Ops Telecoms Technician (SPN)

UK Power Networks; Chatham; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Reservist Leave – 18 days full pay + 2

Personal Pension Plan

Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme

Season Ticket Loan

Cycle to Work Scheme

Home & Tech benefits

Green Car Leasing Schemes

Occupational Health support

Switched On – discounts

Discounted gym membership

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

UK Power Networks is seeking an Ops Telecoms Technician in the Chatham area to manage SCADA communication and telecoms equipment across substations. The role includes installation, wiring, repairs and supporting 24/7 availability of critical infrastructure.

You will travel to different sites, maintain stock, and contribute to the daily operation and safety standards within the Networks Operations team.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of SCADA and real-time control systems in live substations.
• Awareness of inter-tripping and basic protection systems.
• Competent with hand tools, power tools and test equipment.

Responsibilities

• Ensure high safety standards and correct procedures.
• Conduct wiring and modifications on SCADA and comms equipment.
• Deliver upgrades and improvements to SCADA equipment in substations.
• Construct Telecontrol Equipment Cubicles (TEC) and other SCADA equipment.
• Install and maintain copper/fibre optic circuits, antennas and satellite equipment.
• Support annual Ops Telecoms work programme per network management plan.
• Carry and calibrate spectrum analysers and signal generation equipment.

Skills

SCADA knowledge

Safety procedures

Fault diagnostics

Site electrical work

Education

City and Guilds 2322 in Electronic and Electrical theory

Full driving licence

Tools

PowerOn network management system

Wireshark

Job description

This Ops Telecoms Technician will report to the Operational Telecoms Senior Project Engineer and will work within Network Operations based in our Chatham area with distributed working. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £56,576 per annum and a bonus of 3%, .

If you are successful, you will need to undertake a medical and DBS reference check Close Date: 13th October 2026

We also provide the following additional benefits

• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme

JOB PURPOSE:

The Operational Telecoms Team, situated in the Networks Operations Business, are responsible for all of the Networks business Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) projects, fault rectification and maintenance programmes (circa 30K devices) and for the provision of Grid and Primary and SCADA and comms connectivity to over 2000 sites.

You will form part of a technical team of specialists that manage SCADA comms and control equipment across the three licence areas 24 hours a day, ensuring a 24x7x365 availability of this business-critical infrastructure. Technicians conduct installation, wiring, equipment modifications and repairs to ensure this infrastructure is available for efficient operation of the power network.

It will require the role holder to travel to other locations and regions of UK Power Networks where Ops Telecom staff and workshops are located. It will also include conducting work at Grid and Primary Substations assisting Engineers in the provision of UK Power Networks SCADA systems and the repair of legacy Networks SCADA and comms equipment.

DIMENSIONS:

The role holder manages the daily stock and procures spares and equipment to a value of circa £50k used to complete their responsibilities.

The Operational Telecoms Technician will also expect to make miscellaneous purchases through corporate credit card up to £2k per month.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Typical accountabilities for the Technician will include:

• Ensure that you prevail a high standard of safety management throughout the responsibilities and that you undertake safety procedures correctly.
• Technician conducts wiring and other SCADA related activities on site, usually on their own, implementing modifications or repairs of SCADA and comms equipment.
• Deliver upgrade and improvement work on the operational SCADA equipment within Grid, Primary and Secondary substations. Including the configuration, testing and integration of SMART Grid solutions and SCADA interfaces.
• Construction of Telecontrol Equipment Cubicles (TEC) and other SCADA equipment within the Ops Telecoms workshops located at Nelson Street, East Ham.
• Installation and maintenance of :
  • Copper and fibre optic communication circuits
  • Radio communication equipment and antennas
  • VSAT & BGAN Satellite communication equipment
  • Telecontrol equipment and associated wiring to substation plant and equipment
  • Inter-tripping and protection comms equipment
• Help to deliver annual Ops Telecoms work programme following the network management plan.
• You will be expected to operate Spectrum Analysers, use Oscar – Signal generation equipment, and handle portable tools and equipment as part of the role. In each case, you will expect to maintain these items of equipment and calibrate and tests them periodically. The value of all of the equipment that the post holder has exceeds £40k.
• The post holder has a responsibility to ensure that you carry the most common equipment to ensure quick and reliable system restoration. They also have to ensure that stock levels are maintained by accurate replenishment and repair.
• Support our Command Vehicle, located at Nelson Street, ensuring safe deployment and training of other staff on its operation during a deployment usually on to the site of a major network incident.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

Role Holder is responsible to the Ops Telecoms Senior Project Engineer, forming part of a team of technical specialists, responsible for the design, management and repair of comms and SCADA equipment.

