Electrical & Instrumentation Lead - Green Iron Demonstration Plant

Electrical & Instrumentation Lead – Green Iron Demonstration Plant Index Recruitment – Glenbrook, North Island We are proud to be partnering with CullBeck to recruit an Electrical & Instrumentation Lead for one of New Zealand’s most ambitious industrial decarbonisation technologies. This is a rare opportunity to join a New Zealand deep tech company as it moves from proven development work into industrial-scale engineering delivery, and to help design, commission and operate a first-of-its-kind facility within a relatively short timeframe. About CullBeck CullBeck is a New Zealand process technology company developing hydrogen‑based ironmaking technology for the global steel industry. The company’s shallow‑bed hydrogen reactor technology is designed to produce iron using hydrogen, with water vapour rather than CO₂ produced from the core reaction. It also has the potential to process titanomagnetite ironsands directly, opening a pathway for resources that are difficult to use in conventional ironmaking processes. The technology has been developed over several years, progressed through multiple scale‑up stages, and demonstrated rapid iron production in around 150 seconds, compared with around 12 hours in conventional ironmaking processes. With a founding team that brings deep steelmaking, metallurgical, hydrogen and fluid‑bed system expertise, CullBeck is now moving into the next major engineering phase: designing, building and commissioning a 2.5 tonne‑per‑hour green iron demonstration plant in Glenbrook. Learn more about CullBeck and its technology at cullbeck.com. About the role This is a senior E&I engineering role at the centre of CullBeck’s demonstration plant programme. You will be based in CullBeck’s offices next to the demonstration plant site at New Zealand Steel in Glenbrook. You will lead the electrical, controls and instrumentation work required to take the plant through front‑end engineering design, detailed design, procurement support, construction support and commissioning, and then support its operation. This is a hands‑on lead role, so you will need to be comfortable producing design deliverables yourself, reviewing work produced by others, identifying where specialist input is required, and keeping the E&I package moving without compromising quality or safety. The immediate focus will be the E&I design required for the plant, including power distribution, electrical heating for the reactor, controls, PLC integration, field instrumentation, hazardous area considerations, vendor packages and long‑lead procurement items. You will oversee and contribute to the core E&I design package for the plant, including power distribution documentation, electrical calculations, cable and junction box layouts, instrument indexes, hazardous area inputs, Basis of Design and P&ID inputs, technical specifications, datasheets, material requisitions and vendor bid reviews. You will report to the Engineering Manager and work closely with CullBeck’s internal engineering team, external design partners, specialist contractors, vendors and site stakeholders. This is a long‑term role extending beyond the demonstration plant. As CullBeck moves towards a commercial‑scale plant, you will lead the electrical, controls and instrumentation discipline in an owner’s engineer capacity, retaining technical ownership while working with external engineering partners, vendors and contractors. About you You will be an experienced Electrical Engineer with strong design and project delivery experience in heavy industry or process plant environments. Relevant backgrounds may include oil and gas, minerals/metals, pulp and paper, dairy, energy or other industrial sites where electrical, controls and instrumentation systems are critical to safe and reliable operation. You do not need to have worked in green iron or hydrogen ironmaking before. What matters is that you have strong E&I design experience, understand how industrial electrical systems are specified and delivered, and can operate as both a technical lead and hands‑on contributor. Experience in an engineering design consultancy, EPC environment, internal engineering team or industrial project delivery environment would be highly relevant, particularly if you have worked closely with vendors, contractors and site‑based project teams. You will ideally bring: A Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline Around 5–10+ years’ relevant industrial E&I design experience Experience in a senior, lead or senior project engineering capacity Strong experience producing and reviewing electrical design deliverables Good knowledge of power distribution, electrical calculations, cable systems, switchgear, transformers, VFDs, UPS and related packages Working knowledge of PLCs, control systems and field instrumentation Experience reviewing vendor proposals, technical specifications, datasheets and material requisitions An understanding of hazardous area classification and equipment requirements, ideally including IECEx environments Familiarity with HAZOP, HAZID, SIL or other process safety‑related design reviews Strong communication skills and the confidence to work with project managers, vendors, contractors and site stakeholders Chartered status, or progress toward Chartered status, would be valuable Just as importantly, you will need the right mindset. This role will suit someone who is technically strong, practical, self‑starting and hands‑on, with the judgement to help build the way things are done while maintaining engineering discipline, safety and documentation quality. You will need to be comfortable in a high‑stakes, high‑workload start‑up environment, where priorities can move quickly and strong ownership, judgement and delivery focus are essential. Why this role stands out Join CullBeck at a defining stage as the company moves into engineering delivery Lead E&I design for a first‑of‑its‑kind green iron demonstration plant Help build the internal engineering function from an early stage Gain exposure to hydrogen, high‑temperature industrial processing, process safety, modular plant design and future commercial scale‑up Work with an experienced founding and technical team with deep steel, metallurgical, hydrogen and fluid‑bed system expertise Competitive package, with potential equity upside for the right person Design, commission and help operate a first‑of‑its‑kind facility in a short timeframe Progress into an owner’s engineer role for CullBeck’s future commercial‑scale plant #J-18808-Ljbffr