Professional Civil Engineer (Pr Eng) for Utility-Scale Solar PV in Cape Town

This permanent, full-time role is based in Cape Town with regular site travel required. You will act as the civil engineering authority for a utility-scale solar PV plant, taking full responsibility for the civil design basis and signing off on civil, geotechnical, hydrological and structural design as a Professional Engineer.

What the day to day involves:

• Managing surveys and studies, including topographic, geotechnical, hydrology and pile pull-out testing, and turning the results into practical design parameters.
• Designing and approving roads, drainage and stormwater systems, earthworks, platforms, laydowns, cable trenches, equipment foundations, fencing and O&M campus buildings to South African standards.
• Setting the driven pile design, including embedment, tolerances, refusal protocol and corrosion protection.
• Developing measures for wind-blown sand, dust, erosion and excavation stability in non-cohesive sand.
• Sourcing and approving road and construction materials, including alternative materials with supporting test data.
• Directing the in-house design team and specialist consultants, and reviewing contractor civil design, materials and temporary works.
• Providing engineering input for water use, waste, mining, building and transport approvals, and owning civil quantities, specifications and technical bid evaluations.
• Supporting site teams at engineering hold points and handing over a complete civil as-built record and maintenance requirements for operations.

Application notes: The recruiter is MH Solutions. Apply through the PNet listing. No specific documents or reference numbers are mentioned in the ad, so have your CV and supporting qualifications ready.

• BSc (Eng) or BEng in Civil Engineering, or an equivalent qualification accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer (Pr Eng) with ECSA, in good standing.
• At least ten years of post graduate civil engineering experience, with at least three years since Pr Eng registration.
• A valid South African driver's licence and willingness to travel to site regularly.
• Civil design and site delivery experience on utility-scale renewable energy projects, with solar PV preferred.
• Stormwater, drainage and flood hydrology design, and gravel road design with imported layerworks.
• Geotechnical engineering in sands, including driven pile foundations and pull-out testing.
• Foundation and structural design for substations, equipment and small buildings.
• Review of contractor design and temporary works under FIDIC, NEC or GCC conditions.
• Work on the West Coast or on environmentally constrained sites is a strong advantage.
• SAICE membership and a postgraduate qualification are welcome.

• Act as the civil engineering authority for the plant, owning the civil design basis and signing as Pr Eng for civil, geotechnical, hydrological and structural design.
• Manage surveys and studies and translate results into design parameters.
• Design or approve roads, drainage, stormwater, earthworks, platforms, laydowns, cable trenches, equipment foundations, fencing and O&M campus buildings.
• Set driven pile design criteria, including embedment, tolerances, refusal protocol and corrosion protection.
• Develop practical measures for wind-blown sand, dust, erosion and excavation stability in non-cohesive sand.
• Source and approve road and construction materials, including alternatives with testing support.
• Direct the in-house design team and specialist consultants, and review contractor civil design, materials and temporary works.
• Provide engineering input into water use, waste, mining, building and transport approvals.
• Own civil quantities, specifications and technical bid evaluations.
• Support site teams at engineering hold points and hand over civil as-built records and maintenance requirements.