Authorising Engineer - Electrical

Job OverviewTo act as an independent Authorising Engineer (AE) for HV/LV electrical systems within data centre and critical environment operations throughout the UK, providing recognised technical authority, governance, assurance and control of work activities. The AE shall operate independently of day-to-day operational delivery, with sufficient authority to challenge, stop, suspend or escalate unsafe or non-compliant activities, and shall report functionally to the Co-ordinating Authorising Engineer. The role supports statutory compliance, Mitie Safe Systems of Work (SSoW), client governance requirements, operational resilience expectations and recognised critical environment standards including both EOPs & SOPs

Main Duties

Technical Authority, Independence & Control of Work

-Act as the independent technical authority for HV/LV electrical safety, switching, isolation, energisation and restoration activities in data centre and critical environment operations.

· Approve, maintain and assure the application of Mitie HV/LV safety rules, electrical safety procedures, switching schedules, permits, isolation standards and supporting Safe Systems of Work.

· Define system boundaries, assets, demarcation points, operational responsibilities and escalation routes for electrical systems and critical infrastructure interfaces.

· Exercise clear authority to challenge, delay, suspend or stop work where safety, compliance, competency or resilience requirements are not demonstrably met.

Authorisation & Competency

-Assess, recommend, appoint, audit, suspend or remove Authorised Persons (APs), and other electrically competent persons in accordance with Mitie and client governance arrangements.

· Maintain competency frameworks, appointment records, audit evidence and ongoing assurance schedules for authorised electrical personnel.

· Provide technical coaching, challenge and assurance while remaining independent from operational delivery decisions.

Governance, Audit, Risk & Compliance

-Lead independent audits, technical assurance reviews and compliance inspections of HV/LV systems, electrical safety management arrangements and critical environment controls.

· Identify systemic risks, non-conformances and control weaknesses, ensuring clear corrective and preventive action plans are agreed, tracked and closed.

· Ensure compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations, BS 7671, relevant HSE guidance, client standards, applicable industry good practice and Mitie HV/LV safety rules

· Provide concise governance reporting to the Co-ordinating Authorising Engineer and relevant senior stakeholders, highlighting risk, compliance status, assurance findings, resource levels and required decisions.

Incident, Change & Operational Resilience

-Provide independent technical leadership for electrical incidents, near misses, significant switching events and resilience-related failures.

· Support root cause analysis, lessons learned, corrective and preventive actions, and governance improvements to prevent recurrence.

· Review and advise on electrical risk associated with planned works, maintenance strategy, change control, energisation activities, testing and business continuity exercises.

· Support operational resilience requirements, including business continuity planning, critical system recovery arrangements and evidence-based assurance of control effectiveness.

Standards & Framework Alignment

-Ensure alignment with recognised critical environment standards and guidance, including Uptime Institute principles where applicable.

· Apply relevant EN 50600 principles for data centre availability, resilience, maintainability and operational risk control.

· Support ISO-aligned management systems, assurance frameworks and client operational resilience requirements, including FCA PS21/3 expectations where relevant.

What we are looking forQualifications

· HNC/HND/Degree in Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering or equivalent demonstrable experience.

· Extensive HV/LV operational experience within data centres, critical environments or high-availability infrastructure.

· Previous Authorising Engineer, Senior Authorised Person or equivalent electrical safety governance experience.

· Strong working knowledge of the Electricity at Work Regulations, BS 7671, HSE guidance, electrical safety rules, permit-to-work arrangements and critical environment controls.

· Chartered Engineer status, Incorporated Engineer status or active progression towards professional registration is desirable.

Experience & Governance

· Proven experience operating with independence, authority and professional judgement in technically complex, safety-critical environments.

· Demonstrable ability to control work activities through robust governance, assurance, audit, competency assessment and escalation.

· Experience managing electrical safety rules, authorisation processes, switching governance, isolation standards and permit-to-work arrangements.

· Experience of external audit, internal audit, risk management, incident investigation and corrective action closure.

· Ability to provide executive-ready reporting on compliance, risk, assurance findings, control effectiveness and required interventions.

Interacting & Communicating

· Able to establish credible relationships with operational teams, client representatives, senior stakeholders, contractors and specialist suppliers while retaining independence of judgement.

· Confident to challenge unsafe, non-compliant or poorly controlled activities and to escalate appropriately through the Co-ordinating Authorising Engineer and senior governance forums.

· Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate technical risk clearly to executive, client and operational audiences.

· Diplomatic but firm, with the resilience and authority to make evidence-based decisions and see them through.

Analysing & Reporting

· Able to produce clear, concise and structured reports, technical papers, audit findings and governance updates.

· Strong analytical capability, with the ability to assess complex electrical risk, identify root causes and recommend practical, proportionate controls.

· Competent in using digital systems, compliance platforms and reporting tools to manage evidence, actions, trends and assurance outputs.

Adapting & Performing

· Able to respond effectively to live incidents, high-risk works, critical change events and business continuity scenarios.

· Maintains professional composure and sound judgement under pressure, particularly where safety, service continuity or client impact is at stake.

· Flexible, adaptable and able to travel UK wide to support assurance, audits, incident response and governance activities across relevant sites.

· Committed to continuous improvement, learning from incidents and strengthening electrical safety governance across the contract.

Other

· Provides clear expectations, standards and guidance to authorised personnel and operational teams.

· Maintains independence, impartiality and professional integrity when making authorisation, assurance and escalation decisions.

· Promotes a culture of safety, compliance, operational resilience and continual improvement.