Consents Officer

About the role

Great Britain's electricity infrastructure is undergoing an ambitious, exciting and vital transformation. Together with industry, we are creating a cleaner, greener system, one that protects the planet and serves generations to come.

To play a big part in green energy independence

As a Consents Officer you will help get the necessary permissions to make major electricity infrastructure projects happen.

You could be working on new substations, overhead power lines, subsea and underground cables, all of which need many different types of consents, environmental surveys and assessments. 

You’ll also be working on projects to connect customers to the electricity grid, projects to make the grid work more effectively, and projects like Visual Impact Provision, to remove overhead power lines from the most beautiful parts of the country.

Not only will work like this allow us to connect new nuclear, offshore wind and solar, it will also help the UK become energy independent, as we generate and utilise more of our own power.

About You

What we do isn’t just important – it’s essential. That’s why we look to recruit experts in their field. In this case, we’re looking for someone who:

• You are deeply committed to energy security and Net Zero and keen to help us accelerate and make things happen faster. The quicker we gain the consents we need the sooner our projects can go ahead.
• You are happy to speak up, challenge the status quo, and show us how we could be doing things better.
• Whilst on one hand you’re resilient, you are also compassionate. You can understand the concerns a local resident might have about a project and will do whatever you can to help support them. A collaborative mindset is essential.
• You are excellent at presenting and clearly conveying the purpose of your projects.
• A background in another industry that develops large and challenging projects, such as roads, railways, ports, quarries or airports, would be highly desirable, but not essential.
• You will be working nationally and there will be some overnight travel involved. You also have a driving licence that allows you to drive in the UK.

What you'll do

• Obtaining consents for your projects and enabling them to be developed and delivered to programme and cost, whilst maintaining or enhancing the reputation of National Grid. You could be working on one large project or four or five smaller ones.
• Serving as the consenting expert for your projects and the direct point of contact for Project Managers. You could also be leading and managing all the necessary environmental survey and assessment work across your projects.
• With the support of a Lead Consenting Officer, providing guidance to Project Managers and Engineers on subjects such as consenting strategy and processes, consenting and environmental risks, and associated costs and timelines. 
• Engaging effectively and professionally with external stakeholders (who can often determine whether a project goes ahead). You know how to bring them along with us and build their considerations into how projects are developed and delivered.
• Ensuring you are very well informed about your projects. When talking or writing about them, you do so in an accessible, understandable way.
• Ensuring external stakeholders understand what a project looks and feels like, and why it has to happen.
• Consulting with a variety of people in a range of different ways. For example, you might be talking to MPs, local residents or authorities, either face-to-face, in town hall meetings or online webinars. 
• Quickly building effective and enduring working relationships with the organisations that make consenting decisions, such as government, local planning authorities and the Marine Maritime Organisation. You will also build relationships with key stakeholders and consultees, such as Natural England, the Environment Agency and Historic England.
• Leading and managing technical consultants as they produce environmental assessment reports that support project consent applications.
• Managing various technical environmental disciplines, including archaeology, ecology, landscape and visual, and traffic and transport. Even if you’re not an expert in such disciplines you will know how and when to ask intelligent questions to ensure we always produce robust, resilient consent applications. 
• Forming excellent, enduring working relationships with Engineering, Legal, Lands and External Affairs teams, challenging and collaborating in a mutually supportive way.
• Developing effective relationships inside and outside the company and tailoring your communication and presentation style accordingly. For example, some stakeholders will require clear, concise information, whereas others may need a softer, more detailed-orientated style.
• Approaching whoever you need to within the organisation - regardless of expertise or seniority - to obtain the information you need.

What you'll get

A competitive salary between £48,000 - £53,000 – dependent on capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive an annual payment of £4,500 alongside 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 such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

About Us

The British Energy Security Strategy set out the Government's ambition to connect up to 50GW of offshore generation to the electricity network by 2030. Facilitating this ambition will require significant reinforcements to the onshore electricity transmission network. National Grid Strategic Infrastructure will make this happen.

Here at National Grid, we connect homes and businesses to power, making sure supply and demand match each other. We make sure the lights are on in schools, operating theatres, and sporting arenas; we’re thousands of people working on behalf of millions of people.

Our investment in Strategic Infrastructure via the Great Grid Upgrade will mean more home grown power, greater energy security and a cleaner future.

Whatever your role, wherever you work with us, you’ll help us hit stretching targets and achieve our far-reaching goal: to secure, clean energy that supports our world far into the future. Here, you will be at the heart of energy.

More Information

This role closes on 26th November 2025 at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary

.

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. 

We're committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve, and a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.

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