Commissioning Manager - HVDC Converter Station

Location: Cubnezais (33, Gironde) – HVDC converter station site, Monday to Friday, daytime hours

Contract type: Freelance consultancy – assigned to the Golfe de Gascogne project team

Start: 5 October 2026

Duration: ~350 man-days through end 2027, with extension possibility

Profile: Senior / highly experienced – HVDC experience MANDATORY

Languages: French: fluent (mandatory) | English: fluent (mandatory) – minimum B2 written and oral

Habilitations: H2V-B2-BR-BC + PASS HTB-Encadrant (mandatory) | Carte BTP (mandatory)

Context

The Golfe de Gascogne project is a France–Spain HVDC submarine and underground interconnection with a continuous capacity of approximately 2 GW at 400 kV. The total link spans nearly 400 km, connecting the French high-voltage grid to the Spanish grid and significantly reinforcing energy security and cross-border electricity exchange between the two countries. The project is jointly developed by INELFE, a joint subsidiary of RTE (France) and Red Eléctrica (Spain). The converter stations are located at Cubnezais (near Bordeaux, France) and Gatika (near Bilbao, Spain).

The Commissioning Manager is integrated directly into the Golfe de Gascogne project team and is responsible for leading and managing all commissioning and testing activities at the Cubnezais converter station on behalf of the project owner.

Responsibilities

Commissioning strategy and planning

• Monitor and follow the testing and commissioning strategy to ensure contractual planning objectives and control milestones are met — anticipate risks, flag deviations, and propose corrective actions
• Maintain and update the detailed test schedule; communicate it continuously within the RTE team — management, operational teams, expert support functions, and future operators of the converter station
• Coordinate all stakeholders and interfaces during testing phases — contractors, suppliers, RTE internal teams, and the Spanish counterpart team at Gatika

Quality control and reporting

• Ensure quality monitoring of all works and deliverables received at the converter station in relation to commissioning — establish non-conformity reports and capture lessons learned systematically
• Organise weekly briefing and debriefing meetings: prepare upcoming tests, confirm successes, and formally record any test requiring rescheduling or modification
• Provide internal reporting to the project management on all testing and start-up topics — clear, factual, and timely
• Participate, when required, in Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) at supplier facilities ahead of site testing phases — validate that equipment meets the approved specifications before delivery to site

Electrical safety

• Enforce prevention of electrical risk throughout the commissioning phase through strict application of the applicable framework: consignment (consignation), switching operations (manœuvres), and site access controls — the Commissioning Manager is responsible for the electrical safety culture during all testing activities

Requirements

• HVDC experience is mandatory for this role. Profiles without demonstrated HVDC commissioning or system expertise will not be considered.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in the commissioning of HVDC systems — VSC or LCC converter stations, HVDC cable systems, or HVDC grid infrastructure. The Commissioning Manager must understand the specific technical complexity of HVDC commissioning: valve hall testing, converter control and protection systems, DC cable energisation, cooling system validation, and system-level integration tests.
• Strong familiarity with HT/BT equipment in the converter station environment: transformers, AC/DC switchgear, reactors, SCADA and control systems, cooling systems — all of which are tested under the Commissioning Manager's oversight at Cubnezais

Seniority and experience level

• This is a senior, highly experienced position. The Commissioning Manager leads the entire commissioning programme for a strategic national infrastructure project — a junior or intermediate profile is not suitable.
• Significant and demonstrated experience in commissioning operations across LV and HV electrical systems — with a track record of leading commissioning programmes on large-scale, complex infrastructure projects
• Experience representing the project owner (maître d'ouvrage/owner's engineer) during commissioning — defending the owner's technical and contractual interests vis-à-vis suppliers and contractors, not merely executing the contractor's commissioning plan
• Proven capacity to lead and coordinate multi-party teams during commissioning phases: contractors, equipment suppliers, expert support functions, and future operators

RTE-specific knowledge

• Familiarity with RTE's QHSE regulations and rules — the Commissioning Manager must know and apply RTE's operational framework from day one. Prior direct experience working within RTE projects or for RTE-mandated contractors is a strong differentiator.
• Good understanding of RTE's technical and contractual interfaces — the ability to navigate RTE's project structure, defend RTE's interests with suppliers, and interact effectively with RTE project teams and future maintenance teams

Habilitations and certifications — mandatory

• French HV electrical habilitation H2V-B2-BR-BC: mandatory for the role. The Commissioning Manager must hold valid French electrical authorisation covering HV supervision, LV work, and LV/HV switching operations.
• PASS HTB-Encadrant: mandatory. Required for HV supervision of works on the HV network.
• Carte BTP: mandatory. Required for access to civil construction and major infrastructure worksites.

Languages

• French: fluent — mandatory. All RTE internal communications, daily operations, and reporting are in French.
• English: fluent — mandatory, minimum B2 written and oral. Required for technical exchanges with international equipment suppliers (FATs, technical documentation, supplier interfaces).

Profile

• Field-oriented: the Commissioning Manager must be genuinely comfortable with extensive on-site presence at Cubnezais from Monday to Friday — this is not a remote or office-based role during the commissioning phase
• Rigorous and resilient under pressure: commissioning of a strategic HVDC interconnection operates under tight contractual deadlines with significant political and regulatory visibility — the candidate must maintain rigour and composure throughout
• Autonomous and decisive: in a live commissioning environment, decisions must be made quickly and correctly — the Commissioning Manager cannot defer every judgement to the project management