Graduate Substation Engineer, Electricity Transmission Operations - National Grid - various location

About us

National Grid is at the heart of the UK energy network keeping people connected and society moving. We develop, own and maintain the physical infrastructure, such as pylons and cables needed to move the electricity generated from windfarms and power sources around the country. Every time a phone is plugged in, or a switch is turned on, we’ve played a part, connecting you to the electricity you need - and we’re leading the transformation towards a greener future, dreaming bigger to bring a more affordable energy future to everyone.

But it’s our people that provide our true superpower. They drive and sustain our growth, their unique differences only making us stronger. But it’s no small feat – and we need the best to join us in our mission. So, join us and power the future of energy.

As owners of Wales and England’s electricity transmission network we’re at the vanguard of the energy transition. We’re looking for the brightest engineering graduates to help propel us forwards into a greener energy future.

We’re offering a highly unique, immersive experience, designed to give you an in-depth understanding of substation engineering while being paid.

This is a job where the decisions you make will impact the transmission of electricity in England and Wales for the next 40 or 50 years. A job where you’ll be delivering maintenance work, replacing and refurbishing assets, fixing mechanical and electrical issues, and connecting new customers. A job that helps connect energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar farms, to the transmission network. Eventually some of you will even be commissioning new equipment onto the system and taking responsibility for the safety of your co-workers.

You will experience a wide variety of projects and work with diverse teams from project to construction through to commissioning.

Some of your key accountabilities will include:

• Testing equipment, safety, protection and control of the system, substation refurbishment maintenance, technical support, problem diagnosis and fault fixing.
• Provide support and assistance to your Operations Manager and other team members whilst undertaking a project
• Develop in the role of Project Leader (PL) role to enable successful delivery of work packages.
• Lead on the skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that staff are set to work in the correct manner, including provision of risk assessments and method statements, and that Toolbox talks take place.
• Work with the wider team to monitor, review and progress contracts for unlicensed customers and review and progress work undertaken by contractors.

As you’ll be joining our 18-month graduate programme, you’ll have a tailored development pathway to support you as you develop a wide range of leadership, business, and technical skills. You’ll attend in-person and virtual development sessions throughout your programme to equip you with the essential skills required, as you begin your career at National Grid. We’re committed to the personal development of our colleagues so as well as the support from your line manager as you navigate your new role, you’ll also have access to 121 coaching and a mentor, from a previous cohort to help you transition from campus to corporate life.

All graduates complete the core development programme to develop key skills such as how to make an impact, giving feedback and presentation skills. Aligned to this role is our Engineering pathway and as part of this you’ll develop further key technical skills aligned to your role as well as important learning modules such as working safely. If relevant to your career aspirations, you will be able to access Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) membership and seek support from a National Grid IET mentor to help you secure your chartership.

We believe in the importance of getting as much on-the-job experience as possible and to do this, you will complete three 6-month placements, across the UK, designed to deepen your understanding of your speciality but to also broaden your knowledge of our business. At the end of your 18-month programme you’ll return to your initial placement area to kickstart your superpowered career.

You'll need to achieve a minimum 2:2 in a degree based on electrical principles, such as electrical engineering, power systems engineering or electronics.. It doesn’t matter when you graduated or if you are currently working towards your qualification. We just need you to be eager to apply your knowledge in a real-world setting.

Due to the amount of travel to our site locations, you'll need to have a full valid UK driving license that allows you to drive in the UK.

You’ll need flexibility to travel within role and throughout your rotations as required.

To be eligible to apply for this role, candidates must be able to demonstrate that they will have the legal right to work in the UK for the duration of the graduate programme. If you do not currently have the right to work in the UK, or your visa is due to expire during the period of the graduate scheme, please indicate this in your application and we will consider your eligibility for visa sponsorship and whether it would be appropriate to take your application forward.

This role is based across the Central London region. This means you'll be expected to travel around this region as part of your role.

Due to the nature of this role, you'll need to live within a 30 minute drive of the following postcode: NW8 8JY

We are proud to offer a graduate starting salary of £34,895.

Not only will you receive a tailored development programme to progress a superpowered career at National Grid, we also offer some great rewards and benefits too:

• £2,000 bonus, once joined and started on programme?
• 26 days holiday?
• £2,400 payment on successful completion of the programme?
• Up to £200 per month accommodation allowance as you move around the business, and additional annual leave for when you move between placements plus assistance with moving personal belongings
• Cost of living allowance (inner London, Metropolitan and Outer Metropolitan areas)?
• Other benefits include pension and share-option schemes, Flexible Benefits, close mentorship and regular feedback & volunteering opportunities.

We recruit on a rolling basis and reserve the right to close our vacancies once we have enough applications/based on volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as early as possible to ensure you obtain the place you want in the application process.

You can only apply for one graduate opportunity during this recruitment cycle. We kindly ask that you review all our graduate opportunities and apply for the one that aligns closest with your aspirations and interests.

Assessment centres will be held between week commencing 9th December to the end of March in Eakring.