Operational roles are predominantly field-based and involve working directly with and on the electricity network. These roles can be involved in a range of activities including the construction of new areas of the network, maintenance and repair of assets, and work to ensure the system remains reliable and resilient. A strong safety ethic and passion for the great outdoors is a must for these roles. We also have opportunities in our Control Room where we co-ordinate operational activities across the region.
Operational attributes
- Common sense
- Methodical
- Level-headed
- Ability to cope under pressure
- Safety and rules focussed
- Practical problem solver
- Hands on
- Resilient
- Respect for danger
- Good communication skills
- Enjoys working outdoors (for field based roles)
Field Delivery Engineer
Working as a Field Delivery Engineer, you will have a strong safety ethos and will be good at following clear procedures, as you will be responsible for the safe planning and delivery of work on the electricity network. Switching off parts of the electricity network to make it safe to carry out inspections, maintenance, repairs, asset replacement, or new connections, you will be working closely with our customers and need to have excellent people and project management skills. You will often be working outdoors in all weathers. Outside of normal working hours you will provide key support to ensure speedy and efficient restoration of supply when network faults occur.
Control Engineer
One of the few office-based Operational roles, as a Control Engineer you are responsible for co-ordinating all operations on the high and extra high voltage distribution network. This includes releasing sections of the network to allow planned maintenance, and construction works as well as responding to live faults to help restore customer supplies. You will carry out switching using remote control SCADA facilities or will instruct field staff to carry out manual switching on the electricity network. You are at the forefront of the safety management system in place to keep all colleagues and members of the public safe and will liaise with Field Delivery Engineers to ensure suitable safety precautions are in place. You will also evaluate network risk to find optimal network configurations to reduce the likelihood and impact of customer interruptions during a network fault. The Control Centre is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year which requires Control Engineers work to a shift rota, including weekends, evenings, and night shifts.
Protection Engineer (later career opportunity)
Once you have become a competent Field Delivery Engineer you could consider transferring to our Technical Services team, as a Protection Engineer. Working mainly within our substations, you will carry out protection maintenance, commissioning of new assets or fault finding on schemes protecting our 11kV, 33/66kV or 132kV network. You will use a range of test equipment in conjunction with schematic diagrams, protection relays to check for accuracy against accepted tolerances by injecting current and voltages to simulate faults on our network. Outside of normal working hours you will provide key support to ensure speedy and efficient restoration of supply when protection faults occur.