Summary of "A Day in the Life of an Electrical Engineer 2026"

Event overview

An Engineering New Zealand / Electrical Engineering Group panel featuring four early‑career electrical engineers. Each presenter (within their first few years in industry) spoke for ~10–15 minutes about their roles, typical tasks, projects and career advice. Questions were taken at the end.

Purpose and format

• Showcase what early‑career electrical engineers actually do.
• Encourage students into the profession by giving practical, real‑world insight.
• Four presenters + moderated Q&A.

Overarching messages

Electrical engineering is diverse: many industries (energy generation, transmission/distribution, industrial sites, transport, telecoms, renewables, buildings, fusion research) and many different daily tasks. Much of the work combines technical design with documentation, teamwork and communication; safety and standards are central.

Key points:

• Internships and hands‑on experience are the single best way to learn what the job is really like and to get a foot in the door.
• The sector needs more engineers as renewable generation and electrification expand; there are many career paths (primary equipment, protection, secondary systems, planning, OT/comms, site/contractor roles).
• Practical skills (PowerFactory, Excel, PowerBI, GIS/ArcPro, relay/conventional drawing knowledge, standards) plus soft skills (communication, curiosity, willingness to learn) are important.

Detailed takeaways, processes and methodologies

1. Typical consultancy / EDB project workflow

1. Client approaches consultancy/EDB with a problem or project.
2. Engineers design the solution:
   • LV and HV single‑line design (switchboards, transformers, motor circuits).
   • Instrumentation & control design (PLCs, cabinets, sensors).
   • Protection / secondary systems (relays, fault clearing).
   • Earthing and lightning protection.
   • OT / communications design (fibre, radio, repeater networks).
3. Produce documentation for builders/contractors:
   • Single Line Diagrams (SLDs), P&IDs, relay/instrumentation diagrams, cable schedules, scope of works, specifications, 3‑D models for greenfield sites.
4. Review and verification: self‑check and independent peer review before issuing to client.
5. Issue for tender → contractor builds → contractor provides markups during construction → issue as‑built drawings.

2. Risk assessment methodology (safety‑critical design example)

• Multi‑day workshop with client and stakeholders.
• Steps:
  • List hazards for each system part.
  • For each hazard: assess possible failures, severity, and likelihood.
  • Determine required protection levels and design measures (e.g., interlocked safety gates).
• Translate mitigations into interlocks, physical barriers, procedures and documentation.

3. Lightning protection basics (practical approach)

• Provide a safe, low‑resistance path to earth to prevent equipment damage.
• Deliver site earthing/layout drawings and SLDs showing earthing and protection for tanks/structures.
• Use standards and methods such as the rolling‑sphere method to identify high points and place air‑termination/lightning rods and earth connections.

4. Power‑system planning and assessments

• Load forecasting: model demand up to 15 years (inputs: population, EV uptake, behavior, economic factors).
• Contingency / N‑1 planning: ensure supply continuity if one asset fails.
• Technical approvals: review developer/consultant designs (using PowerFactory) for network impacts (overloads, voltage violations).
• Planned outage assessments: simulate temporary outages and verify critical loads remain secure.
• Distributed generation (DG) approvals: assess solar/wind exports, create approvals and technical conditions.
• Network and system studies using national system models (NIPS/SIPS) to evaluate generation impacts and stability.

5. Protection engineering basics

• Protection functions (distance, overcurrent, etc.) use voltage/current measurements and relay logic to detect faults and trip appropriately.
• Relay/instrumentation diagrams and GOOSE mapping define relay communications and protection logic.

Tools and software commonly used

• PowerFactory — network modelling, loadflow, contingency analysis.
• PowerBI — data visualization, automation for large datasets.
• Excel — data processing (still heavily used).
• ArcGIS / ArcPro — asset data and spatial analysis.
• 3‑D modelling and laser scans — greenfield substations and complex plant layouts.
• Relay configuration tools, numerical relays and GOOSE mapping tools.
• Standard documents and national standards (e.g., inverter standards for DG).

