Innovation Engineer

National Grid; Warwick; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent energy company in Warwick is seeking an Innovation Engineer to drive technological advancements within their Innovation team. This role involves leading innovation projects, collaborating with stakeholders, and evaluating energy trends. A competitive salary between £55,000 and £68,000 is offered, along with flexible working arrangements and various benefits.

Benefits

Bonus based on performance

Contributory pension scheme

Flexible benefits like salary sacrifice car schemes

Qualifications

• Experience with electricity transmission and distribution projects.
• Ability to evaluate the grid impacts of new technologies.
• Experience in bringing ideas to life from ideation to execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the entire innovation process from idea generation to scaling.
• Collaborate with delivery teams to ensure successful innovation implementation.
• Establish partnerships with external stakeholders to drive innovation.

Skills

Technical expertise in grid technologies

Understanding of energy trends

Excellent communication skills

Strong commercial acumen

Complex stakeholder management

Tools

Power system simulation tools

Job description

Brand New Role - Permanent - Warwick / Hybrid Working

The UK has set out its ambition to be net zero by 2050 and the energy industry is responding – together we are building a cleaner, greener Britain.

Joining is in this growth role as Innovation Engineer, you'll be a crucial member of the Innovation team within the Strategic Infrastructure (SI) business unit, responsible for driving technological advancements and leading innovation projects.

You will work closely with the Innovation Manager to execute against our innovation strategy, foster a culture of innovation across SI, and contribute to the transformation of our organisation.

This role requires maintaining current knowledge of energy and technology trends, contributing to and executing innovation strategies, advancing or scaling innovation concepts, and collaborating with key stakeholders, including major project delivery teams, internal innovation groups and external partners.

You’ll be part of a team of 6 passionate individuals based across the UK with ambitious plans to grow. As such you’ll be enthused about working in a role and a team that is still developing, with scope to shape and drive the role moving forward.

This position is based out of our Warwick HQ on a hybrid basis with expectation to attend here at least once per week.

We continue to offer hybrid working from office and home.

We are open to full time and part time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements.

About You

What we do isn’t just important – it’s essential. That’s why we look to recruit experts in their field. In this case, we’re looking for someone who has:

• Technical expertise in grid technologies and electricity transmission infrastructure. Experience with power system simulation and analysis tool desirable.
• Experience with construction innovation in major electricity transmission or distribution projects, from early development through to construction and commission phases is desirable.
• In‑depth understanding of global energy trends, particularly emerging technologies.
• Understanding of protection coordination, network planning and real‑time operations, with the ability to evaluate grid impacts of new technologies.
• Strong commercial acumen, able to bridge engineering evidence with business case development for large infrastructure projects.
• Experience in bringing compelling ideas to life from ideation to the approval of business cases. Exhibiting a self‑starter mindset and bias to action.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to influence and build relationships at all levels internally and externally.
• Strong interpersonal skills with experience in complex stakeholder management.
• Ability to work both in tight collaboration with a team and autonomously where needed.

You’ll be energised by the thought of joining a growing team where ideas are welcome and we collectively aim to push the boundaries of what innovation can achieve. You’ll bring your passion to shape this role for maximum effect as we meet the challenges of the Great Grid Upgrade.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace for everyone. So if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one.

What You’ll Do

• You’ll lead the end‑to‑end innovation process, including idea generation, concept development, prototyping, testing, implementation and scaling. This will focus on physical construction innovations with collaboration with colleagues in digital improvement areas too.
• Working Collaborating with Strategic Infrastructure delivery teams and cross‑functional business units to ensure successful pilot and scale of innovation across the project lifecycle.
• Establishing and maintain partnerships with external stakeholders, including technology vendors, research institutions and industry experts, you’ll leverage external expertise and drive innovation.
• You’ll align innovation strategy with the goals and objectives of the SI business unit.
• Identifying and evaluating emerging technologies, industry trends, best practices, technological advancements and market opportunities, you’ll drive innovation and enhance project performance.
• You’ll support the development of engineering specifications and standards for new technology deployments, ensuring safe, reliable and scalable integration into the grid.
• You’ll fulfil required innovation governance and reporting processes, including identifying and managing innovation funding pathways.
• Collaborating with innovation professionals across National Grid and externally to enable sourcing and scaling of innovation relevant to SI projects.
• Capturing learnings to progressively develop pilots, you will monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of innovation initiatives, track key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide regular reports to senior management.

What You’ll Get

A competitive starting salary between £55,000 – £68,000 – dependent on capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, employee assistance lines and matched charity giving.

About Us

National Grid Strategic Infrastructure has a key role to play in tackling climate change by accelerating our capacity to deliver clean electricity across the UK. We already operate the fastest decarbonising electricity grid in the world, with an ambition for zero carbon operation by 2025. And by 2035, we want to run 100% clean, green energy, all the time.

Here at National Grid, we connect homes and businesses to power, making sure supply and demand match each other. We make sure the lights are on in schools, operating theatres and sporting arenas; we’re thousands of people working on behalf of millions of people.

Our investment in Strategic Infrastructure via the Great Grid Upgrade will mean more home grown power, greater energy security and a cleaner future.

Whatever your role, wherever you work with us, you’ll help us hit stretching targets and achieve our far‑reaching goal: to secure, clean energy that supports our world far into the future. Here, you will be at the heart of energy.

More Information

This role closes on November 26th at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary. Interviews will be held w/c Dec 8th.

We work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office.

We’re committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve, and a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated and able to reach their full potential.