Smart Meter Engineer

80505 - Smart Meter Engineer

This Smart Meter Engineer will report to the Smart Meter Manager and will work within the Strategy Regulation and Support Services directorate based in our Ipswich office. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £76,229.00 and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote

Close Date: 25/03/2025.

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

Job purpose

You will be report to the Smart Metering Manager working with teams from Network Control, Dispatch, Customer Services, IS, Asset Management, DSO, Connections and Control Systems and Automation for managing the smart metering system ensuring that it is operating correctly and delivering the designed capabilities.

You are responsible to the Smart Meter Manager for supporting delivery of the enduring annual benefits from the smart metering programme to UK Power Networks and its customers, forecast at £26.7m measured against costs presented in the ED1 Business Plan.

You will manage the smart metering system and its availability where it's capabilities and data are utilised for minimising customer minutes lost and providing accurate information to Customer Services providing updates to customers affected by faults or other system disturbances. Also your role will require the utilisation of the smart metering system and its data into usable reporting and/or applications for all areas of UK Power Networks to realise the benefits of smart meter data.

You will have knowledge of distribution network operations to seek out new use cases utilising smart metering data and to develop and deliver these use cases to our users including DSO for the benefit of customers with LCT installations.

You will have experience taking user stories or business problems and using these to create solutions and be able to demonstrate tracking of development from ideation to minimum viable product to business as usual, ensuring benefits are tracked through-out.

You will work with business teams to help develop and implement enhanced business process to deliver benefits to customers and the business from smart metering systems and data.

Dimensions

Deliver benefits from Smart Meters: c£26.7m

Principal accountabilities

You will understand distribution network system operations, business objectives and the electricity industry structure including smart metering.

Deputise for the Smart Metering Operations Manager representing UK Power Networks at industry level forums hosted by Ofgem, DESNZ, ENA, DCC and SECAS.

Produce UK Power Networks responses to Industry Consultations from Ofgem, DESNZ, SECAS and DCC related to the smart metering programme.

Collaborate with IS Security for the annual independent audit of the smart metering system ensuring UK Power Networks Compliance with Smart Energy Code (SEC) Obligations.

Monitor the operation of the UK Power Networks Smart Meters system and leading on resolution of issues to restore services.

Work with the Control Systems and Automation (CSA) team to ensure the smart metering system (EnergyIP and interfaces) are operating and to support system upgrades and resolution of issues.

Ensure that the smart meter system and data is efficiently utilised by UK Power Networks business teams to maximise delivery of smart meter benefits for customers and UK Power Networks.

Develop smart meter system and performance reports to track benefits delivered by business units.

Identify new capabilities and benefits from the smart meter data that could be delivered by business teams.

Maximise smart meter data to support delivery of DSO capabilities on the low voltage network.

Monitor the DCC Performance and planned changes.

Nature and scope

The smart metering engineer role is one that requires you to demonstrate your ability to work across all business directorates and external bodies because you will be responsible for delivery of benefits and value to customers and to UK Power Networks.

You will have overall responsibility for the data from the smart metering system, the different operational capabilities that have been developed and are utilised by business users including the benefits reports.

You will have responsibility for ensuring business use of reporting, dashboard and applications that utilise smart meter data to ensure benefits of this data are realised.

As Smart Metering is an enduring program of work, you will support the Smart Meter Manager as the business lead representing UK Power Networks at industry forums hosted by Ofgem, BEIS, ENA, DCC and SEC supporting the development of the national smart meters infrastructure and the Governments net zero goals through the national smart meters implementation programme.

Skills qualifications and experience

UK Power Networks or Electrical industry background.

Knowledge of the regulatory environment in which UK Power Networks operates.

Minimum of HNC or equivalent in a relevant engineering discipline.

Membership of a professional body such as the IET or working towards membership

Distribution network experience, including both overhead & underground plant, substations and connectivity.

An understanding of SCADA systems and how they represent network operational diagrams to show the different available datasets such as from smart metering.

Extensive knowledge of the Smart Metering regulatory regime, the national Smart Metering Programme, and its organisation.

Knowledge of SMART grid projects including low carbon technologies, network analytics, modelling and data reporting.

An understanding of Connections methodology would be benefitable.

Able to collaborate with other departments within UK Power Networks and with external organisations.

Excellent planning and organisational skills

Demonstratable experience of solution development from ideation to minimum viable product to business as usual

Development

Should you not have the full range of essential skills, qualifications and competencies listed above, there may be an opportunity for further training to equip you. If you do not have all relevant competencies for the core grade, it will be appropriate to appoint at a lower grade until they have developed the required competencies.

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.