HVDC simulation engineers: The rarest skill in the energy transition (and how to interview one)

The role nobody teaches you to hire

Some power sector roles are hard because the candidates are passive. Some are hard because the requirements are broad. The HVDC Simulation Engineer is hard because most hiring managers are not entirely sure what the person should be able to do, let alone how to tell whether a candidate can do it.

This article fixes that. We will explain what HVDC simulation actually involves, what separates a capable engineer from an exceptional one, and give you ten screening questions you can use in your next interview even if your background is not in power systems.

What HVDC is, and why it matters

High Voltage Direct Current transmission is what makes long-distance bulk power transfer and offshore wind connection commercially viable. Unlike AC, it avoids the same reactive power losses over distance, which makes it the preferred option for interconnectors, offshore wind export cables, and grid balancing. The UK alone runs multiple interconnectors (NemoLink, IFA2) with a growing offshore pipeline. HVDC is no longer niche; it is central infrastructure. To design and operate it reliably you need engineers who can model its behaviour before a single cable is laid. That is the HVDC Simulation Engineer.

EMT vs phasor: the question that separates the field

Anyone recruiting here needs to understand the two main simulation methodologies, because they are not interchangeable.

Phasor (RMS) simulation

Models the network in simplified steady state, suitable for slower phenomena like power flow, stability, and voltage regulation. Tools: DigSILENT PowerFactory, PSS/E, PowerWorld.

Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) simulation

Models the full electromagnetic behaviour, including fast transients, converter switching, and harmonic interactions. It is computationally intensive and essential for HVDC converter modelling. Tools: PSCAD, EMTP, and vendor-specific toolboxes.

Why it matters for hiring: a strong phasor modeller is not automatically a strong EMT modeller. You can have an excellent power systems engineer who has never opened PSCAD. If a candidate says they are "familiar with both", your follow-up is simple: "Tell me about the last EMT model you built from scratch." That answer tells you almost everything.

What makes one exceptional

10 screening questions

These are designed for a non-specialist interviewer. You do not need to grade the technical accuracy yourself; you are listening for specificity and genuine hands-on experience.

• Walk me through VSC versus LCC converters, and when you would choose each.
• What PSCAD version have you used most recently, and what limitations did you hit?
• How do you validate a model when you have no physical test data?
• Describe a simulation that produced an unexpected result. How did you resolve it?
• What is a PLL in a VSC converter, and why does it matter for weak grids?
• How would you model an HVDC link interacting with a weak AC grid?
• Have you worked with black-box or grey-box vendor models? How did you handle the opacity?
• What is your experience with harmonic filter design or assessment for HVDC?
• How do you present results to non-specialist stakeholders?
• What is the most complex HVDC study you have led, and what was the outcome?

Listen for specificity. A candidate who answers question three by naming the datasets and tolerances they used is a fundamentally different proposition from one who says "I would compare it against industry benchmarks."

Why the pool is so thin

HVDC simulation expertise accumulates slowly. It needs academic grounding in power electronics plus years on real HVDC projects, the kind concentrated in a handful of TSOs, large consultancies, and system integrators. The community is small enough that most senior practitioners know each other, and they almost never appear on job boards. Domain-specific sourcing, based on project involvement and technical specialism rather than job title, is the only approach that reliably works.

How TalSource sources them

TalSource maps the actual HVDC project landscape, interconnector programmes, offshore export studies, connection assessments, and identify the engineers involved whether or not they have updated a profile. They are then pre-qualified through structured video assessment that tests technical communication and depth. On average three to five pre-qualified candidates are presented within 3-4 weeks.

That is not a guarantee; the pool is genuinely thin. But thin does not mean inaccessible. If you are building an HVDC capability and want a realistic market mapping before you post a spec, we are glad to talk.