An exciting opportunity is available for a Connections Strategy Officer, the location of the role can be flexible and will be agreed with the successful candidate although regular attendance at our offices in Bristol, Tipton and/or Castle Donington will be required.

Reporting to the Connections Strategy and Policy Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Contribution to the formulation, development, maintenance and review of Company Connection strategy and policy relating to specialism to meet Company objectives and satisfy Licence and regulatory requirements.
• The development, maintenance and review of a suite of materials that can be used to disseminate policy changes and updates.
• Provision of technical consultancy within the Company and to external stakeholders on Connections Strategy and specialism.
• Providing technical expertise and support to NGED teams (primarily Network Design (PND and ED) and Network Services) and external stakeholders and customers.
• Contribution to the development, review and improvement of Connections strategy, processes and tools to facilitate and enable a quicker and improved customer journey.
• Contribution to the development, maintenance and review of other Company policy.
• Maintaining up to date knowledge on NGED policy and specialism.

As part of our hybrid working approach this role offers a mix of office and home working. Hybrid working can only be considered once your initial training is complete and subject to business need.

*Please note the successful candidate may initially be appointed at a lower salary until all relevant courses and training are complete.

If you are offered a position, you will be required to complete and provide a satisfactory basic DBS check that shows any unspent convictions or conditional cautions.

We’re National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), the owner and operator behind the electricity distribution systems for the Midlands, the Southwest of England and South Wales. Serving communities of more than 8 million people, our expert teams deliver heat, light and power for homes and businesses.

National Grid employs over 29,000 people worldwide. We are building an inclusive workplace, a place to actively celebrate the cultures, personalities and preferences of our colleagues – who in turn help to build the success of our business and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future and we are doing this in a fast-moving industry with an increasing focus on tackling climate change, exploring new energy sources that are renewable, low carbon, and improve efficiency to meet demand.

NGED’s principle objective is to offer an excellent service to our customers and stakeholders. The Customer Excellence team plays a pivotal role in supporting the business to achieve this and is responsible for the Contact Centre, Connections and Connections Reform teams and the Customer Performance team.

All roles and objectives within the Customer Excellence directorate are aligned in that you’ll be actively involved in engaging with customers and stakeholders and across the NGED business with the key objective of improving and enhancing the service that we provide for customers; whether that be in operational support roles in the Contact Centre through to business support and analytical roles in our Connections, Connections Reform & Customer Performance teams.

In ED2, our success will be judged by our connections service from enabling LCT connections at domestic properties through to connecting new houses and EV charge points through to connecting large demand and generation projects to our EHV and 132kV networks. The Connections teams plays a pivotal role in supporting the business to achieve this. The Connections team is responsible for ensuring that we have the correct connection policies and strategies to enable connections now and in the future, that we’re achieving our connections commercial objectives, that we’re strategically engaging with, and improving our service for, customers and stakeholders throughout the connections journey life cycle and that we are digitalising our connections processes to enhance our service to customers whilst improving our business efficiency.

In addition you will also be responsible for:

• Maintenance and update of Policy systems and databases
• Presenting/briefing of Connections strategy and policy matters to NG teams and external stakeholders.
• Training and support to PND, Network Services and external stakeholders in a technical consultancy role on specialism.
• Provision of a support service to provide guidance and advice on policy applications and interpretations
• Be aware of the work of colleagues in the Connections Strategy Team to provide cover for their activities and specialisms.
• Provide support to the Training Centre where required.
• The coordination and preparation of NGED responses in relation to industry change proposals/consultations and ensure accepted proposals are incorporated in to Connections Policy.
• Deliver results on time, to required quality standards and to budget, to fulfil the business plan and achieve/support company goals.
• Engage with and support the business and external stakeholders in Connections Strategy and Policy.
• Participation in related Connections Strategy national groups/working groups/forums.

Specialism: Connections Queue Optimisation & Management

Responsible for: -

• Understanding and improving Queue Management timescales at each voltage level.
• Providing Queue Management technical expertise and support to NGED teams (primarily Network Design (PND and ED) and Network Services) and external stakeholders and customers.
• Ensuring that Company Policy is aligned to the latest ENA Queue Management User Guide
• Working with NGED’s DSO and DNO teams, the ongoing effective management and improvement of our Queue Management Policies, procedures and systems.
• Contribute to the development of queue management milestone trackers (including integrated tools i.e. a CRM).

The successful candidate will have a good engineering knowledge.  Be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills along with the ability to provide training and advice in formal and informal groups in a range of different settings.  Knowledge of connections strategy and policies within a regulated utility industry would be beneficial.

You will need to be able to travel as this role requires regular visits to other sites therefore holding a full and valid driving licence will also be beneficial.

Joining the UK’s leading electricity distribution business means plenty of career opportunities and well-deserved recognition. We reward hard work and encourage ambition. So, as well as a competitive salary, you will also benefit from:

• 26 days paid leave plus 8 bank holidays, up to 28 days with continuous service
• Competitive contributory pension scheme (we double match your contributions up to a maximum of 12%)
• Annual Share Save plan
• Contributory private healthcare scheme for you and your family
• Support via our Employee Assistance Programme, including musculoskeletal and physiotherapy services
• Free on-site parking at all our main sites

Things you need to know

As an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we celebrate individual difference and are actively bringing in more employees from diverse backgrounds to build on our inclusive culture. We anonymise all applications in our recruitment system so we can eliminate unconscious bias and be a workplace that reflects the community we serve. Hiring managers only have access to necessary information at interview stage. If you require additional support to complete your online application, please email nged.recruitment@nationalgrid.co.uk

Recruitment correspondence is usually sent by email, please check your email account including spam/junk folders regularly after the closing date.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should sufficient numbers of suitable applications be received, so it would be best to apply as soon as you can.