Location: Oxford | Contract Type: Permanent | Working Pattern: Full-Time | Office Based
Pay / Benefits: Remuneration for this role is benchmarked competitively within our sector.
The Opportunity
OCU is delivering major power infrastructure projects that are helping to strengthen and modernise the UK's electricity network. As a Lead Electrical Design Engineer, you'll take a leading role in the design and delivery of high-voltage substation projects, working on schemes that directly support network resilience, capacity, and future growth.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer who wants to combine technical leadership with project influence. You'll work across feasibility and detailed design stages, collaborate with key stakeholders, and help shape complex projects within a regulated DNO environment. If you're looking to take ownership of challenging engineering solutions while developing your career within a growing organisation, we'd like to hear from you.
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Lead the production and review of high-voltage electrical designs from feasibility through to detailed design.
- Develop electrical design solutions for substation new builds, refurbishments, and reinforcement projects.
- Coordinate and manage external design consultants, ensuring quality, consistency, and programme delivery.
- Collaborate with civil, cable, and multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver integrated project solutions.
- Engage with client design authorities and stakeholders to secure approvals and support successful project delivery.
- Apply engineering expertise across protection systems, earthing designs, plant selection, and network integration activities.
- Champion safety-by-design principles throughout the project lifecycle.
- Ensure all designs comply with relevant industry standards, client specifications, and regulatory requirements.
- Degree-qualified in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
- Proven experience delivering high-voltage electrical design projects within power, utilities, or infrastructure environments.
- Strong understanding of substation design principles and high-voltage electrical systems.
- Experience working on projects involving switchgear, transformers, cables, and associated electrical plant.
- Knowledge of electrical safety legislation, industry standards, and engineering best practice.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to lead technical discussions and support project delivery teams effectively.
- Experience within DNO, ICP, Transmission & Distribution, or regulated utility environments.
- Bonus if you are Chartered or actively working towards Chartered Engineer status.
- It would be great if you have experience securing design approvals from network operators or regulatory bodies.
- It would be great if you've managed external consultants, design partners, or multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Knowledge of protection systems, earthing studies, or network analysis would be advantageous.
At OCU, we believe that meaningful work should come with meaningful support. That's the principle behind Careers with Purpose, our commitment to ensuring every person at OCU feels supported, developed, and valued, not just in their role today, but throughout their career with us.
Alongside the opportunity to work on some of the UK's most significant infrastructure projects, we offer a benefits package that we are continuing to develop as we grow, and the kind of career acceleration that only comes from being inside a business moving at this pace.
As a rapidly growing organisation, there are genuine opportunities to progress, broaden your experience, and build a long-term career within OCU Group.
For a confidential conversation about this opportunity, please contact
Jonathan Bryden at
[email protected].
Our vacancies are typically advertised for two weeks; however, we reserve the right to close applications early should we receive a sufficient number of suitable candidates. We therefore encourage early applications.
At OCU Group, we don’t just deliver infrastructure - we help power modern life.
As one of the UK’s fastest-growing utility and infrastructure businesses, we deliver complex, nationally critical projects across power, energy transition, water, telecoms, and digital infrastructure. Over the last five years, OCU has grown five-fold to a £1.1bn organisation, expanding both organically and through strategic acquisitions across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and India.
Our growth is driven by ambitious people, operational excellence, and a commitment to doing things properly. We work on projects that genuinely matter by supporting the UK’s energy transition, strengthening essential infrastructure, and helping build more sustainable communities for the future.
Whether you’re an experienced professional looking to take ownership of major projects and influence delivery at scale, or someone starting your career through an apprenticeship, graduate programme, or placement route, OCU offers real opportunity to grow, develop, and make an impact.
We are building a business where high performance, collaboration, innovation, and accountability sit at the centre of our culture. Our people are trusted to lead, encouraged to challenge thinking, and supported to continuously develop their skills and careers.
At OCU, you won’t just join a growing business, you’ll help shape it.
Our Culture & Values
At OCU, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We care about safety, lead with integrity, strive to be better every day, make a positive impact, and deliver to grow, together, as One Company United.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At OCU Group, we believe diversity, inclusion, and belonging are fundamental to building stronger teams, better ideas, and a more successful business. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
As part of our commitment to fairness and equality, candidates may be asked to complete an equal opportunities monitoring form during the recruitment process. This information is used for monitoring purposes only and plays no part in hiring decisions.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and are committed to offering interviews to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions who meet the essential criteria for the role.
To ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to join our team, please inform us if you require any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment and interview process is, by emailing
[email protected].
