Principal Operations Engineer

National Grid; Ashford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

National Grid Interconnectors in Sellindge seeks a Principal Operations Engineer to ensure IFA assets maintain high performance. You will lead maintenance, refurbishment, or replacement works on Converter Station, Cables, and Substation, supervising teams and contractors.

You will oversee outages, safety compliance, and development of authorised personnel under NGV Interconnector Safety Rules, while representing IFA at meetings and driving asset availability.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of HV & LV electrical and mechanical systems.
• Experience commissioning and decommissioning equipment.
• Experience preparing HV System State Certificates (HVSCC) & Site Responsibility Schedule (SRS).
• +3 years’ experience in high voltage environment.
• Educated to at least HNC or NVQ in electrical discipline or equivalent apprenticeship.
• Strong experience managing safety, health, environment & quality when carrying out work.

Responsibilities

• Lead on technical or system related investigations and fault response incidents.
• Line management of technicians, apprentices and stores personnel; supervise engineers and contractors.
• Ensure protection and control maintenance compliance onsite and adherence to NGV safety rules.
• Manage outages and deliverables to maximize asset availability and value.

Skills

HV/LV electrical systems

Mechanical systems

Commissioning/decommissioning

HVSCC & SRS knowledge

+3 years HV experience

Leadership/Line management

Safety compliance

Project planning

Contractor management

MAXIMO usage

Education

HNC in Engineering

NVQ electrical discipline

Tools

MAXIMO

Job description

About the role

At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. But it’s so much more than that. National Grid supplies us with the environment to make it happen. As we generate momentum in the energy transition for all, we don’t plan on leaving any of our customers in the dark. So, join us a Principal Operations Engineer and find your superpower.

National Grid is hiring a Principal Operations Engineer to join the operations team on site at our interconnector in Sellindge.

National Grid Interconnectors is at the heart of UK’s transition to our net zero energy future. We operate a number of HVDC interconnectors that connect the UK’s energy system to some of our closest neighbours, allowing energy to be imported to and exported from the UK. As well as already owning a portfolio of HVDC Interconnectors, we’re working on developing new projects in order to ensure that we are able to meet the UK’s future demands for greener energy solutions.

As our Principal Operations Engineer, you will have a critical role ensuring that IFA assets (Converter Station, Cables Systems, Substation & associated Operational Technology) maintains the highest level of operational performance.

You’ll lead on various deliverables and projects within IFA’s high voltage electricity Converter Station, supervising team members ensuring safe systems of work are implemented and followed, sharing your knowledge and expertise to ensure completion of maintenance, refurbishment or replacement works on a variety of plant and equipment at IFA.

What you'll do

• Undertake a range of duties including monitoring, maintenance, fault investigation & repair, witnessing & testing & commission, record updating.
• Lead on technical or system related TapRoot Incident investigations.
• Lead on fault response incidents.
• Line Management of IFA Technicians, Routines Persons, Apprentices and Stores Persons, and supervising Engineers and Third-Party Contractors to ensure optimum efficiency, cost effectiveness, with high standards of environmental & safety performance.
• Supporting and mentoring development requirements for Engineers & Technicians to gain Authorised Persons (AP) & Senior Authorised Persons (SAP) under NGV Interconnector Safety Rules.
• Adhere to the site safety rules, establish safe systems or work (risk assessment), raise and issue safety documents to both NGV and Contractor Competent Persons (CP) ensuring safety from the system.
• Manage the delivery of specific deliverables and projects (enacting the Project Leader / Subject Matter Expert role) to maintain and improve the performance of our assets and systems.
• Undertaking standby and emergency call out duties, enacting the role of a Senior Authorised Person (SAP).
• Provide support and guidance around the evolution of the positive safety culture.
• Aid in the ongoing development regarding assurance of procedural compliance and consistency across Interconnectors.
• Responsible for ensuring Protection & Control maintenance compliance onsite.
• Represent IFA at both internal and external technical & planning meetings
• Managing the planning and delivery of outage maintenance periods to ensure all work is arranged, planned, and delivered in line with operational and safety processes and procedures and in a way that maximises availability and associated commercial value for the business.
• Manage & maintain a productive & collaborative interface with Service Providers & 3rd parties.
• Support implementation of the asset management and work planning tool (MAXIMO).
• Support Contract Management in Warranty & Service Providers KPI’s and management information

What you'll need

• Knowledge and experience of work and/or failures on HV & LV systems, encompassing both electrical and mechanical systems.
• Experience authorised and knowledge of commissioning and decommissioning equipment.
• Previous experience of preparing and undertaking High Voltage System State Certificates (HVSCC) & Site Responsibility Schedule (SRS)
• +3 years’ experience working within high voltage environment or similar environment.
• Educated to a minimum of HNC in an appropriate engineering discipline or NVQ in an electrical discipline or an equivalent recognised apprenticeship
• Strong experience managing and overseeing Contractor and in-house team performance including safety, health, environment & quality when carrying out work
• Experience of working and making critical business and operational decisions with conflicting priorities and under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, capable of gaining a high degree of credibility and influencing with teams, particularly leading a team.
• Safety & environmental knowledge and understanding in respect of day-to-day duties, together with proven ability to respond to emergency situations.
• Experience in managing on-call activities and making decisions in ambiguous environments.
• Foundation knowledge of key Health, Safety and Environmental and Occupier legislation applicable within an operational environment and premises (i.e. Health and Safety at Work Act, Management of Health and Safety at work
• Regulations, CDM Regulations, Electricity at Work Regulations