Energy jobs in Inverness and the Highlands

Firths, glens and grid lines

Inverness is the working centre of an energy economy spread across the Highlands. Within about an hour of the city you will find deep-water ports on the Cromarty Firth, a former platform yard at Ardersier rebuilt for offshore wind, hydro schemes along the Great Glen and the substations and overhead lines that carry renewable power south.

The coast here has been through more than one cycle. Yards at Nigg and Ardersier built oil platforms for the North Sea from the 1970s, then quietened as that work moved on. The same coastline is now being reused for offshore wind, rig repair, decommissioning and hydrogen, and the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport brings several of these sites under one banner.

Where the work is

Invergordon and the Port of Cromarty Firth

The sheltered, deep waters of the Cromarty Firth have made Invergordon a long-standing stop for oil rigs needing inspection, repair and maintenance. The Port of Cromarty Firth also supports offshore wind projects, including marshalling monopile foundations for the Moray West offshore wind farm, as well as decommissioning, cargo and cruise calls. Jobs range from marine and quayside operations to rig maintenance, welding, rigging and project support.

Nigg Energy Park

Across the firth, Nigg Energy Park is a large fabrication and port site owned by the Inverness-based Global Energy Group and included in the Green Freeport. It hosts fabrication, rig work and offshore wind activity, so it is a regular source of jobs for coded welders, platers, riggers and project staff when contracts are running.

Ardersier, Inverness Harbour and the city

East of Inverness, the former McDermott platform yard at Ardersier is now owned by Haventus, which has invested in turning it into a port for fixed and floating offshore wind and for decommissioning. Inverness Harbour and Inverness Campus are also freeport sites, and the city is home to engineering consultancies, civil contractors and the regional offices of utilities.

Grid, hydro and wind farms

SSEN Transmission, which owns and maintains the high-voltage grid in the north of Scotland, has a large Inverness office, including a hub for the teams delivering its subsea links to the Western Isles and Orkney and between Spittal and Peterhead. Hydro has an even longer history here: SSE's Foyers pumped storage scheme on Loch Ness and its Glendoe scheme near Fort Augustus are both within reach of the city. Further north, the Beatrice offshore wind farm off the Caithness coast is run from Wick Harbour.

Jobs that come up most often

Trades and technicians

• Coded welders, platers, pipefitters and fabricators for yard contracts
• Riggers, slingers, banksmen and crane operators
• Wind turbine technicians for onshore and offshore sites
• Electricians, HV jointers and overhead linespeople
• Mechanical and electrical fitters for hydro and substation maintenance

Engineering and project roles

Grid expansion keeps demand steady for electrical, civil and cable engineers, construction managers, planners and environmental and consents specialists. Port and fabrication projects add quality inspectors, welding engineers, document controllers and package managers.

Marine and logistics

Ports and wind projects need marine coordinators, vessel crew, mooring and quayside staff, and logistics planners who can manage large components arriving by sea and road.

Training close to home

UHI Inverness runs Global Wind Organisation Basic Safety Training and Basic Technical Training, each a five-day course, which are the standard entry tickets for working on turbines. Basic Safety Training covers first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, working at heights and, for offshore work, sea survival.

UHI North, West and Hebrides has a campus in Alness and an Engineering, Technology and Energy Centre in Thurso, and runs coded welding certification and plant training, some of it delivered at Nigg. UHI Moray in Elgin also covers engineering and fabrication. Check which centres are approved before booking, because some of the safety certificates needed for offshore oil and gas work may mean a trip to Aberdeen.

Travel, shifts and living up north

The A9 is the main road from Inverness to Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon and Tain, and the Far North Line runs trains along the same corridor. Inverness Airport at Dalcross now has its own railway station on the line to Nairn, Elgin and Aberdeen, which helps if you commute east or fly south for work.

Many yard and port jobs are tied to a single project, so expect contracts that run for the length of a fabrication or marshalling campaign, with shifts that follow tides, weather and vessel movements. Grid and hydro maintenance roles tend to be permanent, often with call-out rotas and a large geographical patch, so a full driving licence is usually essential.

Applying from the Highlands

Use our energy job search with Inverness, Invergordon, Nigg or Ardersier as the location, then filter by salary, contract type and on-site or hybrid working. The offshore wind sector page and the grid and utilities listings are good starting points for Highland roles.

A free jobseeker profile lets you store your CV, save interesting adverts and see your application history. You decide whether verified employers can find you. Because some Highland employers also recruit from Aberdeen, it is worth checking jobs in and around Aberdeen too.