Lead Protection & Commissioning Engineer

This Lead Protection & Commissioning Engineer will report to the Operations Manager and will work within Network Operations based in our Stratford, East London office. You will be a permanent employee in our UK Power Networks team. You will attract a salary of £94,904 and a bonus of 3%. If you are successful, you will need to undertake a medical and DBS reference check.

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 Role of the Lead Protection & Commissioning Engineer in the Capital Programme Operations Team is to manage the commissioning team of operatives, whether UKPN staff or Contractors. The Lead Protection & Commissioning Engineer will manage all the Senior Protection & Commissioning and Commissioning Engineers with technical issues from the whole Capital Programme portfolio. You will ensure delivery of the APP and Connections portfolio, resolve all technical issues, operational queries, and liaison with other directorates for full compliance with UKPN Procedures. We are looking for an expertly operationally authorised person who can manage the commissioning team and develop the staff to this level. You will also be required to deputise for the Operations Manager when required.

Dimensions:

• Direct Line management responsibility for circa 8 - 12 PMSNF FTE lead, Commissioning, and agency staff.
• Liaison/coordination/cooperating with Programme/Project managers to deliver the regional APP/Connections portfolio of circa £150M per year.
• Full compliance with UKPN procedures for the commissioning team.
• Approval new multi-million-pound installations as fit for service.
• Investigate and report on maloperations/faults using highly complex computational equipment.
• Responsible for large numbers of operatives on site to ensure delivery of multi‑million‑pound projects.
• Operate the Network from an SAP perspective up to and including 132kV.
• Has a FAL of Band 4.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Run and attend Commissioning panel meetings with external partners.
• Help develop Multiple Projects from Gate A to close out Gate D.
• Provide Engineering Safety, and Management leadership to a large group of Commissioning Engineers and contractors.
• Provide advice and report on any complex mal operations to suggest solutions to any company issues which are found during these investigations.
• Co‑ordinate with the Commissioning team and other stakeholders to ensure resources are in place to deliver the portfolio of work.
• Manage the commissioning team to ensure the delivery of a portfolio of multiple multi‑million‑pound projects.
• Ensure the level of Engineering resource within the area is continuously improved.
• This includes actively developing staff by acting as a mentor and coach to assist in the team's authorisations development.
• Assess team members and authorise them at all voltage levels from LV to 132kV.
• Co‑ordinate with the Construction team and other stakeholders to ensure resources are in place to deliver the project, providing input on Quality and Deliverability.
• Ensure compliance with CDM and Safety Documentation where required for all staff.
• Have input to the programme/project managers to ensure contract resources, materials and services to ensure that programmes/projects are maintained and in place.
• Ensure that all staff complete their work to provide very high levels of Customer Service e.g. minimise CIs & CMLs, network risk, and customer complaints.
• Liaise with Asset management and network operations to input into the creation of new standards and procedures.
• Ensure that work is available by liaising with Project managers and programme managers to utilise resources.
• Provide monthly achievement reports & forecasts to help with the improved performance of the team.

Nature and Scope:

• Communicate with designers and surveyors to support in the compositions of workable designs and meaningful reports.
• Assist in the design stage of the project by providing technical support to designers on buildability, standards, procedures, and help them to produce the Hazard Elimination and Management Checklist (HEML).
• Provide guidance and create solutions from an SAP/Commissioning and testing perspective for complex challenges for the team.
• Keep up to date with new relay and testing software to be of equipment onto the network.
• Able to check and apply settings to complex relays.
• Able to lead complex testing equipment to test and commission complex relay schemes.
• Able to commission Grid transformers, 132kV feeders, Synch schemes, Primary transformers, feeders, and all primary plant onto the network.
• Review all complex designs to ensure compliance with current procedures.
• Where these standards do not exist, to help create a new standard to resolve these issues.
• Manage a team of commissioning engineers whether UKPN staff or Agency.
• This will be on a portfolio of schemes like APP and Major Connections across multiple projects to ensure the delivery of all the proposed projects.
• Attend meeting with partners to ensure the delivery of complex customer and operationally driven projects and programmes to time and budget.
• Work with P6 Planners and Project Managers to produce schedule of works for the commissioning aspects of projects.
• Issue Safety documents following the DSRs, issue task instructions, and follow the putting people to work (PPTW) policy.
• Ensure the team raise TQ's, CE, and EWN issues that may affect project delivery and submit via Unifier.
• Ensure accurate As Built Information is relayed to Designers for Networks Records.
• Verify valid DSR Competence is held by the commissioning team, and these are kept up to date.
• Ensure the commissioning team can create, maintain, and review commissioning plans, commissioning switching programmes, Inspection and testing plans, test forms, and suitable Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) and Safe System of work (SSOW) for each task requiring operational precautions.

Qualifications:

• We ask that you have a sound background in Grid, Primary Substation, and Cable systems and experience of working in a project delivery environment.
• You will be asked to have an Electrical Engineering Bachelor's Degree or equivalent.
• Hold a full SAP status for all voltage levels.
• Have five years' Operational experience, or equivalent, as a primary/grid commissioning engineer and holds a full 132kV SAP status.
• Is a member of the IET and hold CEng status or working towards.
• Holds the Network Assessors safety management and switching operations up to 132kV to authorise individuals.
• Hold a NEBOSH safety General or Construction qualification.
• Completed the Power Systems Protection course.
• Has completed the IOSH incident investigations course.
• Holds full driving license.
• A working knowledge of the safety & environmental regulations relating to construction work in the industry.
• Must have experience of working with the CDM regulations and ISO9001 quality processes.
• Understand and application of UK Power Networks procedures.
• Needs to be able to rationalise conflicting points of view to reach an optimum solution.

Candidates that don't meet all the criteria may be considered subject to necessary training and formal qualifications. If the candidate does not hold the relevant competencies, they may be placed on a lower Band with a development plan.

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. Employees need to be aware that for some craft and operational roles that work at height, or use fall arrest devices, there is an upper weight limit of 116Kg due to maximum safe working load of the safety equipment that is used.

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.