Associate Director – Power

Overview

As Associate Director at HDR, you will lead complex power engineering projects and guide multi-disciplinary teams from concept to detailed design. You’ll shape outcomes for high-profile clients in utilities, data centres, and low-carbon power solutions, collaborating across HDR’s global power team. Drive technical leadership, client relationships, and project governance to deliver commercially successful, sustainable designs. You’ll mentor engineers, expand the substation design capability, and influence strategic initiatives within a growing power portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for complex engineering projects and set technical and client-experience standards
• Define and deliver business plans for your discipline or regional team, including revenue and growth targets
• Oversee multiple projects from concept to detailed design ensuring quality and client satisfaction
• Act as senior technical authority for high-voltage design up to 765kV across projects
• Build and maintain long-term client relationships and drive repeat business through leadership
• Oversee bids and tender strategies, including fee negotiations and risk assessment
• Champion innovation by embedding sustainability, digital engineering, and new technologies
• Develop team performance through clear objectives, mentoring, and succession planning
• Provide governance for project delivery ensuring compliance with ISO 9001, 14001 and H&S
• Collaborate with other leaders to drive strategic initiatives and improve processes
• Represent the company externally via professional institutions and industry forums

Key requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering
• Minimum 9 years of electrical engineering design experience with high-voltage switchyard/substation projects up to 765kV
• Strong understanding of electrical, civil, and structural aspects of substation design and familiarity with IEC, IEEE, ANSI standards
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary design teams and managing multi-million-pound projects
• Strong commercial acumen with budgeting, risk assessment, and contract negotiation experience
• Demonstrated success in client relationship management, business development, and securing new work
• Knowledge of Power System Studies software (e.g., DigSILENT, IPSA, ETAP) for guiding technical teams
• Excellent leadership, communication, and influencing skills

• leadership and people development
• client-facing relationship management
• strategic thinking and collaboration
• high-voltage electrical design up to 765kV
• substation design (electrical, civil, structural)
• Power System Studies software DigSILENT, IPSA, ETAP

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