Engagement & Resilience Engineer

An opportunity is available for two Engagement and Resilience Engineer's based at the NGED Control Centres, one in Castle Donington and one in Cardiff.    

Reporting to the Head of Control Centres, the post-holders will be responsible for the engagement with both internal and external stakeholders in the respect of Control Centre business, along with the development and maintenance of plans and procedures that ensure our Control Centres are resilient in operation and able to respond to emergency network events at a local, regional, and national level.  You will also lead in the ongoing development of the working relationship between the DNO Control Centres and the DSO Function. 

The Energy Industry is evolving and the way in which our Control Centres engage with other functions is changing, and the need engage is growing.  Alongside that, the way in which we ensure our network is resilient to outages is also changing.  The role of this engineer is to manage those changes and ensure the Control Centres adapt to them whilst operating fully and meeting the needs of stakeholders, customers and industry. 

Depending on experience, you may initially be appointed at a lower salary until all relevant courses and training are complete.

As part of our hybrid working approach this role offers a mix of office and home working. Hybrid working can only be considered once your initial training is complete and subject to business need.
About UsWe’re National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), the owner and operator behind the electricity distribution systems for the Midlands, the Southwest of England and South Wales. Serving communities of more than 8 million people, our expert teams deliver heat, light and power for homes and businesses.

National Grid employs over 29,000 people worldwide. We are building an inclusive workplace, a place to actively celebrate the cultures, personalities and preferences of our colleagues – who in turn help to build the success of our business and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future and we are doing this in a fast-moving industry with an increasing focus on tackling climate change, exploring new energy sources that are renewable, low carbon, and improve efficiency to meet demand.

The teams in Control are focused on ensuring the network is secure, contingencies are in place and lost supplies are restored as quickly as possible, minimising customer minutes lost and customer interruptions.

Based within our two Operational Centres, our Control Centres are the heartbeat of our operations, monitoring the system in real time, minimising risk of danger and managing security and faults. Control Centre teams also liaise with the National Grid Group and the Government to manage national network demand and monitor the potential for incidents or emergencies.
Main Responsibilities
Engagement with internal business and industry stakeholders and other relevant bodies to represent and support the Control Centres in the development of procedures associated with network resilience, emergency outage preparation, and any other impacting activities on the distribution network up to 132kV.
Act as the interface between the DNO Control Centres and the DSO team.  Attend and / or facilitate regular meetings with the NGED DSO function teams, contributing to the understanding of all change impact and policy development.  Ensure policy implementation and understanding is consistent. 
Lead within the Control Centres on the implementation of Active Network Management (ANM) schemes and the associated impact, policy and training.
Updating and ensuring validity of Control Centre plans to manage a major network event, such as emergency system re-start, ESEC / OC6, or demand control, that could impact the performance or security of the NGED distribution network and / or its assets.  Support in the upkeep of the Protected Sites List. 
Support and contribute, with fact and research, into the ongoing changes and proposed modifications to policy and Grid Codes, both internally and externally.  Assist in the implementation, and support the assurance of, statutory legislation and distribution related national code compliance(s)
Support the nominated Control Shift Managers in the management, testing, and training of all activities associated with Emergency System Restart and associated resilience measures on the ADMS system, and support on any other relevant ADMS projects. 
Support or lead the investigation of an electricity network emergency event or incident.
Provide regular updates to the Control Leadership Team on all ongoing items, specifically in respect of DSO procedures and policy, and NESO activity, including ESR / DER developments. 
As a senior member of the Control Centre Team, you may be asked to support the Control Centre in other activities required to meet objectives.    

The Ideal Candidate
The successful person must have knowledge and experience of electricity distribution control systems and the ADMS (Power-On) computer systems and some experience in the role of a Control Engineer or similar electricity industry function.  A comprehensive knowledge of the electricity distribution system from 11kV – 132kV is also necessary. 
The candidate should hold a minimum of a HNC in Electrical Engineering.  Candidates that hold a Level 3 qualification in Electrical Engineering would be considered for appointment but would remain on the bottom of the grade whilst completing a HNC in Electrical Engineering in-role.
There is a need for good written and verbal communication skills and an ability to coordinate your own movements, and prioritise your own workload.  It’s also necessary to be conversant with Microsoft Office, producing documents and presentations. 
Each role is based at one of the company Control Rooms but there will be a need to between Control Centres and other company depots, as well as to external meeting locations, so a full driving licence is required for travel.

Evidence of your qualifications will be required prior to appointment.

This is a full time position for 37 hours per week within normal company working hours, Monday to Friday.

There will be a requirement and expectation that the post-holder will be flexible at times in terms of hours worked and there may be a need to work outside of the normal business hours during Control Centre emergency system events.  

As the post you are applying for attracts a National Security Vetting clearance there are further eligibility requirements. To meet national security vetting requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 5 years for Security Clearance (SC) prior to the date of application. You may still be considered if, for example:

you have been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
you were studying abroad
you were living overseas with parents

If you have any further queries relating to National Security Vetting, please email nged.recruitment@nationalgrid.co.uk
About The CompanyJoining the UK’s leading electricity distribution business means plenty of career opportunities and well-deserved recognition. We reward hard work and encourage ambition. So, as well as a competitive salary, you will also benefit from:

26 days paid leave plus 8 bank holidays, up to 28 days with continuous service
Competitive contributory pension scheme (we double match your contributions up to a maximum of 12%)
Annual Share Save plan
Contributory private healthcare scheme for you and your family
Support via our Employee Assistance Programme, including musculoskeletal and physiotherapy services
Free on-site parking at all our main sites

Things you need to know

As an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we celebrate individual difference and are actively bringing in more employees from diverse backgrounds to build on our inclusive culture. We anonymise all applications in our recruitment system so we can eliminate unconscious bias and be a workplace that reflects the community we serve. Hiring managers only have access to necessary information at interview stage. If you require additional support to complete your online application, please email nged.recruitment@nationalgrid.co.uk

Recruitment correspondence is usually sent by email, please check your email account including spam/junk folders regularly after the closing date.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should sufficient numbers of suitable applications be received, so it would be best to apply as soon as you can.