Digital Lead

80506 - Digital Lead

This Digital Lead position will report to the Head of Digital Solutions and Analytics and will work within the Safety, Strategy and Support Services directorate based in our London office. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary depending on your experience and a bonus of 10%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote.

Close Date: 23/03/2025.

We also provide the following additional benefits

• 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays. 
• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers’ products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme

About UK Power Networks:

UK Power Networks is an electricity distribution network operator, responsible for delivering electricity to over 8 million customers across London, the South East, and East Anglia. Our mission is to guarantee a safe, reliable, and efficient supply of electricity while allowing the transition to a low-carbon economy. We integrate new technologies and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers and the environment.

About the Analytics Team:

The Digital team is an important part of UK Power Networks, collaborating with all directorates to drive innovations. We are embedded within most teams, working hand-in-hand to understand their visions, challenges and to scope and provide impactful solutions. Our role extends beyond delivery as we also focus on maintaining and enhancing the infrastructure that supports our projects.

We are NOT a traditional team. Most people see us as an internal consulting team or a digital start-up. We are close knit, supportive, dynamic, work in agile ways, big on feedback and driven to constantly improve and do better. Our mandate is to be a supportive, challenging friend to the business, thinking creatively, to bring new approaches, methods and ways of thinking to some of the industry's biggest problems.

Job purpose:

To lead our Digital Delivery teams, ensuring the delivery of high-quality and impactful projects that utilise Artificial Intelligence, automate processes and build applications across the organization.

UK Power Networks strives to be a leader in Digital in our industry and we are looking for someone with a similar energy and goals. As the Digital Lead, you will set the vision, strategy, and standards for digital applications and automation and overseeing the execution of artificial intelligence, app development, process automation, integration, testing, deployment, and monitoring. You will build capabilities where gaps exist. You will also collaborate with other senior leaders, project managers, and partners to understand their needs and provide them with relevant solutions that enhance performance. You will have a background in software development, automation technologies, programming, and project management.

To oversee the Digital Delivery function you will provide strategic direction, technical expertise, and operational support for the analysis and implementation of digital projects. You will be in charge of setting strategic direction and developing infrastructure and tools and ensuring the quality, accuracy, and reliability of digital solutions.

You will also mentor a team of business analysts, app developers and automation engineers, who will conduct process analysis, app development, testing, deployment, and monitoring for multiple digital projects. You will also oversee the delivery via external contractors and consultants, performance managing and holding suppliers to account. You will understand digital applications and methodologies, techniques, and best practices and strong collaboration, leadership, and project management skills.

You will work with a range of partners, often directed by and reporting to Director level. You will have work with senior executive level and working collaboratively with all levels of the organisation, down to the font line to scope and provide impactful solutions. Often request are urgent and business critical and you will bring the energy to the team to respond to these and reprioritise other ongoing projects. You will feed into our Digital Triage process and offer guidance on technology choice and delivery mechanism for multiple requests.

You will be an experienced Agile leader, managing agile processes and implementing the right agile management and work management tool for the team to work at high pace.

You will not only deliver the latest technology solution, but also exceptional customer services to all partners involved.

As the Digital Lead you will lead 1) the delivery of our ambitious and industry leading Artificial Intelligence program, 2) the Power App and Power Automate solution delivery team - developing app and automation solutions for digital projects, optimising processes, and enhancing performance 3) the Netcall low code delivery team - building customer facing portals and automations and internal productivity tools 4) building up an internal Salesforce capability as well as 4) supporting delivery for our Webpage. We are investing in Digital and the scope for this role has potential to increase over the next few years.

As the Digital Lead you will be involved in all stages of the development lifecycle, from defining the business problems and objectives, quantifying benefits and prioritising solutions, to designing and testing the solutions, to removing blockers, to deploying and monitoring the results. You will also coach a team of developers and automation engineers, who will support you in delivering digital solutions for multiple projects. You will have knowledge of digital applications and technologies.

Dimensions:

Main dimensions

• Budget: £1.6m – across all of the Digital Delivery. Manage the Digital Opex and Capex budgets, ensuring we remain within budget.
• Line Management: 14 (mix of internal and contractor staff)

Principal accountabilities:

You will oversee the following tasks:

• Define and communicate the vision, mission, and objectives of the Digital functions, and align them with our overarching IS strategy.
• Lead and look after the Digital delivery teams and build out a new capabilities within Digital.
• Manage the annual budgets set by the CIO, ensuring the budget is not exceeded and presenting cases for budget increases.
• Develop and implement the Digital roadmap, and oversee the delivery of every project.
• Ensure the integration and collaboration of the Digital delivery function with wider Digital and ID department such as business partnering and the Data Science team.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance, impact, and value of the Digital solutions and present these back to the EMT
• A primary member of the digital triage process, evaluating digital projects and feeding them into the pipeline of work.
• Stay updated on the latest trends, developments, and best practice practices in Digital Apps, Automation and AI.
• Responsible for recruitment decisions within the team – defining and negotiating the role.
• Work with and presentation to executive (director) level.
• Lead the teams Agile ways of working.
• Lead internal Customer Services of above 94 (/100) being delivered by all teams, as measured by the internal CSAT process.

Skills and qualifications:

Experience

• Numeric degree (BA, Master or higher)
• Demonstratable experience in Digital delivery
• Experience in Management consulting or Utilities with a focus on Digital
• Experience leading an Information Technology team.

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Managers and supervisors 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. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

If in doubt ask!

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.