Lead Protection & Control Engineer - OT Security

As our network evolves, so too does the need to protect it from emerging cyber threats. We are looking for a Lead OT Security Engineer to strengthen cybersecurity across our Protection & Control (P&C) and substation environments. This role is ideally suited to someone with a strong electrical or power systems engineering background – particularly within substations or P&C – who is looking to apply or develop their expertise in OT cybersecurity. You will act as a subject matter expert at system level, helping us understand risk across substation environments, improve cyber resilience, and shape how we invest in protecting critical infrastructure.

What you’ll do:

• Act as the technical lead for OT cybersecurity within substation and Protection & Control environments, ensuring secure‑by‑design delivery of engineering solutions.
• Lead assessments of substation and P&C systems to identify cyber and engineering risks, working with teams to define practical, real‑world improvements.
• Own and develop the cyber assessment framework for P&C, including metrics, assurance and regulatory reporting.
• Work closely with design, protection engineering, commissioning, operations and IT teams to embed security across the full engineering lifecycle.
• Provide expertise across substation automation and control systems, including protection relays, engineering workstations, gateways and OT networks (including IEC 61850 environments).
• Identify gaps in current cyber resilience and define clear, achievable remediation strategies.
• Develop and maintain key assurance artefacts such as security cases, risk registers and compliance evidence.
• Act as business lead on cyber resilience projects (including Ofgem‑funded programmes), ensuring outcomes are practical, effective and adopted by the business.
• Coach and support engineers in building consistent OT security practices across programmes.
• Engage with internal stakeholders, suppliers and industry bodies to continuously improve our cyber capability.

Qualifications:

• Essential: demonstrable experience in substation and/or power systems engineering within a regulated CNI environment.
• Essential: strong understanding of Protection & Control, substation automation or similar engineering systems.
• Essential: awareness of OT environments within critical infrastructure, with an interest in applying or developing cybersecurity knowledge.
• Essential: understanding of UK regulatory and industrial frameworks, and the ability to apply them pragmatically in safety‑critical environments.
• Essential: experience working across multi‑disciplinary teams, with strong stakeholder and supplier management skills.
• Desirable: experience in electricity transmission, distribution or generation, including knowledge of substation asset lifecycles, outage planning and engineering change.
• Desirable: exposure to OT/ICS cybersecurity concepts or standards (e.g. IEC 61850, ISA/IEC 62443).
• Desirable: cyber security certifications (e.g. CISSP, CISM, GICSP) or willingness to work towards them.

We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, and we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t match every point listed above.

Salary & Benefits:

• £60,000 – £77,000 pa + £3,000 pa Market Supplement + Benefits package (depending on experience).
• Training and Development.
• 37 hours Mon – Fri (Location – Variable/Flexible – Permanent/Full‑time with hybrid working).
• 26 days annual leave plus 8 statutory days.
• Enhanced parental leave.
• Generous contributory pension scheme – we will double‑match your contribution to a maximum of 18% (company contribution of 12%).
• Statutory Bank Holiday swapping – if you wish to change them for another day.
• The option to buy additional or sell holiday days.
• Financial support to help cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions, course fees, books, exam fees and time off for study leave relevant to your role.
• Access to flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary‑sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving.
• Family care benefits including a back‑up care service for when your usual care arrangements fall through (six paid days each year as standard with the option to purchase further days).
• Access to numerous apps which support health, fitness and wellbeing.