About the role

This is the time for action – we need to move at pace and reform our energy system – to deliver energy security, to tackle climate change and to protect our people. 

To help deliver successful change

• You will take a key role in contributing your significant planning and environmental experience to shaping our vision and strategy to deliver better outcomes.
• By working across a variety of areas including policy, legislation, and process you will deliver meaningful strategic improvements to the environment in which we develop infrastructure projects.
• You will understand and appreciate the challenges of delivering complex initiatives and major infrastructure projects, and lead the identification of opportunities   to accelerate, simplify, streamline and deliver better outcomes for our consenting project teams, our customers, the environment, and communities we work with.
• You will work collaboratively engage a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to lead and influence the successful implementation of opportunities in policy, legislation, guidance, custom and practice.  You will own the actions to successfully deliver change, and provide operational support across the business and project teams to ensure consistency, best practice and refine through continuous improvement.
• You will understand and have a breadth of experience in appreciating the significant potential from emerging strategic energy plans and influencing senior stakeholders to ensure they can be endorsed in planning policy.
• You will engage with and influence stakeholders at senior levels, including Government.
• You will work across a diverse range of interrelated areas including planning and environmental policy, assessment of energy plans with endorsement in policy, socio-economic and community benefit, opportunities for improved stakeholder engagement and collaboration, to deliver better outcomes and accelerate delivery of net zero infrastructure.

National Grid continues to offer hybrid working from office and home and are open to full time and part time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements. 

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 has:

•    A planning and environmental background, with detailed knowledge of the planning and environmental assessment policy, legislation, and process in the UK. 
•    You have significant experience working with or influencing national stakeholders at a senior level, including Government and its Departments.
•    Experience of Influencing government departments and decision making organisations to improve and update legislation and processes to reflect the urgency and unprecedented scale of our current electricity transmission portfolio. 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace for everyone. So if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one. 
 

What you'll do

•  Using thorough and up to date knowledge of relevant legislation, policy and guidance within the planning process, consider implications, and ensure project teams and wider business are made aware of changes, with necessary supporting information and guidance to ensure consistent interpretation and application. 
•  Drawing on significant experience of delivering complex initiatives and projects you will have a full and thorough appreciation of what, how and why we need to apply policy and legislation to meet legal requirements, and establish what and how they can be influenced and changed to enable us to do things differently or better.
•  Have a confident and pro-active approach to deliver appropriate coordination and collaboration of relevant internal stakeholders to shape appropriate and fit-for-purpose National Grid responses to external consultations and requests for information.
•  Act as National Grid’s custodian of internal planning and consenting policy and guidance, including Approach to Consenting, Options Appraisal and Stakeholder, Community and Amenity Policy, ensuring their successful and consistent use, monitoring needs to review and update, to support project teams.
•  Thinking creatively about elements such as stakeholder engagement, land rights, engineering and design. Your aim will be to enable and drive change alongside new ways of delivering better for our customers, communities and the environment. 
•  Working with the business and project teams to evolve our approach to consenting within the regulatory framework, improving what we do and streamlining the process, with holding a continuous improvement mindset. 
•  Working with external national stakeholders to set the groundwork and framework for the arrival of the project teams. Ensuring we have a national understanding of what National Grid is trying to achieve and that the organisations we work with. 
•  Proactive engagement with external organisations. For example, we have developed a service level agreement with one organisation that enables us to buy resource ahead of need, ensuring that the organisation’s employees are available when we need them. 
•  Influencing government departments and decision making organisations to improve and update legislation and processes to reflect the urgency and unprecedented scale of our current electricity transmission portfolio. 
•  Leading the way in questioning how we could influence and deliver better outcomes from future energy plans, EIA, and broader energy industry reforms, to trigger a societal change in thinking about decarbonisation. 
•  Collaborating and being present with statutory bodies, government, local authorities and communities to change the consensus about national energy planning to arrive at Net Zero and decarbonisation more efficiently.  
•  Be a technical expert within National Grid. For example, using knowledge of planning, EIA and the electricity industry to provide advice on the broader business aims or the interpretation of policy and legislation. 
•  Communicating complex issues simply for senior leaders.

What you'll get

A competitive salary between £59,000 – £74,000 dependent on capability.

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 15% 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 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.
 

More Information

This role closes on 14th May 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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