Senior Engineer: Grid Connections

About the Company

Since its establishment in 2008, Mulilo has grown into one of the leading Independent Power Producers (IPP) in Southern Africa. Mulilo is majority owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, the world’s leading private equity investor in renewable energy assets, through its New Markets Fund I. Mulilo has concluded numerous PPA's in both the Department of Mineral Energy's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) and with several large corporate energy users. Mulilo currently operates 450MW of wind and solar PV projects and has a further 500MW of projects under financial close
and close to 1GWh of energy storage projects awarded with its partners. Having adopted a strategy that aligns with the company's long-term vision, Mulilo has accumulated a pipeline of projects exceeding 25GW, and is now positioned as a key player in the renewable energy sector. 

Mulilo places strong emphasis on its human capital and prides itself in providing a world class working environment for all its employees, thereby placing huge value on career progression and personal growth. 

Mulilo is guided by strong ethical principles and adheres to its environmental, social and governance responsibilities.  

About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) 

Founded in 2012, CIP is the world’s largest dedicated renewable energy fund manager and a global leader in offshore wind. CIP currently manages over 30 billion Euro’s, with a target of having 100 billion Euros under management by 2030. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X. 

About this role

Mulilo is seeking an experienced Senior Engineer: Grid Connections to join our growing Engineering team.
In this role, you will provide critical inputs to Mulilo’s grid connections strategy and execution, playing a vital role in securing grid access for our portfolio of utility-scale renewable energy and battery energy storage projects.

You will provide expert engineering and project management support through all phases including development, design, construction, commissioning, and project closeout, including occasional site-based activities. A key component of this role is the direct engagement with Eskom, NTCSA, NERSA, and other stakeholders to secure Cost Estimate Letters (CELs), Budget Quotes (BQs), and compile IGCAR submissions. You will lead technical discussions and negotiations related to self-build scopes (Tx and Dx), with a strong focus on optimizing grid connection designs, timelines, and costs.

While residing within the Solar Engineering project team and reporting to the Director: Solar Engineering this role is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the optimised grid connections are secured across all of Mulilo's projects, irrespective of the specific generation or storage technology. This role offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge renewable infrastructure, influence grid connection policy, and play a key part in delivering industry-leading energy projects in South Africa. You will help define and continually improve Mulilo’s grid connection engineering standards, templates, workflows, and documentation, while ensuring that all work adheres to regulatory, environmental, and technical compliance requirements.

As part of the EPC department, Mulilo's Engineering team supports all facets of the company’s business divisions, with collaboration across multidisciplinary teams as a cornerstone of our culture.

Duties and responsibilities 

Grid Analysis & Strategic Planning:

• Conduct and oversee regional transmission screening analyses to identify viable areas with grid capacity.
•  Review power flow, curtailment, and congestion studies; advise on risks, upgrade needs, and cost impacts.
•  Monitor transmission expansion activities and identify opportunities for long-term service rights or ownership.
• Actively contribute to the planning strategy for new developments by advising on transmission constraints and capacity.
•  Provide grid connection related technical inputs into bidding rounds, PPA schedules, and other document packages, as necessary.

Grid Connection Process Management: 

• Prepare and submit Cost Estimate Letter (CEL) and Budget Quote (BQ) applications;
• Prepare and submit IGCAR documentation to secure grid capacity.
• Manage the Eskom / NTCSA interconnection processes, including Dx and Tx Self Build applications, approvals (DRT, TEF), and agreement finalisation.
• Interface with Eskom, NTCSA, internal stakeholders, and consultants throughout the Self Build process until final handover.
• Engage and coordinate with design consultants for detailed design and concept validation.

Stakeholder and Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with consultants, regulatory bodies, utilities, and internal stakeholders, including development, procurements, construction, and project management teams
• Regularly engage with project stakeholders to strengthen relationships between site and office-based teams and ensure alignment on project objectives.

Leadership, Standardisation & Quality Control:

• Provide leadership for engineering inputs related to grid connections across the Mulilo portfolio.
• Standardise grid connection documentation, workflows, and templates to drive consistency and excellence.
•  Review Design Consultant RFPs and proposals; participate in contract negotiation and quality enforcement.
• Support internal training, process improvement, and engineering mentorship across the Engineering team.
•  Lead efforts to expand and build Mulilo’s grid connection capacity and capability.
• Mentor engineers-in-training, and engineers by providing guidance and support in their professional development.
• Offer detailed feedback on technical outputs and assignments, facilitating knowledge transfer and skill enhancement across the team.

Team Culture and Development:

• Foster a culture of collaboration, professional development, and technical excellence, ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic goals and the implementation of best practices concerning the Engineering discipline
• Drive continuous improvement and foster a culture of technical excellence.
• Work together with Engineering leadership to identify and develop necessary skills within the Engineering team to meet project demands.
• Contribute to the development of pragmatic and implementable workflows and processes within the Engineering team with the specific objective of improving the team’s operational efficiency.
• Create a work environment that promotes productivity, individual creativity, and job satisfaction.

Required skills and education background. 

• Bachelor's or master's degree in electrical or Power Systems Engineering (BSc Electrical Engineering – Heavy Current/High Voltage preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in Eskom or related grid connection roles.
• Deep knowledge of Eskom Self Build processes, RETEC Grid Code Compliance, and power system design (MV and HV).
•  Experience in Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and split contracts for High Voltage Systems, Balance of Plant, Eskom Self Build or Conventional Power Generation.
• Experience with RETEC Grid Code compliance and interconnection studies.
• Quality control, critical thinking, and troubleshooting
• Professional certification may be desired i.e. Pr. Eng / 3rd party training.
• Familiarity with applicable Eskom standards, NERSA grid codes, SANS standards, IEC standards and regulations used in South Africa.
• Ability to manage several projects with time-sensitive project deliverables simultaneously and deliver them on time and budget.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work with contractors, advisors, consultants, and staff in a team environment.

Desirable attributes

The ideal candidate would have a passion for the Renewable Energy sector and personality traits would include a high level of diligence, positive and engaged attitude, strong morals, determination, resilience, and agility.

Mulilo is an employer of choice and is offering an extremely competitive total remuneration package for this position.

Additional Information

Able to work overtime according to operational needs.

The position is based at the offices of the company, but travel may be required occasionally.