Associate Planning Specialist

at  National Grid

ABOUT US

Here at National Grid, we connect homes and businesses to power, making sure supply and demand match each other. We make sure the lights are on in schools, operating theatres, and sporting arenas; we’re thousands of people working on behalf of millions of people. And whatever your role, wherever you work with us, you’ll help us hit stretching targets and achieve our far-reaching goal: to secure, clean energy that supports our world far into the future. Here, you will be at the heart of energy.
At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value, and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office.
Our function covers a diverse range of categories from Indirect, IT & Digital, Network Operations (Maintenance & Repair), Gas equipment and Services to large scale Construction and Network Equipment, with a clear mission: to enable a clean, fair, and affordable energy future through commercial, responsible and innovative supply chain leadership.

ABOUT THE ROLE

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Associate Planning Specialist to join our team on a Full Time, Permanent basis!
The Associate Planning Specialist will support the Procurement function in the delivery of our ambition to enable a clean, fair, and affordable energy future through commercial, responsible, and innovative supply chain leadership. They will contribute to and lead a series of projects and initiatives which could be specific to one or spread across multiple areas of the function.
National Grid is leading the charge towards a Net Zero future in the UK and NE of USA. We recognize that decarbonizing our electric and gas systems will require resolving many questions and seeking new partnerships, technologies, and transformative investments. Over the next 5 years, we will be investing over £60bn across our UK and US businesses – nearly double the investment over the past 5 years. This is an exciting time for our industry that is creating significant opportunities for National Grid; this is not just a moment in time; it’s a game-changing era that will shape National Grid’s success for decades to come.

Given this backdrop, our supply chains are facing an unprecedented set of challenges and are at the forefront of our plans, placing National Grid Procurement at the centre of our Net Zero goals. We have set out an ambitious transformation plan, focused on becoming a client of choice for our supply partners whilst ensuring outstanding outcomes for our Business Units (BUs). Our strategy revolves around significant changes in three core areas:

• Partnering: We are forging closer ties with our supply chain, aligning ourselves more closely with each NG Group Business Unit (BU).
• Scale: We are leveraging the immense scale of our group to unlock even greater potential. By harnessing our collective strength, we can achieve remarkable things.
• Operational Transformation: We are revolutionizing the way we work as a team. Embracing new approaches and technologies, we are streamlining processes and making the day-to-day job simpler and more efficient.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Working within the Procurement Planning & Performance Team, supporting and implementing a comprehensive performance strategy for Procurement encompassing; planning, forecasting, performance improvement and leadership reporting.

• Support and provide guidance on Procurement business planning policies and processes carried out by the Procurement Planning & Performance Team, ensuring full compliance and adherence to agreed processes and methodologies.
• Support the development, management and monitoring of business plans to facilitate its delivery and ensure that it continually evolves such that Procurement is providing the optimum level of service to the National Grid business.
• Support the Planning and Performance Teams in providing financial stewardship to the Procurement Towers and Business Units by engaging with Finance Business Partners for all finance related activities.
• Prepare reports and presentations to communicate procurement planning and performance initiatives and reporting for the Procurement department, including quarterly stakeholder meetings and leadership reporting.
• Extracting, analysing, and summarising large or complex data sources into simplified and easy to interpret outputs for Procurement Managers.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders. Drive management and issue resolution of Stakeholder and Leadership issues and queries. Track, monitor and make sure actions and queries are addressed.
• Manage the Procurement Global Planning System, monitoring access, dashboards, automated reports, and training archive.
• Provide support to the Planning Specialist, ensuring the right Planning system standards are embedded across Procurement with the necessary training of staff.
• Co-ordinate the delivery of key service delivery activities to ensure that a consistent approach is taken, resources are used efficiently and that there is alignment with operational plans and service standards.
• Support the Planning and Performance Team in performing deep dive analysis of data and processes to identify opportunities for continuous improvement through effective business planning and provision management.
• Identification of data inaccuracies, process blockers, or inefficiencies, and identify/propose improved methods or ways of working to continually improve the way in which we operate.