We will expect the role holder to work relatively autonomously, utilising your depth of

We provide service by using our experience, ensuring that we complete all SCADA, SMART Grid projects and faults to a high standard.

Participate in the SCADA Standby Rotas, typically one week in every eight weeks.

The Technician, in your role, provides a fast initial response to a SCADA abnormality call and other comms abnormalities that occur on the system. The Technician has to go to the site and investigate the abnormality, which is your responsibility.

UK Power Networks requires the Technician to deal with members of the public, emergency services and local authorities in emergency situations.

The Technician often issues themselves with a minimum amount of information about the extent or nature of any SCADA problem, and control, emergency services, or customers could provide this information. The Technician would need to go on site. The Technician would consider the nature of the work, evaluate what you need to do, and check whether you have the tools and experience to undertake the job. Alternatively, the Technician may determine that they need additional resources. Approximately 90% of we ask that the Technician to act autonomously. In this capacity, the Technician uses your judgement and expertise in the assessment of a situation. Although the Technician will be autonomous, you can still seek advice from a Field or Project Engineer.

Whilst the role focuses on a specific area of service delivery, the organisation expects the role holder to take part in wider governance meetings, providing input and taking actions as required.

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of Networks SCADA and its application in the provision of a real-time control systems connected to live switchgear, transformers and other substation equipment and apparatus.
• An awareness of the function of inter-tripping systems and basic protection systems.
• Technically / electrically competent - City and Guilds 2322 in Electronic and Electrical theory.
• Perform build or repair tasks with an understanding of schematic and wiring diagrams.
• PASMA, IPAF, VSAT alignment accreditation, GE T5000 RTU accreditation and NRSWA, Type A,B & C confined space access are all desirable.
• Proficient in the use of Lap Top computers running numerous software tools used for the configuration and testing of complex comms and SCADA equipment.
• Experience of the PowerOn network management system with Telecontrol Technician access privileges.
• Demonstrate the competent use of hand tools, power tools and test equipment and able to install complex wiring within substation equipment.
• Can risk assess and put other individuals to work safely including management of other staff and contractors working in substations.
• Good understanding and awareness of relevant policies relating to network standards, Health & Safety and electricity regulations and know where to reference a policy.
• Experience working with CDM regulations and ISO9001 quality processes.
• Familiar with copper and fibre optic jointing and basic manual handling techniques.
• Substation access up to and including 132KV will require the holder to hold a competency certificate under UK Power Networks safety rules. This certificate permits the holder to enter into and work within substations unattended, including operating and modifying SCADA equipment.
• Aware of cyber security precautions and why these are important for SCADA services.
• Knowledge of IP and other SCADA protocols including the use of diagnostic tools such as Wireshark.
• Experience with fault diagnostics and logical implementation of fault finding techniques. Modify approach as you assimilate more information during work on a complex fault.
• Full driving licence required.

Health & Safety Responsibilities:

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

Employees need to be aware that for some craft and operational roles that work at height, or use fall arrest devices, there is an upper weight limit of 116Kg due to maximum safe working load of the safety equipment that is used.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued and able to be themselves. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If you meet the essential criteria and believe your skills, experience or transferable strengths could make you a great fit for the role, we’d love to hear from you. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

We may use AI-enabled tools to support elements of our recruitment process. These tools help us manage applications more efficiently and consistently, but they do not make hiring decisions. All recruitment decisions are made by trained employees using human judgement and oversight. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly and transparently, in line with our legal, regulatory and ethical obligations.

Your data will be hosted within a secure environment and will only be used by UK Power Networks for the purpose of which it is intended. The data is used only as an input to provide insights for the screening process and is not retained by the model or by UK Power Networks’ contractor, shared with the contractor’s other customers or with OpenAI, or used to train or improve AI models.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Where applicable, this role is subject to safer recruitment processes and robust pre‑employment checks If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.