Head of Heat Assets

ESP Utilities Group; Leatherhead; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ESP Utilities Group is seeking a Head of Heat Assets to lead the safe, efficient operation of district heating networks, energy centres, and associated assets across multiple developments.

You will drive asset performance, lifecycle planning, and regulatory compliance while managing internal teams and external partners to maximise asset value and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Energy, Building Services, or related discipline.
• Chartered status or working towards chartership is preferred.
• Health and safety qualifications (IOSH or equivalent) required.
• NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent risk management certification.
• Membership in Energy Institute or professional body preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for heat assets across developments.
• Ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation of district heating and cooling networks.
• Lead asset lifecycle planning, maintenance, and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee budgets, P&L, and value delivery across multiple sites.
• Manage contractors, service providers, and performance against KPIs.

Skills

Leadership

Asset management

Operations management

Budgets & P&L

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder collaboration

Multi-site management

Maintenance planning

Heat networks

Low-carbon energy

Education

Engineering degree

CEng / Chartership

IOSH Managing Safely

NEBOSH General Certificate

Energy Institute membership

Full UK driving licence

Job description

The Head of Heat Assets is responsible for the safe, efficient, compliant, and commercially effective operation of district heating, district cooling, energy centre, and associated network assets across a portfolio of developments.

The role has overall accountability for operational performance, faults and maintenance delivery, subcontractor management, asset lifecycle planning, operational profitability, regulatory compliance, customer service performance, and continuous improvement of heat and cooling infrastructure.

The position leads internal operations teams and external service providers to ensure network reliability, maximise asset availability and efficiency, optimise operational expenditure, and deliver long-term asset value.

The role will also provide technical support for our Commercial Team to identify and maximise asset adoption opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Asset Operations Management

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the operation of energy centres and energy generation assets, district heating networks, district cooling systems, heat pumps, thermal storage, and associated utility infrastructure including plant and customer metering and heat interface units.
• Ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of all heat and cooling assets across multiple developments and sites.
• Develop and implement operational strategies that maximise asset performance, lifecycle value, and customer satisfaction.
• Establish and monitor asset performance standards and operational procedures.
• Lead incident management, emergency response, business continuity, and recovery planning activities.

Customer Experience & Engagement

• Manage compliance with our heating and cooling supply standards.
• Lead initiatives to improve customer satisfaction and engagement across heat network services.
• Act as the primary escalation point for operational issues, ensuring timely resolution and communication.
• Collaborate with customer service teams to develop and implement service standards and feedback mechanisms.

Asset Quality & Regulatory Oversight

• Ensure that safe, complaint and efficient heat network assets are installed correctly and meet design, regulatory and operational specifications.
• Work closely with project delivery teams to review designs, installation plans, and commissioning processes to ensure smooth and seamless handovers from delivery to operations.
• Active engagement in post-installation and asset inspections and acceptance processes to verify asset readiness and performance including all compliance, completions and records assurance.

Operations & Maintenance Management

• Direct all planned, preventative, predictive, and reactive maintenance activities.
• Ensure maintenance programmes support asset reliability, availability, and performance objectives.
• Oversee maintenance budgets and ensure value for money from maintenance activities.
• Manage maintenance contractors, specialist service providers, utilities partners, and other subcontractors.
• Establish and monitor contractor performance against KPIs, SLAs, and contractual obligations.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and audits of service providers.

Heat & Cooling Performance Compliance

• Own the monitoring, reporting, and improvement of heating and cooling system efficiency metrics.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, environmental permits, heat network requirements, carbon reduction targets, and industry best practices.

Monitor and optimise key operational metrics including:

• Network efficiency
• Customer supply continuity
• Return temperatures
• System pressures and performance

Asset Management Planning

• Lead the development and implementation of Asset Management Plans for all operational developments.
• Establish long-term lifecycle investment strategies and replacement programmes.
• Manage asset condition assessments and risk-based maintenance approaches.
• Ensure asset registers, maintenance records, and lifecycle models remain accurate and up to date.
• Support business planning through capital expenditure forecasting and long-term investment planning.
• Own and manage the operational Profit & Loss (P&L) performance across multiple sites and developments.
• Develop and manage annual operational budgets and forecasts.
• Monitor operational costs including maintenance, energy procurement, utilities, labor, and subcontractors.
• Ensure full compliance with all relevant legislation, regulations, and company policies.
• Act as the senior operational leader for health, safety, environmental, and quality management.
• Working with the Regulations Team ensure accurate and timely Regulatory reporting.
• Lead investigations into significant incidents and implement corrective actions.

Maintain compliance with relevant standards including but not limited too:

• Health & Safety at Work legislation
• Pressure Systems Safety Regulations
• Energy efficiency regulations
• Heat Network Technical assurance scheme and other regulations and standards

Experience Required

• Extensive experience in a senior operations, asset management, or engineering leadership role.
• Experience managing district heating, district cooling, energy centres, utilities infrastructure, or large-scale building services assets.
• Experience managing multi-site operational teams.
• Experience managing operational budgets and P&L accountability.
• Experience managing maintenance contractors and service providers.
• Demonstrable experience developing and implementing asset management plans.
• Strong understanding of planned and reactive maintenance strategies.
• Experience managing regulatory, environmental, and statutory compliance requirements.
• Experience operating heat networks and energy infrastructure within residential mixed-use developments.
• Experience with heat pump, renewable energy, thermal storage, and low-carbon heating technologies.
• Experience within utilities, energy services (ESCo), district energy, facilities management, or infrastructure sectors.

Minimum Qualifications

• Degree qualification in Engineering, Energy Management, Building Services Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent Health & Safety qualification.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or working towards chartership.
• NEBOSH General Certificate.
• Energy Institute membership or relevant professional body membership.