Senior Engineer - Battery Energy Storage Systems

Join us on the renewables revolution and help tackle climate change - You won’t just be helping make a world of difference, you’ll be creating a bright future for yourself too! 

Wood is recruiting for a Senior Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Engineer to join our Renewables business. 

The Renewables centre of excellence is based in Glasgow. However, we recognise the value of remote and hybrid working so are open to applications throughout the UK. International applicants will also be considered, with work visa and relocation support provided by us.

Join a culture of innovation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible to seek the best solutions for our clients. Being part of Wood means having access to a vast network of industry experts across multiple sectors and countries. Be ready to have significant learning opportunities to gain a holistic understanding of our industry. 

The Role  

As a Senior BESS Engineer, you will be a technical expert with engineering background in BESS design, certification and testing. You will work on in-front and behind the meter utility-scale energy storage projects, for standalone and co-located systems. The projects you will be supporting will cover advisory and owner’s engineering services, and you will be part of our Energy Storage and Hybrid Power team.  

You will provide specialist technical input to our teams and clients whilst also having an opportunity to manage a portfolio of due diligence and owner’s engineering assignments, with a focus on BESS on behalf of our clients. Through a collaborative approach with multi-disciplinary teams, you will produce professional and detailed technical designs, reports or documents.  

Within the project delivery team, you will be the main focal point for the client for BESS design queries, ensuring any challenges that arise are dealt with directly and developing strong relationships to play a part in the successful financing of the projects, and continued growth for the Renewables business.  

We have a library of training material for advisory services and a companywide Energy Transition and Project Management academies. As an expert in your field, you can join these communities and share your knowledge across the business supporting a future generation of experts as well as taking the opportunity to increase your own knowledge across other areas within Wood.  

In addition, you will have the opportunity to mentor and support the development of other consultants within the team, ensuring the knowledge and experience you have is shared to ensure the future growth of the team and industry. 

Our Clients and Projects  

It’s a future for all of us. We aspire to shape a better tomorrow by unlocking solutions that address the biggest challenges facing our clients and our society.  

We service a varied client base worldwide, including World-Class private developers (major and independent), investment banks, utilities & power generation companies, pension funds, Technology Innovation and Research Centres – to name but a few.  

We provide value add services bespoke to the clients' requirements across advisory services, technical specialists, project management, owners engineering through all the phases of the project lifecycle.  

Our specialisms across the renewables sector include onshore and offshore wind, green hydrogen, solar, grid, energy storage and industrial decarbonisation. The work that we do for our clients is key to making the energy transition possible. Our goal is to ensure a net-zero future of excellence. 

What we can offer 

• Meaningful and interesting projects delivered to leaders of industry across renewables and emerging energy sectors. 
• Flexible working arrangements that balance client, team and individual needs offering hybrid and remote working where relevant. 
• Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion – we are an organisation actively committed to diversity and inclusion across our business. 
• Competitive salary with regular salary reviews to ensure we are rewarding at the right level in line with the market. 
• Flexible benefits package – inclusive of 33 days annual leave (including public holidays), generous contributory pension scheme, private medical cover, 4x base salary life insurance; all of these and more that can be adapted to suit your own lifestyle. 
• Commitment to continued professional development; development plans that are tailored to your individual needs and interests. 
• Access to Advisory Services training – you can access a library of unique training material developed by experts within advisory services, take the opportunity to use these and add to them sharing your own expertise. 
• Energy Transition Academy – join a community of experts sharing your knowledge and gaining more exposure to a variety of existing and emerging energy systems – delivered by experts in their field across all of Wood. 
• Global connections – join experts around the world who are at the leading edge of our industry, shaping the standards of our profession. 

If all of this sounds good to you, review the typical responsibilities of the role and the requirements of the position below, then follow the link to apply and start your journey with Wood.  

Typical responsibilities 

• Supporting BESS project developments, providing engineering inputs from initial assessment, through to technical and economic feasibility, development phase, technical due diligence, construction monitoring, acceptance and operation monitoring 
• Preparing, reviewing and supporting draft of technical documents, including electrical designs, specifications, Employer’s Requirements, fire and explosion risk assessments, pre-fire plans, technical reports and proposals 
• Preparing tender documentation, and supporting the tender evaluation process 
• Site visits in the UK and abroad. 
• Providing technical support to other teams and clients regarding BESS design and technology. 
• Technical assessment of BESS, including all relevant system components. 
• Working with our Solar PV, Wind, Green Hydrogen and other technical teams to deliver energy storage and hybrid power projects, and providing BESS support when required. 
• Acting as an interface and point of contact for clients, supporting the development of client relationships. 
• Management of projects or tasks within projects, taking responsibility for technical, programme and budget performance. 

Skills / Qualifications 

You may read these details and are potentially thinking about not applying due to not having every single skill, knowledge or experience listed, and that is understandable. However, we would still like to hear from you.  

At Wood, we understand and acknowledge that everyone is different, and we are committed to equal opportunities and want to access all the talent that is out there. We are committed to attracting a broad range of skills, knowledge and experiences and embrace differences.   

So, even if you feel you do not meet all requirements listed, but feel you have some of the experience, knowledge or skills to help us unlock solutions to the world’s most critical challenges… do apply. 

Expected: 

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrochemistry, Process Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a relevant engineering field. Candidates that have completed a Ph.D. in similar areas are also welcome 
• Expertise performing electrical designs of integrated BESS and assessing the appropriateness of battery technology, power conversion, thermal management, battery management, energy management, fire prevention, fire suppression, and SCADA system designs. considering projects’ location, environment and target service 
• Familiarity with applicable codes, standards and regulations in the UK, understanding their limitations and how to overcome them (USA, Australia, or other European countries would also be favourable) 
• Experience preparing, performing or reviewing standard certification compliance tests, factory acceptance tests, fire and integration test plan for BESS, including reviewing vendor technical documentation 
• Experience preparing, performing or reviewing thermal runaway fire propagation tests at module, rack and system levels 
• Experience performing or reviewing fire and explosion risk assessments 
• Understanding of design and production considerations of Li-ion battery cells intended for the stationary BESS market, including test and quality assurance processes 

 Desirable: 

• Previous experience working in a BESS integrator focusing on the utility-scale stationary market, in an analytical battery test lab, or a battery consulting company 
• Previous experience in the areas of Lithium Battery Design, Testing, Manufacturing, Battery Integration and BESSs 
• Competence in understanding the implication of technical design choices in BESS contracts, warranties and performance guarantee 
• Previous experience with BESS test inspection, witnessing and verification of commissioning tests is favourable 
• Familiarity with BESS technical modelling and forecasting (e.g., usable energy output, cycling, performance analysis, degradation analysis and forecasting, revenue streams stacking, techno-economic optimisation, among others)