Commissioning Manager

Balfour Beatty plc; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working up to 40% remote

25 days annual leave (pro rata)

Pension and employee benefits

Diversity and inclusion programs

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is seeking a Commissioning Manager to lead commissioning across substation projects within the North of England. You will act as the technical authority for commissioning, guiding tender input, design, and on-site execution to deliver energisation and handover with safety and quality at the forefront.

The role requires extensive substation commissioning experience, familiarisation with National Grid procedures BP141/BP106, and proven ability to manage remote teams and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in substation commissioning, ideally on National Grid projects.
• Strong working knowledge of National Grid procedures (BP141, BP106).
• Excellent understanding of HV equipment testing and commissioning documentation.
• Proven experience leading remote technical teams and managing commissioning subcontractors.

Responsibilities

• Own commissioning delivery across full lifecycle of substation projects, from tender support to handover.
• Develop and implement commissioning strategies from early involvement through to project completion.
• Provide specialist guidance on National Grid standards and testing.
• Ensure safety, quality, and technical compliance of commissioning activities.
• Lead, mentor and develop commissioning engineers and subcontractors.

Skills

Substation commissioning

National Grid experience

Remote team leadership

QA/QC knowledge

UK driving licence

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

HNC or higher in Electrical Engineering

Tools

National Grid procedures BP141/BP106

Job description

About the role

Balfour Beatty is recruiting a Commissioning Manager to join our Power Transmission & Distribution (T&D) Substation team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering National Grid substation projects across the Electricity Transmission Partnership portfolio in the North of England and continually seeking to make the energy system cleaner.

Demand for clean, secure energy is rising, to meet this demand there is a significant industry investment. You’ll work on multi-million pound projects ranging from substation extensions to new-build substations, supporting the delivery of critical infrastructure that powers homes, communities, and industries to help revolutionise and decarbonise the future of energy. The Commissioning Team is UK based, with regular travel to project sites nationwide.

Please note this is a full-time, permanent position and requires regular travel across the North East of England.

What you'll be doing

As a Commissioning Manager, you'll take ownership of commissioning delivery across the full lifecycle of substation projects, from tender support and design input through to on-site execution, energisation, and final handover. Acting as the technical authority for commissioning activities, you'll play a pivotal role in ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards.

• Serve as the subject matter expert for substation commissioning, providing technical support to tendering, design, operations, and project delivery teams.
• Lead the development and implementation of commissioning strategies from early contractor involvement through to project completion and handover.
• Provide specialist guidance on National Grid commissioning standards, HV/LV equipment testing, and commissioning best practice.
• Ensure all commissioning activities comply with relevant safety, quality, technical, and operational requirements.
• Support projects on-site by resolving commissioning challenges and providing hands-on expertise when required.
• Drive commissioning input during bid and tender stages, including resource planning, programme development, and cost estimation.
• Develop and maintain commissioning schedules, forecasts, and delivery plans to support successful project outcomes.
• Participate in project handovers, ensuring a smooth transition from design and construction into commissioning and operational readiness.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a growing team of commissioning engineers, technicians, and specialist subcontractors.
• Plan and coordinate commissioning resources across multiple projects and frameworks.
• Ensure all commissioning personnel hold the appropriate competencies, training, and authorisations to carry out their roles safely and effectively.
• Foster a high-performing culture focused on collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Monitor commissioning progress, performance, and expenditure against programme and budget targets.
• Represent commissioning teams at project reviews, commissioning panels, and progress meetings, providing updates to Project Managers and key stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to improve testing and commissioning processes, driving innovation, efficiency, and best practice across the business.
• Support lessons learned activities and contribute to the ongoing development of commissioning standards and methodologies.

Who we're looking for

We're seeking an experienced commissioning professional with a strong track record of delivering substation projects within the National Grid environment. The following are essential:

• Extensive experience in substation commissioning, ideally on National Grid projects
• Previous Commissioning Authorisations or a strong working knowledge of National Grid procedures, including BP141 and BP106
• Excellent understanding of National Grid commissioning processes and high-voltage (HV) equipment testing
• An HNC or higher qualification in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline
• Proven experience leading remote technical teams and managing commissioning subcontractors
• Strong knowledge of commissioning documentation, quality assurance (QA), and quality control (QC) requirements
• UK driving license

In addition, the following would be advantageous:

• Experience delivering major infrastructure or large-scale capital projects
• Degree-level qualification in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline
• Familiarity with digital commissioning platforms, reporting tools, and modern project delivery systems
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or working towards professional registration

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks.

From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance, our in-house experts, flexible resources and industry-leading innovations support customers in the development of some of the UK’s most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence ‘Employer Recognition Scheme’ and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at: [e-mail]