Instrumentation Operations Technician in Chelmsford

£44,642 to £52,519 (depending on experience) + up to 6% bonus + access to liveried vehicle. Up to 10-15% additional earnings through overtime and standby. Chelmsford - covering Essex and Thames Estuary assets. You'll work across a defined regional patch (East 5), covering sites from Essex through to the Thames Estuary, with travel required across the area five days a week.

About us

National Gas is securing Britain's energy. We transport gas throughout Great Britain, repair and maintain gas pipelines, and manage the meters that allow millions of homes and businesses to access the energy they need. We are the national gas network, providing secure energy to power Britain, achieve net zero, and maintain our industrial competitiveness.

About the role

Keep critical energy infrastructure running safely and reliably. We're looking for an Instrumentation Operations Technician to deliver hands-on support across compressor stations, pipelines and AGI assets. These are predominantly pipelines focused opportunities within our operations team, where you'll maintain and support mechanical systems across operational gas infrastructure. You'll carry out fault finding, repairs and performance improvement, playing a key role in both routine maintenance and emergency response. This role provides exposure to a range of disciplines, enabling you to develop experience beyond your core specialism. This is a field-based role, working closely with technicians and wider teams to keep assets safe, compliant and performing at their best.

Why this role matters

The national transmission system underpins essential energy supply. Your work directly protects asset integrity, keeps gas flowing, and supports safe, uninterrupted operations. You'll take ownership of high-risk activities, support emergency response, and influence how sites operate - with real impact on safety, reliability and performance.

What you'll be doing

• Manage installation, inspection, commissioning and maintenance of plant and pipeline assets
• Manage maintenance across plant, including rotating equipment, valves, and pressure systems
• Deliver fault diagnosis and repair to maximise availability and reliability
• Lead safe systems of work, issuing permits and defining isolations
• Maintain accurate asset, maintenance and operational records in line with regulatory requirements
• Support commissioning of new assets and contribute to minor design improvements
• Respond to incidents and support emergency operations, including standby cover
• Oversee contractor activity to ensure safety and technical compliance
• Participate in a standby rota once fully trained, typically one week in every four or five

What you'll bring

This role would suit someone who brings strong field-based engineering experience and thrives in disciplined, safety-led environments.

• Proven maintenance and operations experience in instrumentation engineering (or similar process industry)
• Experience diagnosing faults and maintaining plant and equipment in hazardous or safety-critical environment
• Strong working knowledge of safe systems of work, including permits and isolations
• Understanding of process plant operation and cross-discipline equipment interaction
• Knowledge of relevant technical and health & safety legislation
• Recognised engineering apprenticeship or equivalent, plus Level 3 qualification (e.g. NVQ, City & Guilds)
• Full UK driving licence
• CompEx EX01-04 certification
• Experience with rotating plant, compressors, pipelines, etc.
• Experience with DSEAR regulated environments
• Exposure to cyber security standards (e.g. IEC 62443)
• Experience supporting construction and commissioning projects

Security clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and annual performance bonus
• Double match pension scheme (max. company contribution 12%)
• Generous holiday allowance (26 days + bank holidays)
• Flexible benefit scheme, inc. private healthcare, dental insurance, technology plans, and more
• Financial protection with 10x salary death in service and financial support if you're unable to work due to long term illness or injury
• Excellent family friendly provisions such as maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave
• Professional development opportunities inc. financial support to help you cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions
• Employee assistance programme offering free confidential professional counselling 24/7
• Inclusive, supportive, and forward-thinking workplace

Inclusive recruitment

At National Gas, we are disability confident, and we are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve. We celebrate the different experiences our colleagues bring to our organisation and strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments you need to perform your best.