Policy Engineer - Climate Change

An opportunity is available for a full-time Climate Change Adaptation Policy Engineer role reporting to the Engineering Policy Manager. We are looking for a passionate and knowledgeable individual to join our growing policy team at National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED).

As part of our hybrid working approach, this role offers a mix of office and home working. Flexible working can also be considered.

The role can be based at any of our office locations within the licence areas of West Midlands, East Midlands, South West and Wales.

You will be accountable to the Manager for:

1. The development, maintenance and review of company policy relating to climate change adaptation in relation to the impact on DNO assets.
2. Contribution to the development, maintenance and review of other Company policy.
3. The development, maintenance and review of a suite of materials that can be used to disseminate policy changes and updates.
4. Provision of advice and guidance within the Company on Climate Change Adaptation.
5. Maintaining up-to-date knowledge on NGED policy and specialism.
6. Alignment with NG Group and Chief Engineer function on climate resilience policy, providing expert input from NGED perspective to shape NG Group policies.

Depending on experience, you may initially be appointed at a lower salary until all relevant courses and training are complete.

About Us
We’re National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), the owner and operator behind the electricity distribution systems for the Midlands, the Southwest of England and South Wales. Serving communities of more than 8 million people, our expert teams deliver heat, light and power for homes and businesses.

National Grid employs over 29,000 people worldwide. We are building an inclusive workplace, a place to actively celebrate the cultures, personalities and preferences of our colleagues – who in turn help to build the success of our business and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future and we are doing this in a fast-moving industry with an increasing focus on tackling climate change, exploring new energy sources that are renewable, low carbon, and improve efficiency to meet demand.

Main Responsibilities

1. Development of approach to addressing climate change adaptation requirements whether that be through revision to design, development of new equipment, review of installation/maintenance techniques which bring about improvements in safety, efficiency, network resilience and/or reduce lifetime cost.
2. Maintenance and update of Policy systems and databases as required.
3. Presentation of policy matters to NGED, NG Group and external audience.
4. Support to the business and provide advice and guidance on Climate Change adaptation.
5. Provision of a support service to provide guidance and advice on policy applications and interpretations as required.
6. Be aware of the work of colleagues in Policy Team to provide cover for their activities and specialisms.
7. Respond to external consultations related to specialism.
8. Deliver results on time, to required quality standards and to budget, to fulfil the business plan and achieve/support company goals.
9. Participation in related R&D and Future Capability work/forums.
10. Be the subject matter expert for climate change related consultations that relate to the distribution networks when called upon.

Climate Change responsibilities:

1. Responsible for NGED Climate Resilience Strategy and associated policy, standard techniques and documents.
2. Be the subject matter expert and feed into the Asset Risk Team for key climate hazards and associated asset/policy/engineering risks including review of climate considerations within asset design.
3. Understanding and further research into the impact of climate change on assets design standards and future requirements.
4. Continued development, input and review of climate/climate change vulnerability/risk assessments. Feeding into the Asset Risk Team risk log for the impact of climate change on distribution assets. Develop adaptation pathways options, time frames and trigger points for a range of emission scenarios.
5. Development of climate change resilience framework in line with National Grid group principle risks.
6. Development, implementation, monitoring and review of climate adaptation pathways.
7. Representing NGED at internal and external forums relating to climate change, pro-actively engage with external stakeholders, including regulatory bodies to ensure our approach is leading and aligned with industry best practice.
8. Work with our Regulation team on development of climate resilience within our future business plans, including proactively engaging with stakeholders.
9. Work with other business units to embed climate resilience within the business.
10. Identifying and supporting climate change reporting requirements such as TCFD/ARP reporting.
11. Providing information to the business identifying potential climate change hazards/scenarios and their potential impact on other business areas.
12. Supporting and driving future capability projects supporting climate change related matters.

The Ideal Candidate

1. Thorough knowledge of climate change impacts, climate projections, mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as reporting requirements.
2. Good general engineering knowledge.
3. Level 4 qualification in Climate Related field is desirable.
4. Level 4 qualification in Engineering, Climate or relevant subject is mandatory.
5. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
6. Ability to provide training and advice in formal and informal groups in a range of settings.
7. Nice to have – knowledge of distribution networks – this is not the be all and end all, we need a climate resilience specialist not a network specialist.
8. Valid driving licence.

Evidence of your qualifications will be required prior to appointment.

Interviews are provisionally planned for Thursday 23 January 2025.

National Grid Electricity Distribution is committed to safeguarding the interests of the Company, colleagues and customers. This role is subject to a satisfactory Barring Service (DBS) check, depending on the role different levels of screening and vetting are required. Some roles require a triannual check.

About The Company
Joining the UK’s leading electricity distribution business means plenty of career opportunities and well-deserved recognition. We reward hard work and encourage ambition. So, as well as a competitive salary, you will also benefit from:

1. 26 days paid leave plus 8 bank holidays, up to 28 days with continuous service.
2. Competitive contributory pension scheme (we double match your contributions up to a maximum of 12%).
3. Annual Share Save plan.
4. Contributory private healthcare scheme for you and your family.
5. Support via our Employee Assistance Programme, including musculoskeletal and physiotherapy services.
6. Free on-site parking at all our main sites.

Things you need to know

As an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we celebrate individual difference and are actively bringing in more employees from diverse backgrounds to build on our inclusive culture. We anonymise all applications in our recruitment system so we can eliminate unconscious bias and be a workplace that reflects the community we serve. Hiring managers only have access to necessary information at the interview stage. If you require additional support to complete your online application, please email nged.recruitment@nationalgrid.co.uk.

Recruitment correspondence is usually sent by email, please check your email account including spam/junk folders regularly after the closing date.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should sufficient numbers of suitable applications be received, so it would be best to apply as soon as you can.