Concrete examples and projects mentioned

• Jack (Oricon)

  • Industrial electrical/instrumentation & controls: dairy, fuel terminals, fertilizer, telco.
  • Large greenfield design: University of Melbourne research facilities (DMAD wave basin and gantry).
  • Fuel terminal construction support; lightning damage to weather radar case.

• Lydia (Electra)

  • Network engineer at a distribution company.
  • Rotations: subtransmission (33 kV), distribution (11 kV and below), secondary systems (protection), OT, GIS/inspector field visits.
  • Projects: transformer age index model, site visits to switchgear and Ripple plants.

• Pravin / “Praine” (Becca)

  • Power systems engineer across primary/secondary/protection/system studies/future energy.
  • Projects: Frankton (Queenstown) substation replacement/protection duplication; Hawke’s Bay substation upgrade for new solar farms (3‑D modelling, clearances); Altona terminal station voltage regulation relays; wind farm electrical architecture and controls; national NIPS/SIPS models.

• Sargon (Wellington Electricity)

  • Network planning: load forecasting, technical approvals, planned outage assessments, DG approvals.
  • Everyday use of PowerFactory and PowerBI, field coordination across a large service territory (~200k ICPs).

Career and practical advice

• Internships

  • Do them early — they provide realistic experience and entry into the industry.
  • Apply widely and persistently; expect many applications before success.

• Networking

  • Attend career fairs, university talks, industry events and conferences (e.g., Apex, Engineering New Zealand events).
  • Meet people and ask questions.

• CV tips

  • Include university projects, relevant tools (PowerFactory, Excel, programming, GIS) and a willingness to learn.
  • Be honest about skills; attitude and curiosity matter more than prior experience.
  • Use lecturers and contacts to find opportunities.

• Skills to develop

  • Technical: PowerFactory, relay/protection basics, 3‑D modelling, GIS, Excel (shortcuts, data manipulation), PowerBI.
  • Soft: clear written documentation, explaining technical ideas to non‑technical stakeholders, teamwork, asking questions, persistence.

• Learning outside work

  • Conferences, technical YouTube content, reading industry standards, learning from senior colleagues.

• On AI

  • Use is restricted due to confidentiality; internal/secure tools only.
  • AI may automate routine drawing generation, but human engineering judgment and responsibility remain essential.

• Practical mindset

  • Expect impostor syndrome; accept being a beginner and ask questions.
  • Try multiple internships/roles if unsure — career paths are flexible.
  • Enjoy the variety and impact: designs affect public safety and infrastructure (hospitals, homes, renewables).

Who does the physical construction?

• Contractors and field service teams carry out physical installation, switching and maintenance.
• Typical sequence:
  1. Client owns asset.
  2. Consultancy designs.
  3. Issue for tender.
  4. Contractor builds.
  5. Contractor submits markups.
  6. Consultancy issues final as‑built documents.
• EDB field service teams handle routine/manual switching and maintenance.

Other themes / industry context

• Growing demand for engineers due to electrification and renewable expansion; workforce constraints noted.
• Safety and standards are non‑negotiable (earthing, protection, interlocks).
• Work is collaborative: coordination with mechanical, civil, structural disciplines, project managers, suppliers and contractors.
• Job rhythm varies: some weeks heavy, some light; site visits add valuable context to desk work.

Speakers / sources featured

• Chris Lambell — Deputy Chair, Electrical Engineering Group (moderator/host)
• Jack — Graduate Electrical / Instrumentation & Controls Engineer (Oricon, Wellington)
• Lydia — Graduate Network Electrical Engineer (Electra)
• Pravin / “Praine” — Power Systems Engineer (Becca)
• Sargon (transcribed also as “Sagon”) — Network Planning Engineer (Wellington Electricity)
• Additional contributors during Q&A: Engineering New Zealand / event organisers and various audience members (unnamed)

Notes: subtitles were auto‑generated and contained small name/word variations; names were used as spoken where possible.

Category

Educational

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