Engineering Director

Step into a pivotal leadership role as our next Engineering Director, where your vision and expertise will shape the future of the UK’s electricity transmission network. Reporting directly to the Director of Asset Operations, you will be the driving force behind engineering compliance, safety, and assurance at the highest level.

As Engineering Director, your decisions will safeguard the integrity, reliability, and safety of a system that powers millions of homes and businesses. You’ll set the direction for technical excellence—defining policies, managing risks, and leading robust governance to uphold standards that serve as a benchmark for the entire industry. Your leadership will not only protect critical national infrastructure, but also make a tangible, positive impact on communities and the wider energy sector.

Based in our Warwick or Stand office, this role offers a dynamic and flexible working environment, with the opportunity to work in-office at least two days a week or more if it suits your lifestyle. We are committed to supporting your work-life balance and are open to discussing any arrangements that help you thrive in this vital position.

If you’re ready to leave a legacy, inspire teams, and champion innovation and safety for the future of energy, we invite you to help shape the next chapter of our nation’s power story.

Key Accountabilities

Risk and Integrity Management:

• Lead the management of engineering-related risks, including asset integrity and network resilience.
• Implement systems to identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks across the asset lifecycle.
• Investigate asset faults and failures and embed learning into the business

Engineering Compliance:

• Ensure all engineering designs, construction, maintenance, and operational activities comply with relevant legislation, national and international standards, and internal engineering policies.
• Lead regular audits, reviews, and investigations to assess compliance performance and implement corrective actions. 

Safety Leadership:

• Champion a strong safety culture, aligning with National Grid’s safety culture and HSE regulations.
• Oversee engineering-related safety governance, ensuring design and operational risks are identified, mitigated, and reported effectively.

Policy and Standards Management:

• Own and maintain the suite of Engineering Policies, Standards, and Technical Specifications.
• Lead the development and revision of engineering policies, ensuring consistency with industry evolution, emerging technologies, and stakeholder expectations.

Design and Technical Assurance:

• Lead the design assurance framework, including the review and approval of high-impact engineering designs.
• Maintain technical integrity through rigorous design validation, peer reviews, and cross-functional technical collaboration.

Strategic Leadership:

• Collaborate with executive leadership to embed engineering excellence into business strategy and project delivery.
• Represent the business in industry forums, regulatory discussions, and stakeholder engagements regarding engineering compliance and policy.

Innovation and Continuous Improvement:

• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities in processes, procedures and practices across the business

Knowledge, Experience and Technical Know How

• Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent professional status
• Proven track record in compliance management, technical governance, and engineering assurance
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Significant leadership experience in an electricity transmission or high-voltage utility environment
• In-depth knowledge of UK electricity transmission regulations, engineering standards, and safety legislation

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for everyone. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage

What You'll Get

Competitive Base Salary dependent on experience and comprehensive senior leader reward package

Further Information

This is a hybrid working role from our Warwick or Strand office with circa 2 days in the office. The closing date for this vacancy is Midnight 13 August 25, with interviews due to take place w/c 25 August 25 onwards. We encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible and not to wait until the published closing date. National Grid’s recruitment periods can and may vary. We reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.

About us

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry. To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office. Our goal is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, the innovation from diverse teams & perspectives and business need. We are committed to building a workforce so we can represent the communities we serve and have a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.

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