Vegetation Management Lead

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.

Job Introduction

We’re looking for Vegetation Management Leads to join our Vegetation Management team across the East Midlands, West Midlands, South West and Wales.

These are newly developed roles that will be central to shaping our refreshed, data‑driven approach to vegetation management across the NGED network. You’ll lead a team of Vegetation Technicians and administrative support, and oversee the performance and delivery of our incumbent suppliers. You will also work closely with our Audit and Compliance team and act as the primary point of contact for Field Operations.

Your focus will be on developing and managing the data we receive from suppliers, alongside insights from audits, inspections and LiDAR. By turning this information into meaningful plans and decisions, you’ll help deliver a robust, efficient vegetation management programme that strengthens network safety, resilience and reliability—positively impacting CML and CI performance across the business.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial – Vegetation Management, you’ll build strong, collaborative relationships with our suppliers, provide KPI data for monthly Service Review Meetings, and play a key role in shaping our internal and external engagement strategy on vegetation management.

Sustained, strategic and systematic vegetation management is essential for maintaining ESQCR compliance and supporting the resilience of supply to our customers. As we move towards a more innovative, data‑led operating model, these roles will be instrumental in transforming how we work with our suppliers and how we manage vegetation across the network.

You’ll be based at one of our depots within the licence area and will travel throughout the region as part of your duties.

Main Responsibilities

In this role, you will be accountable for leading the delivery of a safe, compliant and effective vegetation management programme across your area. Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading your vegetation management team to deliver key outcomes on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.
• Ensuring full compliance with ESQCR and all related regulatory and reporting requirements, in line with company policies and procedures.
• Supporting the delivery of safety and performance metrics, ensuring accurate KPI and scorecard reporting and clear communication across the business.
• Ensuring all operational staff and contractor teams working on the NGED network have the correct authorisations and competence to carry out their duties safely.
• Managing and resolving customer queries and consenting issues, including those escalated by suppliers or the Customer Excellence team.
• Acting as the primary liaison with the incumbent supplier, coordinating programmes of work, monitoring progress, driving performance improvements and representing NGED at monthly Service Review Meetings.
• Escalating issues to Field Operations when necessary, and supporting Outage Planners with any challenges during the planning of network interventions.
• Overseeing and reporting on contract finances, ensuring accurate inclusion within KPIs, scorecards and performance reviews.
• Monitoring vegetation‑related faults and associated CML/CI impacts, initiating investigations where needed, and presenting findings and data as part of the KPI suite for Service Review Meetings.

The Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for someone with strong experience in safety‑critical environments and an understanding of how vegetation management and electrical networks interact. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Proven leadership or management experience. 
• Previous experience working with or supporting electrical utility infrastructure in a safety‑critical or operational environment, with practical involvement in vegetation management
• Senior Authorised Person (SAP) status on the 11kV, 33kV or 66kV networks.
• A commitment to modelling best practice, with a proactive mindset towards innovation and continuous improvement.
• An understanding of Customer Minutes Lost (CML) and Customer Interruptions (CI) and how vegetation‑related activity can influence these measures.
• Knowledge of working safely within a high‑risk environment, with a strong awareness of operational safety requirements.
• Familiarity with NGED authorisations, including the role of examining officers and issuing officers.
• Knowledge of vegetation management principles, practices and techniques, along with an understanding of relevant regulations and policies such as EREC G136.

While not essential, the following would be beneficial:

• Thorough understanding of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (ESQCR).
• Detailed knowledge of NGED policies and contract specifications.
• Awareness of ED2 and ED3 business plans and how vegetation management contributes to wider business performance.
• Knowledge of vegetation behaviour and associated risks in relation to the electrical network.
• Experience using POF (Probable Outage Frequency) or similar modelling tools.
• Understanding of network outage planning and management and how this integrates with vegetation works.

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. #LI-SC1

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:

• 26 days paid leave plus 8 bank holidays, up to 28 days with continuous service
• Competitive contributory pension scheme (we double match your contributions up to a maximum of 12%)
• Annual Share Save plan
• Life insurance x 4 annual salary
• Contributory private healthcare scheme for you and your family
• Support via our Employee Assistance Programme, including musculoskeletal and physiotherapy services
• 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 interview stage. If you require additional support to complete your online application, please email nged.recruitment@nationalgrid.co.uk. 

Please note that in most cases, National Grid is unable to offer sponsorship for employment under the UK points-based immigration system. As such, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future under the UK points-based immigration system. However, in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and demonstrable need for specialist skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market, National Grid may consider offering sponsorship. All applications are welcome from candidates who meet these requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin. 

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.