Power Station Operations Graduate Programme

About the role

The Power Station Operations Graduate programme offers recent engineering graduates hands‑on experience at Kilroot and Ballylumford power stations in Northern Ireland. Over a 2‑3 year period you will rotate through plant operations, maintenance and engineering teams, developing the expertise needed to become a future leader in power generation.

Key responsibilities

• Operate and monitor generating plant from the control room during start‑up, load changes and shutdowns.
• Analyse plant performance data, support investigations and assist in fault‑finding across gas turbines, steam turbines, generators and auxiliary systems.
• Carry out routine inspections, identify defects and work with Operations, Maintenance and Engineering teams to resolve issues.
• Participate in plant outages, maintenance planning and engineering improvement projects.
• Develop technical knowledge to achieve Low Voltage and Mechanical Authorised Person status, progressing toward Senior Authorised Person.

Required profile

• Recent graduate (minimum 2:1 BEng) in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical or related engineering discipline.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities with a keen interest in power generation and energy systems.
• Commitment to safety, quality and continuous improvement in a safety‑critical environment.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Willingness to work a rotating 12‑hour shift pattern after an initial six‑month day‑shift training period.

Required skills

• Gas turbine technology
• Steam turbine technology
• Electrical generation and distribution systems
• Process engineering and plant optimisation
• Maintenance and reliability engineering