Asset Management Surveyor EPN

UK Power Networks (Operations) Ltd
Asset Management Surveyor EPN

Reference Number – 78393

This Property & Consents Asset Management Surveyor will report to the Property & Consents Asset Management Consents Manager and will work within the Asset Management directorate based in an Eastern Region main office. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of 58,229.00 and a bonus of 3%.

Close Date:.26/02/2024

We also provide the following additional benefits

• Annual Leave
• 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
• Tax efficient benefits: cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers products.
• Discounted access to sports and social clubs
• Employee Assistance Programme.

Job Purpose

To project manage all necessary Land and Statutory consents required to support Customer and Company (Asset Management) driven schemes directly or through the use of Contractors. Reporting to the Property & Consents Asset Management Consents Manager, the Property & Consents Surveyor is responsible for the legal acquisition and protection and, where appropriate, disposal and subletting of operational freehold and leasehold property. Manage the acquisition and retention of easements and wayleaves concerning all customer and company driven consent matters within the EPN geographical area.

Dimensions

• No direct reports, but working as part of a dispersed team of surveyors and administrative support staff;
• To negotiate with Customers, Grantors, Land Agents, Solicitors, Consultants and Internal Colleagues from Director level downwards in relation to the installation, retention, alteration, disposal and subletting of UK Power Networks Property, Overhead Lines and Underground cable network across all voltages;
• Make decisions in consultation with Project Managers and/or Consent Managers regarding medium risk financial commitments, strategy and legal matters;
• Daily instruction and liaison with Network’s Solicitor and/or equivalent external solicitors/partners;
• You will manage small departmental projects of work; and
• Provide financial reporting relating to project expenditure and capitalisation of costs.

Principle Accountabilities

• Implement Property and Consents strategy.
• To receive specific instructions from a Connection Designer with a pre-planned design and, upon payment from the customer, to seek the acquisition of substation freehold or leasehold estates and easements or wayleaves for underground or overhead electric lines. This work may involve some network reinforcement associated with an instruction from a Connections Designer or minor re-design of the proposal.
• Promptly negotiate the resolution of wayleave terminations or s.25 Terminations with grantors and their agents involving Distribution Planning and the Networks Legal team to defend UK Power Networks assets.
• Take enquiries from internal or external customers and grantors regarding problems with equipment on their property without consent, requests to relocate equipment, Wayleave payment problems, access issues to existing substation, ESQC non-compliance and tree cutting complaints etc and negotiate with the grantor alternatives and design solutions to the issues and manage them through to delivery.
• Report main performance measures, including those of Contractors.
• Implement processes concerning legal acquisitions and planning consents for new freehold or leasehold operational property, deeds of grant, assets held on wayleaves, etc. and ensuring our contractors are aware and adhere to such processes.
• Develop and maintain external contacts with agents, legal advisors and management services providers.
• Work with UK Power Networks legal team, providing general legal and practical advice regarding the conveyance, leasing and subletting of operational property.
• Resolution of 3rd party disputes and conflicts, including major compensation claims, wayleave terminations and public inquiries.
• Maintain key external partner relationships, in particular with major grantors and their agents and Planning Authorities.
• Identify main business risks and opportunities in respect of operational property and operational assets held on 3rd party land and proposing appropriate risk management.
• Represent Property & Consents at meetings or workshops as and when required.
• Promote and help to develop an outstanding team culture with effective working relationships and communications within the team and across the Business.
• Be responsible for own safety, ensuring that appropriate risk assessments and use of PPE are correctly applied on all occasions.

Qualifications

• RICS, HNC and/or a high level of experience and technical understanding concerning the legal aspects of operational property and wayleaves management;
• High level of business, environmental, safety, financial and regulatory awareness;
• Competence and experience in resolving property and wayleaves issues and in providing technical advice to Distribution/Infrastructure Planning, Connections, Capital Programme, Network Operational Staff and Contractors;
• Awareness of primary and secondary legislation concerning utilities’ operations; in particular, statutory instruments affecting electricity transmission and distribution assets;
• Familiar with the roles of, and relationships between, key external stakeholders in the electricity utility businesses – including government, environmental, statutory authorities and business departments and agencies;
• A sufficiently good working knowledge of agriculture to be able to negotiate compensation claims in respect of loss of crop, land compaction, damage or losses to livestock, etc;
• Excellent public relations and collaboration
• Bring together best-practice opportunities;
• Intuitive with a developed ability to recognise threats and opportunities; and
• Comfortable with complexity and conflict.

Reporting to the Property & Consents Asset Management Consents Manager the Property & Consents Surveyor is responsible for the legal acquisition and protection, and where appropriate, disposal and/or subletting of operational property freeholds and leaseholds, permanent easements, wayleaves and the payment of rent and compensation on all Asset Management projects.

Further responsibilities include project managing a team of contractors. You will offer advice on policy regarding all Property and Consent issues to project managers, internal legal specialists, legal and consent contractors and external clients including legal advisers and other third parties.

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.