Do you want to help power your career and be part of an evolving energy industry?
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic Trainee Control Engineer to join our Yorkshire team. The ideal candidate would be someone with an HNC or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or working towards this qualification and looking to start an exciting new career.
What does a Control Engineer do in Northern Powergrid?
A Control Engineer is responsible for the real‑time operation of the electricity distribution network. They work in the Centralised Control Room which is operational 24/7, 365 days a year, monitoring, controlling, and safeguarding the power system and its operators so that customers receive a safe, reliable, and continuous electricity supply.
Control Engineers are the people who keep the lights on, especially when things go wrong.
They are the operational brain of the network, making live decisions that balance safety, customer impact, regulatory obligations, and engineering constraints.
This work happens in a highly pressurised environment that demands focus and the ability to multitask. A single error could lead to serious injury, fatality, or major outage—so accuracy and discipline are essential.
Key Responsibilities
- Monitor network via SCADA and control systems, overseeing primary and secondary substations, feeders and circuits, voltage and load conditions, planned and unplanned switching activities, responding to national emergencies.
- Provide authority for the release of Apparatus and Plant from service.
- Provide authority for all High Voltage Switching except in cases of emergency or in other approved cases.
- Communicate directly with the Authorised Person who is to carry out the Switching.
- Consult with Control Engineers of other systems to agree and initiate Switching where there is interconnection across control boundaries; also agree responsibility for control of circuits in the isolated state preparatory to sanctioning the issue of Safety Documents.
- Before giving authority for the issue of a Safety Document, ensure the necessary operations to obtain safety from the inherent dangers of the system are carried out.
- Give authority for the issue and acknowledge cancellation of Permits‑to‑Work and Sanctions‑for‑Test.
- Maintain a written or electronic record of all High Voltage Switching, application and removal of Circuit Main Earths and the issue and cancellation of Permits‑to‑Work, Sanctions‑for‑Test and, where applicable, Limitations‑of‑Access.
What skills make a great Control Engineer?
- Strong technical foundation: Power systems knowledge (HV/LV, protection, generation), understanding network diagrams and schematics, awareness of asset capabilities and limits, seeing the whole system, staying calm in all situations, prioritising correctly with incomplete information, balancing speed with safety, making complex, high‑risk decisions without hesitation or panic, precision and discipline.
- Clear communication: Communicate clearly with field engineers, calmly with operational leaders, accurately under stress; good Control Engineers are typically excellent communicators.
- Resilience and emotional control: shift work ensuring 24/7 coverage, exposure to major incidents, responsibility for public safety; mentally robust and resilient.
- Situational awareness: understand what’s happening now, anticipate what could happen next, think in contingencies and fail‑safes, constantly asking “After this or if this isn’t as expected, what’s my next move?”
In Northern Powergrid Control Engineers are critical to safety, reliability, and performance
They operate the network in real time. Their decisions affect customers, colleagues, finances, and reputation. Great Control Engineers combine technical expertise with calm, disciplined judgement. They are not just engineers, but trusted distribution system controllers, decision‑makers, and guardians of the electricity network.
Qualifications
- HNC in Electrical Engineering (or working towards)
- Starting salary for a trainee would be £44,529 pa (Technical B pp9)
- Fully qualified Control Engineers salaries are currently £53,711 – £73,451
- Shift allowance of +27% of salary applies to these positions when on 24/7 cover.
- The successful candidate will be required to consent to a security check.
Closing date for applications: 3 June 2026
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