Engineering Design Team Manager - Temporary

Job Introduction

A temporary opportunity is available for an Engineering Design Team Manager based at our offices in Bristol.  The position is initially for a period of up to 12 months, subject to review.

The Engineering Design (ED) Team prepare electrical, protection/control, mechanical and civil designs for schemes to construct, extend or modify electricity substations energised at up to 132kV. The team assists network design colleagues with the assessment of substation options and develop selected schemes from a broad engineering brief into a full specified build package.  The team also has responsibility for the preparation, issue and archival of protection relay configurations and settings at up to 132kV.

The broader ED Team comprises cira 80 design staff, primarily based at offices in Tipton, Castle Donington, Bristol and Cardiff.  It handles in excess of 500 active design commissions at any time ranging in capital value from £50k to £10m.

*Please note the successful candidate may initially be appointed at a lower salary until all relevant courses and/or training are complete.

Main responsibilities

• The immediate management of the team of Substation Design Engineers.
• The provision of high-level technical input to the EHV substation design task and providing subject matter expertise in this area within NGED and to customers.
• Ensuring that direct reports are supported in discharge of their duties as ‘Designers’ under the Construction Design and Management regulations.
• Programming of overall 132kV, 66kV and 33kV substation design workload.
• Allocating and coordinating design resources to meet the particular needs of the capital programme (including asset replacement, network reinforcement and/or the connection of new load or generation).
• Acting as the focal point of substation engineering advice to colleagues across National Grid, Customers, their agents and other third parties as necessary.
• Custodianship and upkeep of substation design archives and protection settings archives.
• Policy setting (in conjunction with the Policy team) in the area of substation engineering.  This aspect is to be focused primarily around physical substation design policy standardisation (including civil design aspects).
• Ensuring rapid response to queries arising from the design or construction phases of substation projects.
• Ensuring compliance of design output with National Grid policy.
• Providing overview of substation civil and primary design outputs.
• Providing overview of protection design, setting and protection relay configuration outputs.
• Ensuring consistency of design outputs across the team (including consistency of ICP design submission response).
• Coordinating the design response to potential mal-operation of protection systems or major plant failures.
• Managing team operational and non-operational authorisations and associated training requirements.
• Preparing and periodically reviewing overall and individual training and developments plans for the team.
• Conducting recruitment of personnel, when team vacancies arise.
• Managing the return and archival of as-constructed substation design information.
• Managing the return and archival as-applied protection setting data.
• The health, safety and welfare of the team.
• The setting and control of financial budgets.

Ideal candidate

The successful candidate will be qualified to HNC level, or above, in an appropriate engineering discipline and have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in an Engineering Design discipline or equivalent experience gained from a related design or project delivery role.

Excellent communication skills are required and previous experience or the ability to manage a team with a diverse project portfolio are also essential. 

*Please note the successful candidate may initially be appointed at a lower salary until all relevant courses and training are complete.

National Grid Electricity Distribution is committed to safeguarding the interests of the Company, colleagues and customers.

This role is subject to a satisfactory Barring Service (DBS) check.  Depending on the role different levels of screening and vetting are required. Some roles require a triannual check.