Electrical Faults and Maintenance Contract Manager

Electrical Faults and Maintenance Contract Manager

The Faults and Maintenance Contract Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management, coordination and performance monitoring of ESP’s appointed faults and maintenance contractors, ensuring that all contracted services are delivered safely, efficiently and in accordance with contractual obligations, agreed service levels, applicable industry standards and regulatory requirements.

The role acts as the primary operational interface between ESP’s Operations team and its faults and maintenance service providers. It ensures that contractors are held accountable for service delivery, operational performance, customer service and compliance with their own Electrical Safety Rules, Safe Systems of Work (SSoW) and associated safety management arrangements.

The successful candidate will drive continuous improvement in contractor performance, maintain effective working relationships and provide assurance to ESP that its electricity distribution networks are being maintained and faults managed to the required standards of safety, reliability and integrity.

Key Responsibilities

Contractor Management and Operational Liaison

• Act as the primary day-to-day point of contact for appointed faults and maintenance contractors.
• Maintain effective communication and working relationships with contractor managers, operational teams, control personnel and field engineers.
• Coordinate and monitor the delivery of planned maintenance, reactive maintenance, fault response and emergency attendance activities.
• Ensure contractors understand and comply with their contractual obligations, operational requirements, response times and service standards.
• Monitor outstanding work orders, open faults, remedial actions and maintenance activities to ensure timely completion.
• Escalate operational issues, resource constraints, delays and service failures to the relevant contractor management and internal IDNO stakeholders.
• Coordinate contractor activities with the IDNO’s Network Operations and Control functions, ensuring clear communication of network status, operational restrictions and work requirements.

Contract Performance and KPI Management

• Monitor contractor performance against agreed contractual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and other performance measures.
• Track and report performance relating to fault response times, restoration times, attendance, repair completion, planned maintenance delivery and work order closure.
• Monitor compliance with contractual requirements for customer communication, incident reporting, technical reporting and evidence submission.
• Produce regular contractor performance reports, identifying trends, recurring failures, areas of concern and opportunities for improvement.
• Chair regular contractor performance review meetings, ensuring actions are documented, assigned and completed within agreed timescales.
• Challenge underperformance and require contractors to provide explanations, corrective action plans and evidence of improvement.
• Apply contractual escalation processes where performance falls below agreed standards, including recommending service credits or other remedies where applicable under the contract.
• Maintain a performance improvement action log and verify that corrective actions have been implemented and are effective.

Fault Response and Network Reliability

• Monitor the contractor’s response to network faults, emergencies and unplanned interruptions, ensuring that contractual response and attendance requirements are met.
• Maintain oversight of significant or prolonged outages, ensuring regular updates are received from contractors and escalated internally as required.
• Ensure fault investigations, root cause analysis, repair reports and supporting technical evidence are completed to the required standard.
• Monitor the quality and timeliness of fault reporting, including identification of the fault location, cause, affected customers, actions taken and final restoration details.
• Challenge repeat faults, recurring asset failures and ineffective repairs, requiring suitable investigation and remedial action.
• Ensure contractors maintain appropriate arrangements for emergency response, resource availability, competent personnel, equipment and specialist support.
• Liaise with the IDNO’s Control and Network Operations teams to support effective incident management and restoration of customer supplies.
• Review contractor performance following significant incidents and identify opportunities to improve response, resilience and network reliability.

Planned Maintenance and Asset Management

• Monitor delivery of the IDNO’s planned maintenance programme against agreed schedules and contractual requirements.
• Ensure maintenance and remedial activities are completed within required timescales and that any overdue or deferred work is appropriately justified, risk assessed and escalated.
• Monitor the quality of maintenance records, inspection reports, test results, asset condition assessments and remedial recommendations.
• Ensure defects and emerging asset risks identified by contractors are recorded, prioritised and progressed to resolution.
• Work with the Asset Management and Network Operations teams to prioritise maintenance activities according to asset criticality, condition, risk and network reliability.
• Challenge incomplete maintenance records, inadequate workmanship and repeat remedial requirements.
• Support the identification of maintenance efficiencies without compromising network safety, asset integrity or regulatory compliance.

Commercial and Contractual Management

• Monitor contractor delivery against the agreed scope of services, contractual obligations and pricing arrangements.
• Validate work completion evidence and support the verification of contractor invoices, variations and additional works.
• Identify potential contract scope gaps, inappropriate additional charges, inefficiencies and avoidable expenditure.
• Maintain records of contractual non-conformances, disputes, performance deductions and agreed remedial actions.
• Support contract renewals, tender exercises, service specification reviews and the development of improved contractual KPIs.
• Work collaboratively with procurement, finance and legal colleagues where contractual interpretation, disputes or formal remedies are required.
• Identify opportunities to improve value for money, service quality and the scalability of contracted services as the IDNO network expands.

Customer Service and Stakeholder Management

• Ensure contractors meet agreed customer communication standards when responding to faults, planned maintenance and supply interruptions.
• Monitor the timely provision of accurate updates concerning attendance, restoration, repair progress and outstanding remedial works.
• Support the investigation and resolution of complaints relating to contractor performance, workmanship, delays or communication.
• Ensure appropriate consideration is given to Priority Services Register (PSR) customers and other vulnerable customers during fault response and restoration activities.
• Escalate potential Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) failures and other customer service issues to the relevant internal teams.
• Promote a customer-focused approach while maintaining the IDNO’s safety, regulatory and contractual requirements.

Reporting, Governance and Continuous Improvement

• Prepare regular management reports covering contractor performance, faults, maintenance delivery, safety assurance, outstanding actions and commercial performance.
• Maintain accurate and auditable records of contract performance, assurance activities and formal communications.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, reporting, contractor mobilisation, fault management and maintenance delivery.
• Support the development of operational procedures, contract management standards and contractor assurance frameworks.
• Contribute to operational risk registers, internal audits, regulatory assurance activities and business improvement initiatives.
• Work with Network Operations colleagues to ensure that contractor arrangements remain appropriate as the IDNO’s network portfolio, asset base and operational complexity increase.

Key Skills

Essential

Experience in contract management, contractor performance management or operational service delivery within the electricity distribution industry or a comparable electrical infrastructure environment.

Understanding of electrical distribution networks, including LV and HV assets, fault response, maintenance activities and network operational requirements.

Demonstrable experience monitoring KPIs, challenging underperformance and managing corrective action plans.

Understanding of electrical safety management and Safe Systems of Work.

Experience managing competing operational priorities, service interruptions and time-critical activities.

Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to interpret contractual requirements and apply them consistently and fairly.

Strong analytical skills, with the ability to produce meaningful performance reports and identify trends.

Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with a focus on maintaining accurate and auditable records.

Confidence in challenging contractors and escalating concerns where safety, performance or customer service standards are not met.

Desirable

Experience working for an IDNO, DNO, ICP or electricity network maintenance provider.

Familiarity with relevant Energy Networks Association (ENA) Engineering Recommendations and industry codes.

Understanding of DNO/IDNO fault management, outage reporting, customer restoration and Guaranteed Standards of Performance.

Experience of contractor audits, site inspections, incident investigations and root cause analysis.

Experience with asset management systems, GIS, work management systems and performance dashboards.

Understanding of contractual remedies, service credits, procurement and commercial performance management.

Relevant electrical, engineering, safety or contract management qualifications.