Principal Engineer, Network Planning

When you choose AusNet, you’ll join genuine people working together making Real. Progress

At AusNet, we’re the link between renewable energy sources and local communities, playing a key role in the clean energy transition and providing essential energy to every Victorian family.

Help us lead the way, while enriching your career with real people who encourage you to bring your best and make real impact – for your career, our communities, and Australia’s cleaner energy future.

Purposeful work with genuinely good people. That’s refreshing.

As a Principal Engineer Network Planning, you will lead, innovate, plan, and deliver economic and strategic solutions for AusNet’s distribution network, serving 802,000 customers across eastern and northeastern Victoria, and Melbourne's North and East.

Success in this role hinges on your ability to develop, promote, and refine network planning processes, techniques, and systems for efficient management of network assets. You will lead, prepare, and communicate Regulatory Investment Tests and Electricity Distribution Price Reset proposals, as well as DLF and NGERs calculations. Additionally, you will evaluate, scope, and prepare business cases for network capacity, reliability, quality of supply projects, and asset renewal programs. Timely investigation of network safety, capacity, reliability, and quality of supply issues is also crucial.

You will coordinate and build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders such as DEECA, AEMO, and the AER. Your responsibilities will include providing high-quality network studies, constraint analysis, option evaluations, long-term plans, and strategic and technical input to our stakeholders and business.

This role offers a hybrid work arrangement (office/WFH) and is based in Southbank, within the Distribution Network Strategy & Planning team.

This role will deliver real outcomes, including but not limited to:

• Lead comprehensive strategic planning processes to assess network capabilities (long & short-term), assess emerging issues, and identify areas of the network where limitations are existing or expected to emerge in the future, and develop network solution and contingency plans
• Lead the planning for augmentation of the AusNet’s network to maintain bushfire safety compliance with Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCL) technology
• Lead Distribution Loss Factors, fault level forecasts and development plans for HV and LV networks and contribute to demand and energy forecasts
• Manage delivery of current and emerging non-network solutions required to reduce network demand and generation to avoid/defer network investment
• Advanced commercial acumen, external stakeholder engagement and understanding of regulatory models and new technologies to identify the appropriate solution(s) to address the needs of the network and customers
• Act as the technical subject matter expert for the business in all Network Planning matters and provide mentorship and guidance to team members.

You don’t need to check every box; however, we are looking for a good combination of:

• Relevant qualification and experience in Engineering
• Extensive experience in contemporary electricity network planning, asset management practices and overarching markets
• Expert proficiency in using electricity network analysis tools or relevant software (such as Sincal, PSS/E, PowerFactory and/or PSCAD) and interpreting results. Proficiency programming in languages such as Python being highly desirable
• Proven experience for management of a number of projects simultaneously from conception to implementation and realisation of program objectives
• Detailed knowledge of National Electricity Rules, the energy markets and relevant laws, regulations, rules, licences and agreements
• Comprehension of primary plant, network protection and control devices, with experience in functional design, testing and commissioning of special protection schemes and remedial action schemes, being highly desirable

A real place to belong.

We celebrate unique voices, refreshing perspectives and diversity in our team. Engage and connect through our social club, family day, wide range of events or by joining one of our Employee Network Groups.

We believe in more than just competitive pay. Here’s what sets us apart:

• Flexibility: whether this is hybrid work, flexible hours, or part time arrangements, we’ll work with you to help balance work and life.
• Leave: more than typical personal leave and a generous 14 weeks of paid parental leave, with no minimum service.
• Community giving: a paid day to volunteer with our social impact partner, Foodbank, or for a cause that matters to you.
• Perks: we offer all the other perks you’ve come to expect like purchased leave, income protection insurance, novated leasing, corporate discounts, private health cover discounts and more.

As an industry in transformation, we’re excited by the possibilities ahead.

So, if you’re passionate about our purpose and committed to making real progress, bring your energy and join AusNet. Together, we can shape a new way forward.