Senior Project Manager - DCO
About The Role
As a Senior Project Manager for Development Consent Order (DCO), you will lead and coordinate a DCO for a major strategic electricity transmission project with a right first-time approach.
You will work within the project senior leadership team to lead a direct team of project managers, while also overseeing and coordinating delivery across multiple functions. This includes managing project partners (external suppliers) and internal supporting functions such as land, external affairs, legal and consenting to ensure successful delivery of the DCO to agreed schedule, budget and quality expectations.
You will drive understanding of the process into the project team ensuring lessons learned from each stage and other projects are reviewed and shared across Strategic Infrastructure. This is a great opportunity to work on the Great Grid Upgrade, and as part of this National Grid will be one of the biggest promoters of DCO’s in England and Wales at this time.
For the purposes of this role, “DCO” encompasses the end-to-end process, including pre-application activities (including non-statutory consultation) and statutory DCO process itself.
This is a variable-based role, requiring travel to operational and delivery sites in line with project needs, alongside the flexibility to work from home when no face-to-face presence is required. The frequency of travel will vary across the different stages of the DCO and in response to engagement with the project team and external stakeholders.
We are currently recruiting for two positions across two projects in the following locations:
- Carlisle to Newcastle – with travel expected across the North East and North West, as well as to other company sites such as London and Birmingham
- North Wales & North West England – with travel expected across Wales and the North West and to other company sites like Birmingham
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:
- Experience of Project Management within major infrastructure projects.
- Experience of working on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project Project(s) within an integrated project team and what it takes to deliver a successful submission and eventual consent.
- Understanding of the statutory requirements, guidance and advice associated with promoting a NSIP to ensure successful submission of a DCO application and examination, with a focus on managing delivery rather than acting as a technical subject matter expert.
- Proven track record in leading, managing and developing a high-performing integrated project team.
- Proven track record in developing effective
- Demonstrable willingness to find better ways of working, maximise efficiencies to improve quality, schedule certainty and accurate forecasting.
- Awareness of regulatory mechanisms and the how National Grid works with Ofgem.
What You'll Do
• Lead to deliver a successful DCO application and examination to time, cost and quality expectations.
• Manage coordination of internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely delivery of DCO pre-application, application and through examination leading to a successful consent.
• Coordinate delivery of the DCO documentation to a high degree of quality with a right first-time approach through production management..
• Manage suppliers to ensure their contracts, schedule and deliverables align with expectations.
• Lead collaborative planning workshops to accurately plan the DCO schedule to ensure deadlines are met.
• Drive understanding of the DCO process into the project team ensuring lessons learned from each stage are reviewed and shared across Strategic Infrastructure.
• Collaborate closely and effectively with other DCO project leads, ensuring that the DCO programme accounts for all known risks and lessons learned from other DCO Projects.
• Lead and embed positive safety and wellbeing culture within team to improve collective safety performance ensuring adherence to company policy, aims and objectives.
• Be involved in defining and agreeing project consenting and communication strategies considering interfacing projects and dependencies in particular with the consents and external affairs teams working on the project.
• Coordination of consultation analysis and project design change control process to ensure any design changes affecting the DCO are captured, assessed and are tracked to mitigate any risk to schedule.
• Be involved in agreeing and coordinating consultation activities for the project with the External Affairs as per the requirements of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended).
• Identify and deliver opportunities to accelerate or de-risk delivery as a result of planning reform.
What You'll Get
A competitive salary between £66,000 – £81,000 – dependent on capability.
As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 30% of your salary for stretch performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You’ll also be eligible for a Company Car should you meet the Job Requirement criteria. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, 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 June 2026 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.
Please note that in most cases, National Grid is unable to offer sponsorship for employment under the UK points-based immigration system. As such, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future under the UK points-based immigration system. However, in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and demonstrable need for specialist skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market, National Grid may consider offering sponsorship. All applications are welcome from candidates who meet these requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin.
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