Control Room Manager

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 Control Room Manager and find your superpower.

National Grid is hiring a Control Room Manager to work on site at our IFA1 Interconnector in Sellindge Kent. In this role, reporting to the UK Asset Operations and Maintenance Manager, you’ll be managing a team of HVDC Control Room Operators, a dedicated shift team who are responsible for controlling and monitoring the operation of the IFA1 Interconnector. You will be responsible for ensuring safe operation of the systems, developing and maintaining a resilient control room team, ensuring compliance to procedures and working closely with all stakeholders. This role is based on a 24/7 operational site, and you will be required to participate in a standby rota as an escalation point for site incidents and interventions. The role also comes with line management of two people. As the role is based onsite at IFA1 we require candidates who can drive with a full UK driving licence.

What you’ll do:

• Line manager of a team of shift operators for the IFA1 interconnector, prioritising safe operations. This includes setting objectives, planning development and training needs.
• Develop members of the team, deliver training and mentoring to gain Control Room authorisations. Conduct refresher assessments and continual development of their capability. Forward plan recruitment strategy to ensure team resilience.
• Develop and maintain sufficient control operating procedures and guidance so operations are undertaken in accordance with policies and safety rules.
• Work closely and collaboratively with our partners, the National Electricity System Operator (NESO) and TenneT, including representing the business in governance forums.
• Understand and work with other teams and our suppliers to develop and improve operational and commercial systems.
• Active role from an Operations perspective, in the Interconnectors Operating Protocol meetings with the National Electricity System Operator (NESO) and TenneT.
• Understand and promptly respond to and investigate all safety concerns and system issues. Coordinate with control room team, on-site colleagues and contractors who undertake maintenance and repair works to ensure alarms/messages are managed.
• Manage the delivery of specific Control Room projects, cost effectiveness, with high standards of environmental & safety performance.
• Participate in a standby rota as an escalation point for site incidents and interventions. Enact emergency procedures including fire marshal and incident controller duties during site evacuations.

What you’ll need:

• Authorised/Previous Authorisation in Operations and / or Safety.
• Experience of working within a control room environment or an engineering background would be an advantage, with knowledge of complex systems (SCADA, HV AC/DC control systems, dispatch systems).
• Experience working within a High Voltage or similar environment. Knowledge and understanding of work on HV & LV systems, encompassing both electrical and mechanical systems.
• You have confidence in your own ability and can make decisions under pressure within a time-critical process environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, capable of gaining a high degree of credibility and influencing with teams, particularly leading a team.
• Safety & environmental knowledge and understanding in respect of day-to-day duties, together with proven ability to respond to emergency situations.
• Experience in managing on-call activities and making decisions in a pressured environment.

What you’ll get:

A competitive salary between £67,000 - £83,000 per annum– 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.