Lead Field Engineer

Overview

81217 – Lead Field Engineer This Lead Field Engineer will report to the Area Manager and will work within Network Operations based in our Crawley depot. You will be a permanent employee.

Close Date: 16th February 2026

Salary: £94,904 per annum and a bonus of 3%.

Benefits

• 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays.
• 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

Responsible for the coordination and performance of many field engineers carrying out Projects, Connections, Maintenance and Fault work within a geographical patch of the Crawley and Brighton Area. Ensuring works are carried out to time, cost and quality standards. Also having an overview responsibility for delivery of one of the four Directorates; Projects, Connections, Maintenance and Fault work. Close liaison local scheduling teams, and the centralised Fore Hamlet function, to ensure the maximum utilisation of staff will be an important aspect of the role. Direct responsibility for ensuring that customer service levels are maintained at the highest levels. This includes resolving escalated customer technical issues.

Dimensions

Staff: circa 1: 6/8 Field Engineers (SAP and AP).

From LV up to 11 KV. Turnover c£15M, including Connections, Operations & Capital Programme.

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide engineering, safety and management leadership to a group of field engineers working across all operational disciplines.
• Ensure the level of field engineering within the Area is improved and that field engineers are developed by being a mentor;
• Deputise for the Area Manager.
• To communicate with the Network Planners in prioritising the critical capital workload to be delivered within the Area ensuring that it is completed promptly.
• Ensure that a high standard of safety management prevails throughout all responsibilities and that safety performance is maintained within parameters defined by the Executive. Promote the Incident and Injury Free philosophy.
• Ensure staff comply with Company procedures and complete work to the required standards.
• Coordination with the Region-based schedulers to schedule connections, maintenance, planned repairs and infrastructure projects so that they are delivered.
• Liaise on matters of operational, plant and cable policy with Networks experts to ensure the right balance is maintained between safety, cost, quality and delivery.
• Support daily planning, coordination and real-time responsibility for the efficient utilisation of resources including directly employed staff and, if appropriate, contractors. Ensuring that work is available, by working with the Regional scheduling team, the Area Team Leaders, internal and external customers to maximise the utilisation of resources.
• Improve the performance of the Area.
• Removal of barriers to the efficient delivery of work within all directorates.
• Work with Field Staff Supervisors, Regional delivery Services to ensure the best utilisation of all staff and to improve customer experiences.
• Establish a process of continuous improvement through Individual Performance Review, the development of staff and utilisation of new technology.
• To perform Field Engineer operational audits.
• Contribute to an ongoing high-level Strategic Resource Plan.
• Support the Area in preparation, readiness and implementation for a system emergency at local tactical team.
• Promote Our projects e.g. Transformation Projects.
• Work within support the development and operation of our quality systems, including ISO and IIP.

Nature and Scope

You will be an experienced engineer with an understanding of the business from an operational perspective. A significant level of responsibility will be essential in this role. You will be an important member of the Operational team within the Area and must have integrity and demonstrate intelligent balanced judgement in all matters, in particular those relating to people at all levels. An understanding of the range and type of both professional and trade skills that are important in delivering the businesses goals is required.

Additionally, The Post Holder Must You will communicate with managers within UK Power Networks. You will have integrity and demonstrate a cooperative and team-based approach to achieving overall our goals.

• Be able to demonstrate they are practical and by virtue of their actions, in the form of moving others to action by planning, motivating, organising and controlling tasks and deliverables of regulatory change.
• Have acute experience in respect of planning and commercial issues through their ability to see situations from many perspectives, and to produce well reasoned proposals and solutions.
• Deliver complex customer and operationally motivated projects and programmes to time and budget.

Knowledge, Experience And Qualifications

You will have both a high degree of experience in field engineering and be able to demonstrate a commitment towards meeting business targets. You will be someone who inspires those you mentor, setting the highest of standards in all areas including professional conduct. We ask that you work with other parts of Networks and develop and implement new projects.

The base level qualifications/courses are as follows;-

• HNC in Electrical Engineering or equivalent (See Note 1 below);
• Full SAP at 11KV
• NEBOSH Certificate (See Note 2 below);
• 3 day Leadership and 1 day course (See Note 2 below);

To recognise the significance of this position you will also work towards continuing their professional development in engineering, safety, leadership and general management.

Notes for candidates

• As an exception for this advert candidates that have all the necessary experience and attributes to undertake the role, but do not hold a HNC may still be considered if they are prepared to undertake further studies to obtain a HNC or equivalent qualification. In such cases an agreed period of secondment to band C would be offered to obtain the qualifications
• Candidates who do not already have this qualification are still eligible to apply. Should they be successful they will achieve the qualification/course within a reasonable period after their appointment;
• You should hold a NRSWA Supervisors certificate, and possess a clean driving licence.
• Also, you will be IT literate.

Key Competencies

• Safety Management
• Financial management and cost control
• Change Management
• Organisational skills
• Leadership skills
• People Management
• Customer Service Focussed
• Project Management discipline
• Relationship Management
• Incident Investigation and reporting

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.

If in doubt ask!

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.