Principal Engineer – HV Infrastructure (Australia)

Company Overview

STACK Infrastructure builds, owns, and operates hyperscale and colocation data centers that power the world’s most ambitious technology companies. With a rapidly expanding footprint across APAC, STACK combines deep development expertise, flexible capital, and operational discipline to deliver critical digital infrastructure at scale.

Our clients include the largest hyperscale cloud platforms. We are building a regional platform defined by speed of delivery, power reliability, and long-term partnership — and we are assembling the team to lead that effort.

Summary/Objective

The Principal Engineer – HV Infrastructure is the senior technical engineering role within STACK’s Power & Energy function responsible for the technical integrity, engineering governance and design assurance of STACK’s upstream high-voltage infrastructure.

The role provides technical leadership across the development and delivery of transmission and distribution connections, HV substations, transformers, switchgear, HV cables/lines, protection and control systems, contestable assets, BESS and associated infrastructure.

The Principal Engineer will act as STACK’s owner’s engineer and HV technical authority, establishing engineering requirements, reviewing and challenging EPC designs, managing specialist engineering consultants and ensuring delivered infrastructure meets STACK, NSP, regulatory, safety, reliability and operational requirements.

The role works closely with the Grid Connection Manager, Senior Project Managers, Engineering, Operations, NSPs, EPC contractors and OEMs throughout the asset lifecycle.

HV Engineering & Technical Authority

• Provide technical leadership and engineering governance for STACK’s HV infrastructure portfolio.

• Establish and maintain HV engineering requirements, design criteria, technical specifications and standard solutions.

• Lead development and technical review of substation architecture, transformers, switchgear, HV cables/lines, protection and control, SCADA, metering, earthing and associated systems.

• Ensure engineering solutions appropriately address reliability, redundancy, maintainability, safety, operability and future expansion.

• Provide technical recommendations and resolve complex engineering issues throughout project development and delivery.

Design Assurance & EPC Engineering Management

• Act as STACK’s owner’s engineer for HV infrastructure delivered through ECI/EPC arrangements.

• Review and approve contractor design deliverables against STACK requirements and applicable standards.

• Lead technical reviews, design workshops, HAZID/design-risk reviews and engineering hold points.

• Challenge EPC and consultant proposals where appropriate to optimise technical performance, constructability, reliability and lifecycle outcomes.

• Manage specialist engineering consultants where additional technical expertise is required.

• Maintain technical configuration and design-change control through project delivery.

Grid Connection & Power-System Interface

• Work closely with the Grid Connection Manager to ensure connection requirements, CPS, GPS and grid-study outcomes are incorporated into HV infrastructure design.

• Provide HV plant data, equipment characteristics and design inputs required for power-system studies and modelling.

• Support technical assessment of fault levels, harmonics, reactive power, system strength, protection and other grid-facing requirements.

• Ensure changes to HV equipment or architecture are assessed for potential impacts on connection studies and compliance.

• Support resolution of technical matters with NSPs, AEMO, consultants and OEMs where they relate to HV infrastructure.

Delivery, Commissioning & Operational Readiness

• Provide engineering support to Senior Project Managers throughout procurement, construction, testing and commissioning.

• Lead technical evaluation of major HV equipment and OEM submissions.

• Participate in FATs, SATs, protection testing, commissioning and technical acceptance activities as required.

• Provide technical assurance that installed assets comply with approved design and performance requirements.

• Work with DC Operations to ensure maintainability, operating philosophy, asset information, spares and technical requirements are incorporated before handover.

• Support investigation and resolution of technical issues during commissioning and early operation.

Engineering Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain appropriate technical standards, design records, specifications and engineering decision documentation.

• Develop standardised HV solutions and lessons learned across STACK’s Australian portfolio.

• Monitor relevant Australian and international standards, NSP requirements and emerging HV technologies.

• Provide technical mentoring and support to project engineers and broader project teams.

• Promote strong engineering governance and disciplined technical decision-making across the organisation.

Competencies

• Deep technical expertise in HV electrical systems and substation engineering.

• Strong understanding of transmission and distribution infrastructure.

• Strong knowledge of primary plant, protection and control, transformers, switchgear, HV cables and associated systems.

• Ability to critically review complex engineering designs and consultant/EPC deliverables.

• Understanding of power-system studies, CPS, GPS and grid-connection requirements.

• Strong engineering judgement and ability to make risk-based technical decisions.

• Strong consultant, contractor and OEM management capability.

• Excellent technical communication and stakeholder-management skills.

• Ability to translate technical issues into clear recommendations for project and senior leadership teams.

Work Environment/Conditions

Working across STACK project, development and engineering environments in Australia, including project sites, offices, utility facilities and external stakeholder locations.

Travel Required

Travel within Australia and, from time to time, internationally to support STACK projects, stakeholder meetings, technical reviews, workshops and commissioning activities.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems Engineering.

• 10+ years’ relevant experience in transmission, distribution, utilities, renewable energy, major industrial infrastructure or similar HV environments.

• Demonstrated experience in HV substation design and engineering.

• Experience reviewing and managing engineering delivered by EPC contractors and consultants.

• Strong knowledge of Australian electrical standards and utility/network requirements.

• Experience across design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of HV infrastructure.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Experience with 132 kV, 220 kV, 275 kV, 330 kV or higher-voltage systems.

• Experience with Australian TNSPs/DNSPs and contestable assets.

• Experience with hyperscale data centres or large industrial loads.

• Experience with BESS and renewable-energy infrastructure.

• Understanding of PSCAD, PSS®E and/or Power Factory study environments.

• Experience with protection, harmonics, power quality and grid compliance.

• Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and Engineers Australia registration or equivalent professional recognition.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

• Ability to work flexibly to accommodate project, utility and stakeholder requirements.

• Willingness to attend site, technical workshops and commissioning activities outside standard business hours where required.

• Comfortable operating in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.

Equal Opportunity Employer

STACK provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.