From where I stand, DNOs and the ICPs / contractors working on their behalf seem to have relatively few full-time protection engineers who will have considerable authority with a fairly long tenure, but with settings on a given project being determined from company standards and policies and for more complex or higher voltage plant by studies commissioned from external consultants specialising in such.

In my industry at least asset owners won’t have protection engineers, and even many Technical Advisors / Owner’s Engineers won’t have a full time protection engineer on the books; they too would rely on studies by third parties (which is not to say they wouldn’t employ someone who understands protection! But it would be a more general-purpose ) Other industries no doubt vary with the complexity of the plant and nature of the hazards.

Some (ie, the bigger) ICPs and HV contractors will have the capability in-house but most of those I’ve worked with are SMEs who don’t have the volume of projects and you might be best placed looking at the consultancies serving them.

I do know that there are also several agencies that appear to provide DNOs with engineers on a contract basis; I don't know if that would extend to a protection specialist.

Note that the above applies to distribution networks ie 6-132kV and private connections thereto. I don’t know what National Grid do for protection on the transmission network.

Hope that helps; there may be others with a different perspective.

From where I stand, DNOs and the ICPs / contractors working on their behalf seem to have relatively few full-time protection engineers who will have considerable authority with a fairly long tenure, but with settings on a given project being determined from company standards and policies and for more complex or higher voltage plant by studies commissioned from external consultants specialising in such.

In my industry at least asset owners won’t have protection engineers, and even many Technical Advisors / Owner’s Engineers won’t have a full time protection engineer on the books; they too would rely on studies by third parties (which is not to say they wouldn’t employ someone who understands protection! But it would be a more general-purpose ) Other industries no doubt vary with the complexity of the plant and nature of the hazards.

Some (ie, the bigger) ICPs and HV contractors will have the capability in-house but most of those I’ve worked with are SMEs who don’t have the volume of projects and you might be best placed looking at the consultancies serving them.

I do know that there are also several agencies that appear to provide DNOs with engineers on a contract basis; I don't know if that would extend to a protection specialist.

Note that the above applies to distribution networks ie 6-132kV and private connections thereto. I don’t know what National Grid do for protection on the transmission network.

Hope that helps; there may be others with a different perspective.