Lead Consents Officer in Wales

Join our Consents Team and help deliver The Great Grid Upgrade. The Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations - and Consents play a pivotal role in making it happen. Our Consents teams are at the heart of this transformation. They navigate and secure the complex planning and environmental processes that underpin every major infrastructure project. Without their work, it simply wouldn’t be possible to build, operate, or maintain the future electricity network that will power a cleaner, greener Britain.

We have opportunities across our Onshore, Offshore and Central Teams supporting the development and delivery of electricity transmission projects working through all consenting and planning processes, both the nationally significant infrastructure (DCO) and wider consenting and planning processes (TCPA), Marine Licence, s.37 consents, and permitted development.

As a Lead Consents Officer, you will lead on the planning and environmental consenting workstream for defined packages within a DCO or portfolio of TCPA projects - owning consents strategy/ies and programme at workstream level, coordinating EIA and environmental reports prepared by consultants/partners including oversight of budgets, and ensuring legal compliance during development and delivery. You’ll also take the lead in building and managing statutory stakeholder relationships, driving proactive engagement at every stage of the consenting journey.

As a senior member of the team, you’ll mentor colleagues and support the development of our growing consents capability. Your work could see you shaping complex, multi‑kilometre overhead line projects, steering significant marine and underground cable developments, or delivering a series of technically challenging new substations that require sensitive siting. You may also be involved in upgrading critical existing assets across the network - ensuring each project progresses in the right way, at the right time, and with the right outcomes.

You will join a growing Consents Team, of circa 100 people, expertly drawn from industry, authorities, stakeholders, and planning and environmental assessment consultancies. We’re a high-performing, world-class team, one that is diverse and inclusive in position and thought, and one that truly cares about the safety, security and wellbeing of its people.

This role welcomes applicants UK wide, and we offer hybrid working with key hub and project offices across the UK, but with an Onshore and Offshore DCO project focus in the East Midlands, Central Midlands, East Anglia, Scottish Borders and Wales. Our Central team supports projects through England and Wales, but has team clusters based in Leeds, London, Warrington, Bristol and Warwick. You will be required to travel to sites and partner offices across the UK as part of the job. Flexible working patterns are supported.

• Shape and deliver consents for major electricity transmission projects – from strategy, routeing/siting and assessment, through application, examination and into construction delivery, ensuring legal and policy compliance throughout.
• Coordinate and support Environmental Surveys, Appraisals and Impact Assessments (EIA) and other specialist environmental studies (e.g., ecology, landscape/visual, heritage, noise, traffic & transport).
• Engage and manage Government, authority and key stakeholder relationships (LPAs, statutory bodies, and communities).
• Drive consistency and continuous improvement: Use and apply our ‘Approach to Consenting’ to drive projects, share and take on lessons learned with colleagues, and help standardise ways of working across the portfolio.

What we do isn’t just important – it’s essential. That’s why we look to recruit experts in their field. In this case, we’re looking for someone who has:

• Substantive experience leading consents/EIA on major infrastructure (both DCO and/or TCPA/Marine experience).
• Excellent stakeholder and supplier management, with a collaborative mindset.
• The ability to translate complex issues into clear decisions and actions.
• A deep commitment to energy security and Net Zero.
• The confidence to speak up, challenge the status quo, and show us how we could be doing things better.
• Resilience and compassion.

A competitive salary between £55,000 - £65,000 – dependent on capability. Market supplement of £4,500 per annum. Job requirement company car (if you drive over 10,000 miles a year for business). An annual performance bonus. 26 days annual leave (plus bank holidays). The option to buy additional or sell holiday days. Generous contributory pension scheme - we will double-match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. Financial support to help cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions, course fees, books, exam fees and time off for study leave - so long as it’s relevant to your role. Access to 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. Family care benefits including a back-up care service for when your usual care arrangements fall through (six paid days each year as standard with the option to purchase further days). Access to apps that support health, fitness and wellbeing.

National Grid Strategic Infrastructure is a Business Unit created to propel our grid forward to deliver in 5 years, what has been achieved in the previous 30. By 2030 we aim to have 17 new major infrastructure projects live across England, Scotland and Wales. Here at National Grid, we connect homes and businesses to power, making sure supply and demand match each other. Our investment in Strategic Infrastructure via The Great Grid Upgrade will mean more home‑grown power, greater energy security and a cleaner future.

This role closes on 1 March 2026 at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary. Interviews to be held week commencing 16 and 23 March.

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. However, 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.