changes to our core market and operational systems to deliver on changes associated with the treatment of non-priority dispatch renewables defined in the Clean Energy Package, making improvements on wind dispatch, and updates to scheduling and dispatch process to incorporate new energy storage solutions, low carbon sources of inertia, and the provision of reserves and systems services from new technologies. European Integration: Since Brexit the all-island electricity market is no longer integrated with the EU. Once the Celtic Interconnector goes live in 2026, we will be re-integrated into the EU Markets and this will require significant market changes. SEM-GB: The SEM market is interconnected with the GB market. Work is ongoing to develop post-Brexit arrangements which includes monitoring of and acting on changes to the structure of the GB markets. Competitive market transition to Net Zero: Support the development of electricity policy in achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in conjunction with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE).

About You

Our essential purpose is to transform the power system while maintaining a safe, secure and reliable supply of electricity. That’s why we value experts with a passion for what they do, and who continuously seek out personal and professional development by challenging themselves to deliver their full potential in a purpose driven environment.

Successful candidates will have some or all of the following:

  • hold an engineering degree with 4 years relevant experience
  • demonstrable knowledge of the principles of power system planning and operation with an in-depth understanding of the electricity industry, environment and context
  • bring experience in conducting power system analysis using appropriate tools (PSS/E, DSA Tools or equivalent) and/or market analysis using tools such as Plexos
  • have knowledge of wholesale power markets, market arrangements in the SEM, Great Britain and in other European countries
  • continuously seek out ways to improve processes to work more efficiently, while making it more transparent and easier to understand for both technical and non-technical audiences
  • bring strong analysis, judgement and problem-solving skills along with an ability to make decisions and recommendations in a changing and dynamic environment.
  • have excellent organisational and stakeholder management skills, commercial awareness and a strong track record of delivering results
  • have experience in implementing process improvement, change management and the automation of routine tasks, particularly using Python programming

If you believe you have the skills and experience relevant for this position, please upload your CV and a cover letter (in one document).

EirGrid is an Equal Opportunities Employer