Principal Secondary System Engineer I NSW
AECOMCompany Description
Come and grow with us.
AECOM’s Energy practice provides a wide range of services from consulting and engineering design to energy engineering, energy procurement and construction (EPC) for power, energy efficiency, and renewable energy clients. Our understanding of the big picture – and the interconnection between generation, distribution, storage, and the demand side of the meter – allows us to deliver holistic strategies that improve and modernise next generation energy infrastructure. We connect knowledge and experience across our global framework to bring together a unique combination of engineers, planners, scientists, and project managers who advance cleaner, secure, and more sustainable energy solutions.
Everyone belongs at AECOM
We’re committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging - because great ideas come from diverse perspectives. AECOM is proud to be a Fortune 500 Most Admired Company, a WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, #Work180 Equitable Workplace Awards 2025 Winner and an AWEI Bronze Tier LGBTQ+ Inclusive Employer.
Job Description
"Energy is an exciting place to be working as we continue to see changes in the way we generate, transmit and use electricity across all our markets as we work to decarbonise the industry." – Mark Lampard, Sector Director - Transmission & Distribution
Lead as Principal Secondary System Engineer the design and delivery of secondary, protection and related electrical systems and projects while providing technical mentoring and support across an established team. This role provides the scope to grow your career within an established Energy team, building on your extensive technical expertise in secondary systems and related projects. You will be able to lead the delivery of projects from initiation to completion across technical, design, project delivery as well as providing technical support and mentoring to others in the team.
In this position, you will play a key leadership role across engineering design, technical governance, and project execution. You will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality and best practice secondary projects aligned to appropriate standards. This is your opportunity to provide technical direction across multidisciplinary teams, guiding project delivery across complex work packages, shape technical standards, and make a tangible impact on critical and major energy infrastructure.
How you’ll make a difference:
- Lead design projects across secondary, protection and control systems providing expertise within project teams to support project design and delivery excellence.
- Preparation of single line diagrams (SLDs), protection logic diagrams, metering layouts, and cable termination diagrams.
- Preparation of electrical interconnection diagrams, termination diagrams, cable schedules, and other supporting documentation for the installation and operation of secondary systems.
- Relay coordination studies (overcurrent, earth fault, motor protection, distance protection), including relay setting calculations and fault analysis.
- Power system studies, such as load flow analysis, short circuit studies, transient stability analysis, motor starting studies, and arc flash studies.
- Development of control and relay panel layouts, including general arrangement (GA) drawings, functional block diagrams, and bill of materials (BOMs).
- Design of SCADA communication schemes and system integration for protection systems, ensuring seamless interface between control and field devices.
- Support for commissioning and testing, including Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and site integration of secondary systems.
- Preparation of external connection tables, cable schedules, and other design documentation as required by the project specifications.
Qualifications
To be successful in this role, you will be an experienced Secondary System Engineer with a track record across leading the design and delivery of secondary, protection and related electrical systems projects. You will be known for your ability to work independently, leading technical excellence and the delivery of projects, working collaboratively in teams, with a project and client-first focus. Experience and exposure to working across different project types, site requirements, and geographies at utility scale will be an advantage.
The following qualifications and experience are highly desired, but if you don’t tick all the boxes, you could still be a perfect fit for this role. Please apply, all applications will be considered.
The qualities that help you thrive:
- Demonstrated experience working delivering secondary systems and related projects, to design standards and specifications for major clients.
- Experienced delivering secondary, protection and related projects from scope and specifications, detailed design, review sign off, report writing and relay configurations.
- Previous experience in design teams working for Grid Utilities (such as National Grid, Transgrid, Transpower, Powergrid etc.) is highly desirable.
- Prior experience (7+ years’) in leading design engineering teams across disciplines in a global consultancy firm is preferred.
- Familiarity with relevant Australian standards (e.g., AS/NZS) and industry best practices.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Chartered Engineer status (or working towards) is highly desirable, supported by a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related discipline.
Additional Information
Why you’ll love working with us
- Flexible work arrangements available, aligned with the market and client facing role requirements
- Purchase up to 6 weeks additional annual leave per year
- Volunteer and representation leave
- Flex public holidays – swap Easter or other holidays for ones that suit you better
Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?
We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, additional health or mental health needs, and/or neurodiverse conditions. If you require any adjustments during the hiring process, please let us know.
Applications are reviewed as they come in, and the role may close earlier than expected, so if this opportunity sounds like you, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
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AECOM acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we, our clients and our communities live and work around Australia. We pay our respects to their cultures and to their Elders — past, present, and emerging. We are committed to connecting to Country in our work through meaningful engagement with First Nations peoples and businesses. Find out more about our Australian Reconciliation Action Plan here: Our vision for Reconciliation.
At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.
AECOM acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we, our clients and our communities live and work around Australia. We pay our respects to their cultures and to their Elders — past, present, and emerging. We are committed to connecting to Country in our work through meaningful engagement with First Nations peoples and businesses. Find out more about our Australian Reconciliation Action Plan here: https://aecom.com/au/our-vision-for-reconciliation/.
About AECOM
AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.
Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity
You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.
You will help us foster a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion – a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.
AECOM provides a wide array of compensation and benefits programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We also provide a robust global well-being program. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.
Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.