Control Systems Engineer (LV Management) in Somerset

This Control Systems Engineer will report to the Control Systems Delivery Manager and will work within the technology, Strategy, Regulation and Support Services directorate based in our Ipswich office. You will be a permanent employee. You will attract a salary of 84,160.00 and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote.

We also provide the following additional benefits:

• 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays.
• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid.
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%).
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan.
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes.
• Occupational Health support.
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Employee Assistance Programme.

Job Purpose: The role of the Control Systems Engineer is to develop, configure, and deliver UK Power Networks' Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) and associated operational technology applications. The role is responsible for the day-to-day support, maintenance, enhancement, and project delivery of critical control system applications, ensuring reliable operation of systems that help network management and operational decision making.

The post holder will work across the full application lifecycle, including system configuration, software deployment, Linux server administration, scripting and automation, troubleshooting, GIS–ADMS model integration, data quality, data mastery, system integration, testing, and change management activities. The role will help the delivery of new functionality, upgrades, interfaces, and operational improvements across the ADMS ecosystem.

The post holder will work closely with LV Management programmes, Control Systems Engineers, Operational Technology, GIS teams, and third‑party vendors to deliver ADMS functionalities and capabilities as part of delivery programmes into live operational systems.

Principal Accountabilities:

• ADMS Application Support and Delivery: Help, configure and maintain ADMS and associated operational applications in development, test, disaster recovery and production environments. Deliver enhancements, upgrades, fixes and new functionality in accordance with business and operational requirements. Investigate, diagnose and resolve application, database and system issues affecting operational services. Participate in application testing, user acceptance testing and operational readiness activities. Help major projects involving new control system capabilities, integrations and technology deployments.
• GIS–ADMS Integration Delivery: Design, configure, and deliver the integration of GIS network models into ADMS platforms to support LV Management use cases. Implement and maintain GIS adaptor technologies to ensure accurate model exchange between GIS and ADMS. Help end‑to‑end delivery from data extraction and transformation through to ADMS model validation and operational acceptance.
• System Integration and Interfaces: You will design, implementation and maintenance of interfaces between ADMS and other enterprise systems. Assist with troubleshooting data exchange and integration issues across multiple platforms. Participate in technical workshops and solution design activities for new integrations and projects. Support API, database and message-based integrations as required.
• Coding, Scripting, and Automation: Develop and maintain scripts and utilities to automate routine operational and engineering tasks. Help data processing, application administration and monitoring through automation. Develop solutions using technologies such as Python, Shell Scripting, SQL and other relevant programming languages. Improve operational efficiency by reducing manual activities and increasing process repeatability. Assist in developing tools for validation, reporting, troubleshooting and system administration.
• System Support and Change Management: Participate in system change and release activities across development, test and production environments. Help deployment planning and implementation activities for application updates and new releases. Ensure changes are documented, tested and implemented in accordance with company governance processes. Contribute to disaster recovery, resilience and cyber security initiatives.
• Engagement and Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with internal engineering teams, operational users, project managers and external vendors. Translate business requirements into technical solutions and implementation plans. Prepare technical documentation, help procedures and system design information. Communicate technical issues and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience: The successful candidate should hold a degree or equivalent industry qualifications. In addition, the candidate will be expected to demonstrate drive and experience in the following areas:

• Essential: Degree in Electrical Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology or equivalent industry experience. Proven experience in GIS systems and GIS–ADMS integration within a utilities or distribution network environment. Proven experience helping, configuring and delivering ADMS, DMS, SCADA or other Operational Technology (OT) applications within a utility or critical infrastructure environment. Good comprehension of electrical power systems, distribution networks and network operations. Knowledge of SCADA architecture, telemetry systems, RTUs, communications networks and operational technology infrastructure. Experience with the integration of ADMS, SCADA, RTUs and enterprise systems, including troubleshooting and support of operational interfaces. Experience of industry communication protocols such as DNP3, IEC 60870-5-101/104, IEC 61850, ICCP, Modbus or equivalent. Excellent Linux system administration and troubleshooting skills. Experience with Oracle, SQL and relational databases, including database queries and data analysis. Proficiency in Shell Scripting, Python, SQL or equivalent programming languages to help automation, monitoring and operational support activities. Experience with software installation, configuration, patching, upgrades and release deployment activities. Ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across application, operating system, database and network layers. Experience working within structured change, release and incident management processes. Solid analytical, communication and collaborator management skills.
• Desirable: Experience with GE Vernova PowerOn ADMS S6. Experience with GE Smallworld GIS and network model management. Experience with API integration, middleware, message brokers or enterprise integration technologies. Knowledge of cyber security practices within Operational Technology environments. Familiarity with DevOps practices, source control and automated deployment processes. Experience within the electricity distribution, transmission or utility sector. Experience helping Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity environments.

Health & Safety Responsibilities: Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment. Employees will ensure they fully understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and particularly where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied. Employees need to be aware that for some craft and operational roles that work at height, or use fall arrest devices, there is an upper weight limit of 116Kg due to maximum safe working load of the safety equipment that is used.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to be themselves. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If you meet the essential criteria and believe your skills, experience or transferable strengths could make you a great fit for the role, we’d love to hear from you. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

We may use AI-enabled tools to support elements of our recruitment process. These tools help us manage applications more efficiently and consistently, but they do not make hiring decisions. All recruitment decisions are made by trained employees using human judgement and oversight. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly and transparently, in line with our legal, regulatory and ethical obligations. Your data will be hosted within a secure environment and will only be used by UK Power Networks for the purpose of which it is intended. The data is used only as an input to provide insights for the screening process and is not retained by the model or by UK Power Networks’ contractor, shared with the contractor’s other customers or with OpenAI, or used to train or improve AI models.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Where applicable, this role is subject to safer recruitment processes and robust pre‑employment checks. If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.