Asset Replacement & Strategy Engineer in Crawley

This Asset Replacement & Strategy Engineer position will report to the Asset Management – Distribution Manager and will work within the Asset Management directorate based in our Crawley office. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £68,144.00 and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote.

We also provide the following additional benefits:

• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme

Job Purpose:

The Asset Management Directorate is important to positioning UK Power Networks to navigate the regulatory demands of RIIO-ED2 and beyond. With a clear ambition to be recognised as an industry leader, we are looking for engineering talent—individuals with the drive, insight, and vision to help shape the future of asset management.

This important role sits within the Asset Strategy team and reports directly to an Asset Manager. The team is responsible for the development and assurance of inspection, maintenance, replacement, and refurbishment strategies across a diverse portfolio of asset types. It plays a central role in ensuring our network remains resilient, efficient, and fit for the future.

With experience delivering industry-recognised programmes, the team has led programs ranging from large-scale pole refurbishment strategies to the development of advanced oil sampling tools recognised industry wide. Pushing the boundaries of efficiency, the team is at the forefront of innovation, driving meaningful improvements in delivery optimisation and operational excellence.

Across the wider business, the Asset Strategy function is recognised for its leadership in asset replacement programmes and its critical role in delivering important regulatory projects. Working collaboratively with leading suppliers, the team addresses asset defects, investigates failures, and implements solutions that enhance network performance and reliability.

The team is committed to professional development, with experience nurturing talent—from graduate engineers through to leadership roles. You will play a critical role in UK Power Networks' ongoing success while benefiting from diverse technical exposure, and the opportunity to shape both your career and the future of the network.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Develop policies to reflect medium to long term innovative asset strategies that optimise asset performance and provide reliable and accurate Health Indices (HI), Criticality Indices (CI) and Risk Indices (RI) as the requirements of the regulator;
• Maintain asset standards as required;
• Prepare programmes of work for inspection, maintenance and asset replacement/refurbishment activities using available data;
• Contribute to the budgeting of these programmes of work reconciling volumes, unit costs and budget provision whilst promoting efficiency in delivery and looking at ways to optimise strategies.
• Track progress and report on the delivery status of the programmes of work, working with both internal and external partners to promote engagement and deliver success.
• Prepare business cases and engineering options, seek financial approval at the appropriate stage of development of the respective projects;
• Provide asset management guidance, collaborating and supporting Network Operations and the wider business; gathering fault data and liaising on operational restrictions and potential work interventions.
• Support the collation, development and delivery of high-quality regulatory submissions, providing information, analysis and clear commentary to inform strategic decision-making.
• Develop ideas into working concepts to aid delivery with the support of the organisations leading innovation hub.
• Carry out asset fault rate analysis and work to develop tools to move to a predicted condition-based programme of work.
• Carry out network incident reviews/investigations, working with major suppliers and the Energy network association where required.
• You will work with Network Operations field teams and Area Managers to coordinate and agree programmes of work, ensuring alignment with asset management policies, standards and procedures.
• Collaborate extensively with Distribution Capital Delivery and the wider Capital Programme to help shape and support future investment plans, ensuring that programmes are delivered effectively and that the appropriate resources, capabilities and delivery capacity are in place to meet operational and network demands.

Qualifications:

You will be expected to demonstrate technical competence and experience. These could have been gained through a previous job role, or through managing a range of complex and diverse projects. You will have a deep understanding of the design, operation and failure mode of the distribution assets owned and operated by UK Power Networks.

Asset Engineers shall champion enhanced safety performance and behaviours that reduce risks to the public and employees. You will exhibit a positive customer service ethos, both internally and externally and shall deliver against challenging budgets.

Required:

• HNC/HND in Electrical Engineering with substantial experience.
• Membership of a professional body such as the IET or IAM or working towards professional recognition;
• Knowledge of relevant Electrical and Utility industry Regulations;
• An understanding of the design and operation of electrical distribution assets.
• Inspection & maintenance requirements and how the existing health of an asset is determined together with knowledge of degradation, failure mechanisms;
• Ability to interact and verbally communicate at senior level to obtain and present information in a clear form;
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft applications, including Word, Excel, Power-point;
• Experience of analysing and reporting on complex data.
• Proficient with the use of Databricks and Power Bi to aid large scale data analysis and trend tracking.
• Good written skills, to produce concise reports and presentations;
• Excellent interpersonal skills to ensure effective interaction with partners.

Degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems Engineering.

Chartered Engineer registered with professional body.

Experience in one / several of the specific areas below is being sought:

• Knowledge of network assets either through operational experience or by other means;
• Knowledge of underground cable assets;
• Knowledge of secondary substation assets;
• Knowledge of the overhead line network.
• Knowledge of instrumentation, control and telemetry equipment.

Should you not currently have the full range of essential skills, qualifications and competencies listed above, there may be an opportunity for further training to equip you appropriately. If you do not have all relevant competencies for the core grade, it may be appropriate to appoint at a lower grade until they have developed the required competencies.

Health & Safety Responsibilities:

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.