Director of Operations and Engagement

About us

At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. But it’s so much more than that. National Grid supplies us with the environment to make it happen. As we generate momentum in the energy transition for all, we don’t plan on leaving any of our customers in the dark. So, join us as a Director of Operations and Engagement, and find your superpower.

We are looking to hire a Director of Operations and Engagement for our Strategy and Regulation team. You will report to the Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer and support the Strategy and Regulation Senior Leadership Team (SLT). This role will be located in London, The Strand, with hybrid working.

About the role

The Director of Operations and Engagement acts as an Advisory Partner to the Senior Leadership Group, with a key focus on Performance, Governance, Engagement and Special Projects and Reputation Management. The position is characterized by a high degree of responsibility, accountability, technical aptitude, aligned with strong influencing skills and diplomacy. You will also be a central member of the Chief of Staff community at National Grid.

Key responsibilities

Advisory Partner 

• Act as executive support.
• Act as a key advisor and “sounding board” to the Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer and the Senior Leadership Team.

• Provide constructive challenge on strategy and operational delivery, question prioritization and time allocation to ensure focus.
• ‘Join the dots’ between activities and projects across the Function.  
• Act as a “trouble-shooter” on key issues and challenges, as and when asked to do so.

• Act as bridge to the Group Executive Committee and the Office of the CEO.

Governance

• Maintain a governance calendar to ensure that (where appropriate) there is visibility across the SLT and SLT-1 community on key deliverables for meetings outside of S&R including GEC and Board meetings
• Act as the primary point of contact for the delivery of papers to meet the requirements of those committees/meetings
• Ensure that there is sharing of material (where appropriate) between the SLT and SLT-1 Community

Engagement

• Develop the engagement plan for S&R
• Lead the development of the annual “All-Team” Conferences.
• Oversee personal comms and engagement strategy.  

• Support culture, to help embed Strategy and Regulation’s “We Drive Change” philosophy and to ensure that the function is more than the sum of its parts.

Alignment & Performance

• Shape our Line of Sight with the SLT annually.
• Embed team effectiveness principles into the running of S&R.
• Lead on the weekly check in’s and ensure that the right topics are being discussed
• Shape and engage the SLT in developing strategic offsite that enable the team to project forward, manage risks and optimise opportunities
• Lead on the coordination and development of the annual Performance Contract.
• Lead on the coordination and development of the Functional Business Review (FBR) and ensure that the relevant metrics are regularly tracked and reviewed by the SLT throughout the year.
• Develop and manage the annual Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) process.
• Work closely with Finance to oversee our budget allocation.

Special Projects

• These are likely to originate in the Group Executive Committee or Chief of Staff Network. Provide PMO support on these projects with an emphasis on coordination between S&R and other departments

Reputation Management

• As a visible member of the SLT, you will play a key role in the relationship between the SLT and the teams within S&R. You will also be a key point of contact for executives from outside S&R.

What you'll bring?

#LI-MR1 #LI-HYBRID

• A strong self-starter, with excellent initiative, judgement, and strong influencing skills.
• The ability to think strategically, weigh options and make decisions is important as this role has a high degree of autonomy.
• An ambitious candidate who sees the role as a springboard to a position of greater responsibility.
• Ideally the successful candidate will have experience across a variety of different previous roles and will be able to demonstrate a good knowledge of National Grid and its key stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills including influence, communications and project management are pre-requisites as are excellent written skills.  
• The ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities is a must; the candidate needs to be organized, detail oriented, resilient, and act with a high degree of confidence. 

• Acts as a trusted confidant and shows discretion for managing confidential items.
• Can interpret information and analyse relationships among several parts of a problem or situation to clearly articulate the findings and anticipate obstacles and think ahead about next steps. 
• Understands theory behind policies and processes and can challenge existing processes and ways of working.
• Some travel will be expected irrespective of the home location.

What you'll get

A competitive salary dependent upon capability. 

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.