CNI IT Support Team Manager in Bristol

About us At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. We provide the environment, tools, and support for our people to make a real impact. As we drive forward the energy transition, we're committed to ensuring none of our customers are left behind. Join us as a CNI Support Team Manager and discover your superpower.

National Grid is looking for a CNI Support Team Manager to join our Technology team. This role is based at Avonbank, Bristol, with an expectation of working on‑site 3-4 days per week, alongside weekly travel to our Cardiff office. In this role, you’ll play a key part in supporting critical systems that underpin our operational and enterprise‑wide services.

About the Role Join a team at the heart of National Grid’s operations, where you’ll play a critical role in supporting the systems that keep the lights on for millions. Our IT&D Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) function is responsible for managing a suite of advanced platforms, including GE Vernova ADMS, which underpins how we monitor, control, and respond to the electricity network in real time. These systems are used 24/7/365 by Control Engineers, Field Operations teams, Dispatchers, and Contact Centres to manage everything from network performance to outage response.

As a CNI Support Team Manager, you’ll report directly to the CNI Manager and lead a high‑performing support team across the South West and Wales. You’ll take ownership of team operations—overseeing delivery, projects, budgets, performance, and development—while ensuring critical systems remain reliable and effective. This is a highly collaborative role, where you’ll work closely with other regional support managers and application teams to drive consistency, enhance processes, and implement best practice across the wider IT&D CNI function. You’ll have the opportunity to shape how critical systems are supported and improved, playing a key part in delivering resilient, future‑ready infrastructure.

If you’re excited by the idea of leading teams that support real‑time, business‑critical systems—and want to make a genuine impact on the UK's energy network—this is your opportunity to step up and lead from the front.

What you’ll do:

• Supporting the CNI Manager in delivering key goals, strategic objectives, and high‑impact projects that keep critical systems running.
• Leading a team responsible for the day‑to‑day support of mission‑critical platforms, including ADMS and other CNI systems, ensuring reliability where it matters most.
• Driving a wide range of technical and operational activities, including:
• Delivering proactive application support and maintenance to keep systems performing at their best.
• Managing SCADA data configuration and complex system updates.
• Supporting control centre operations by contributing to the commissioning of new substations and system capabilities.
• Shaping and delivering system enhancements and improvements that add real business value.
• Producing insightful reports and data outputs to support decision‑making across the business.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with key technology partners and vendors, ensuring we get the best from our platforms.
• Collaborating across teams to drive consistency, improve processes, and embed best practice across the wider IT&D CNI function.
• Owning performance reporting by delivering clear, engaging KPI updates on team activities and system performance.
• Leading day‑to‑day team operations, including:
• Managing availability to ensure continuous system support.
• Overseeing absence, workload, overtime, and expenses.
• Driving a culture of accountability, high performance, and continuous improvement.
• Investing in your team by conducting development reviews, coaching, and mentoring, helping individuals grow and succeed.
• Encouraging knowledge sharing and collaboration across the wider IT&D CNI teams.
• Providing timely, high‑quality support, data, and insights to internal and external stakeholders, ensuring a seamless service experience.

About you:

You bring proven experience working with SCADA or similar operational technology platforms, ideally within the utilities or energy sector, and thrive in environments where systems are truly business‑critical. You have a track record of defining and managing service levels and performance metrics, ensuring systems and teams consistently deliver at a high standard. Technically confident, you understand how complex systems fit together, including:

• SCADA architecture, data flows, and control systems.
• Software release processes and how changes are delivered safely into live environments.

You have a strong understanding of the regulatory and operational landscape surrounding electricity distribution, including outage management and industry standards. You’re commercially aware, with an appreciation of asset management principles and how operational systems support long‑term infrastructure performance. You’re an excellent communicator who can confidently engage with a wide range of stakeholders—from technical specialists to senior leaders—building strong, collaborative relationships. You’re a natural problem solver who enjoys working in fast‑paced, team‑oriented environments, bringing a proactive and solutions‑focused mindset. Most importantly, you’re someone who can combine technical understanding, leadership capability, and project delivery skills, enabling you to successfully manage and evolve critical systems that power our operations.

What you’ll get:

• Competitive salary: circa £65,000 - £90,000 per annum (based on capability, and experience).
• Annual performance incentive: earn up to 30% of eligible earnings through our performance‑related bonus scheme.
• Additional benefits:
• 28 days’ holiday plus 8 statutory bank holidays, with the option to buy additional leave and swap up to 3 bank holidays to better fit your personal needs.
• A generous pension scheme with double matching up to 6% of your salary each month. For every £1 you contribute, we’ll contribute £2 – meaning a 6% personal contribution becomes an 18% total pension contribution.
• Life insurance cover of 10× your basic salary, plus employer contributions towards the cost of your Private Medical Insurance.
• Flexible benefits such as a cycle scheme, share incentive plan, technology schemes.
• Access to apps such as digital GP service for round‑the‑clock access to GP video consultations and NHS repeat prescriptions, wellbeing app to support your health and fitness.
• Access to Work + Family Space, providing support and resources for work and family life, including paid emergency childcare and eldercare.

This role is offered on a full‑time basis. This role is based at Avonbank, Bristol, with an expectation of working on‑site 3‑4 days per week, alongside weekly travel to our Cardiff office. This role closes on 15th June; however, we strongly encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible. This role requires National Security Vetting.

Please note that in most cases, National Grid is unable to offer sponsorship for employment under the UK points‑based immigration system. As such, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future under the UK points‑based immigration system. In exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and demonstrable need for specialist skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market, National Grid may consider offering sponsorship. All applications are welcome from candidates who meet these requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion National Grid is an equal‑opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience and expertise. We foster a culture of inclusion that drives employee engagement to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve. National Grid is proud to be an affirmative action employer. We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to join the National Grid team.