System Engineer - Hybrid/Remote

About Us

At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. 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. Join us as a Systems Engineer, and find your superpower.

National Grid is hiring a Systems Engineer for our Electricity Distribution (NGED) department. This position can be based in Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, or Warwick, and we offer flexible hybrid/remote working arrangements.

Reporting to the Head of Systems Engineering, the Systems Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing infrastructure (cloud and on premise), tooling and systems (SaaS and on-premise) in support of the development team. The role is responsible for ensuring system scalability, reliability, efficiency and security across diverse environments while driving automation and operational excellence. The Systems Engineer is expected to play a critical role in enhancing infrastructure resilience and optimising performance, while adhering to industry best practices and compliance standards. This role is also expected to be a subject matter expert in their respective discipline, fostering collaboration, continuous improvement, and adaptability within the organisation, as a facilitator, mentor, and enabler of Agile principles.

A person who advocates for a culture of agility, encouraging all to embrace Agile values and practices.

Key Accountabilities

• Design and deploy scalable, high-performance systems that align with the company’s long-term operational and business goals.
• Monitor, analyse, and enhance the performance and reliability of large-scale distributed systems to ensure continuous uptime and efficiency.
• Develop automation solutions for configuration management, system provisioning, and deployment to streamline operations and reduce manual interventions.
• Implement and maintain security protocols, ensuring systems are compliant with regulatory standards and best practices, including data encryption, access control, and vulnerability management.
• Lead the resolution of system outages or performance degradation issues, conducting root cause analysis and implementing preventive measures.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including software development, DevOps, and IT operations, to integrate solutions, troubleshoot issues, and enhance system performance.
• Analyse current system capacities and plan for future growth, ensuring that the infrastructure is prepared to handle increased loads and scaling needs.

About You

• Experienced in a Systems Engineering role, with a focus on managing and scaling systems in cloud or hybrid environments.
• Strong knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), containerisation technologies, automation tools and orchestration tools.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps methodologies.
• Proficient in scripting/programming languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell.
• Deep understanding of large-scale distributed systems, network architectures, storage solutions, and compute resource management.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex system issues, perform root cause analysis, and apply solutions in a timely manner.
• Expertise in security frameworks, compliance standards (e.g., ISO27001, NIST, GDPR), and best practices for securing large-scale infrastructure.
• Proficiency with monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Splunk, Grafana, ELK stack).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and present technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to handle complex projects and work in fast-paced environments.

What You'll Get

A competitive salary between £52,000 - £67,000 – 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, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

At National Grid, 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.

Our goal is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, the innovation from diverse teams & perspectives and business need. We are committed to building a workforce so we can represent the communities we serve and have a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.