Lead Field Engineer (26562)

Position
Lead Field Engineer

Reporting to
Operations Manager
Location
Colchester
Business Unit and Department
Network Operations Eastern Region
Salary
GBP52,711 - GBP71,368 Depending on experience
Employment Period
Permanent Full time

Closing
30th March 2017

CiP Level
3%

This position requires strong inspirational and innovative leaders to support the achievement of the Company's targets and ambitions.

JOB PURPOSE:

Responsible for the coordination and performance of a number of field engineers within the Area across two or more of the field engineering processes (ie Projects, Connections, Maintenance and Fault work) to time, cost and quality standards. Close liaison with the Region based scheduling team to ensure the maximum utilisation of staff will be an important aspect of the role.

Direct responsibility for ensuring that customer service levels are maintained at the highest levels. This includes resolving escalated customer technical issues.

Dimensions
Staff: circa 1:14 Field Engineers (SAP and Locations.
From LV up to 132 KV. Turnover cGBP10M, including Connections, Operations & Capital Programme.

Principal Accountabilities
Provide engineering, safety and management leadership to a group of field engineers working across all operational disciplinesEnsure the level of field engineering within the Area is continuously improved and that field engineers are fully developed by acting as a coach and mentor;Deputise for the Area Manager as requiredTo liaise closely with the Network Planners in prioritising the critical capital workload to be delivered within the Area ensuring that it is completed in a timely mannerEnsure that a high standard of safety management prevails throughout all areas of responsibility and that safety performance is maintained within parameters defined by the Executive. Promote the Incident and Injury Free philosophyEnsuring staff comply with Company procedures and deliver work to the required standardsCoordination with the Region based schedulers to schedule connections, maintenance, planned repairs and infrastructure projects so that they are delivered in a safe, timely and cost efficient mannerLiaise as necessary on matters of operational, plant and cable policy with network experts to ensure the right balance is maintained between safety, cost, quality and deliverySupport daily planning, co-ordination and real time responsibility for the efficient utilisation of resources including directly employed staff and, if appropriate, contractors. Ensuring that sufficient work is available at all times, by liaising with the Region scheduling team along with internal and external customers to maximise the utilisation of resourcesImproving the productivity and performance of the AreaRemoval of barriers to the efficient delivery of work within and across all directoratesWork with Performance Team Leaders, Region support and Delivery Services to ensure the best utilisation of all staff and to improve customer experiencesEstablishing a process of continuous improvement through Individual Performance Review, the development of staff and utilisation of new technologyTo carry out Field Engineer competency auditsContribute as required to an on-going high level Strategic Resource PlanActively support the Area in preparation, readiness and implementation for a system emergency at local tactical teamPromote Company's initiativesWork within and actively support the development and operation of the Company's quality systems, including ISO and IIP
Nature and Scope

The person carrying out this role will be an experienced engineer and leader with a good understanding of the business from an operational perspective. A significant level of influence and other interpersonal skills will be essential in this role. He or she will be a key member of the Operational team within the Region or Area for the Business and must have proven integrity and demonstrate intelligent balanced judgement in all matters, in particular those relating to people at all levels of the organization. A strong understanding of the range and type of both professional and trade skills that are essential in delivering the businesses objectives is required.

Additionally, the post holder must

Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills. These are essential as the job holder will be required to liaise with managers within the Business on a regular basis. He or she must have proven integrity and demonstrate a co-operative and team based approach to achieving overall business objectives
Be able to demonstrate they are practical and results oriented by virtue of their actions, in the form of moving others to action by planning, motivating, organising and controlling tasks and deliverables in a complex fast-moving environment of regulatory change
Possess acute acumen in respect of planning and logistics and commercial issues through their ability to grasp entire situations quickly, from many perspectives, and to produce well-reasoned proposals and solutions
Be highly focused on delivering complex customer and operationally driven projects and programmes to time and budget

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

The successful candidate will have both a high degree of experience in field engineering and be able to demonstrate a high level of initiative and commitment towards meeting business targets. The successful candidate will be someone who inspires those he/she mentors, setting the highest of standards in all areas including professional conduct. The role requires good communication skills and the ability to liaise with other parts of the business (eg asset management) to resolve problems and develop and/or implement new initiatives.

The base level qualifications/courses are as follows;-

HNC in Electrical Engineering or equivalent (See Note 1 below);Full SAP at all voltage levels (See Note 2 below);NEBOSH Certificate (See Note 3 below);3 day Leadership and 1 day Communication skills course (See Note 3 below); (ref: http://intranet/stellent/groups/hr/documents/documents/046963.pdf )
To recognise the significance of this position the successful candidate will also be expected to take a proactive approach towards continuing their professional development in the areas of engineering, safety, leadership and general management. The successful candidate will therefore be encouraged to be a member of the IET at the grade of EngTech or higher. Registration details can be found on the IET's web site:-

Notes for candidates that do not satisfy all of the above requirements/qualifications

As an exception for this advert candidates that have all the necessary experience and attributes to undertake the role, but do not hold a HNC may still be considered if they are prepared to undertake further studies to obtain a HNC or equivalent qualification. In such cases an agreed period of secondment to a MM1 would be offered to obtain the qualification
It is expected that the successful candidate will be an experienced Senior Authorised Person at all voltages or a minimum of two voltages (e.g. 11kV & 33kV). They will be recognised within his/her SAP peer group as having a high level of competence and attention to safety compliance and detail. Candidates who are Senior Authorised at one voltage level only will still be considered provided they could obtain a second voltage level within a relatively short period of time and, if required, all voltages within 2 years
Candidates who do not already possess this qualification are still eligible to apply. Should they be successful they will be expected to achieve the qualification/course within a reasonable period after their appointment

The successful candidate should hold a NRSWA Supervisors certificate, and possess a clean driving licence.

In addition, the successful candidate will be IT literate and have good organisational and communication skills.

Key Competencies:
Safety Management
Financial management and cost control
Change Management
Organisational skills
Leadership and communication skills
People Management
Customer Service Focussed
Project Management discipline
Relationship Management
Prioritisation & Decision Making skills
Negotiation skills
Incident Investigation and reporting

UK Power Networks is committed to a policy of equality in its employment practices and values a workforce that is representative of the customers we serve and the communities in which we work. We consider our people to be crucial to achieving success. We believe that it is important for our employees to strike a sensible balance between work and life outside work and will consider requests for working arrangements under the Work-Life Solutions process. Full details of the Equal Opportunities Policy and Work-Life Solutions can be found on the Human Resources intranet site.

UK Power Networks is committed to securing the highest standards of health and safety at work and of care for the environment. Applicants will be expected to have an appropriate level of understanding of the arrangements for health, safety and the environment that apply to this business and are required for this vacancy.

Managers carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations..... click apply for full job details