Land Officer Graduate

**Graduate Programme Duration - 2 Years**:

- **Applications Open Until 7th January**:

- **Start Date - 16th September**:

- **Location - **Stranraer

**Salary & Benefits - **£32,500 plus £2,500 sign-on bonus, competitive pension and a competitive range of benefits

**Minimum Criteria - **Honours Degree at a minimum of 2:2 (or equivalent) Rural Business Management, Rural Land Management, Real Estate Surveying, Land Management or similar.
**Driving Licence**

**Where you’ll be working**

As a Distribution and Transmission Network Operator, SP Energy Networks keeps the electricity flowing to homes and businesses throughout Central and Southern Scotland, North Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Shropshire. One of only six Distribution Operators and one of four Transmission Operators in the UK, our actions are crucial to the decarbonisation of the network. The energy landscape is changing fast as the way our customers and communities generate, consume, and interact with energy evolves. Our role is to decarbonise our network through technology and innovation to support the journey to Net Zero. We need to maximise the efficiency of our network to optimise the transmission and distribution of electricity generated from renewables, reducing electricity losses, and allowing us to move away from fossil fuels. With great power comes great responsibility - but we’re up for the challenge

With distribution networks designed for predictable, stable demand, it’s vital we upgrade our network to create the flexibility required to cope with the extensive changes to electricity demand, generation, and consumer behaviour. Our Land and Planning Team is a specialist function that plays a crucial role in the delivery of high-value capital projects that will support this upgrade. Whether it’s connections to domestic premises, EV charging, or renewables generation, our role in obtaining the land agreements is vital to allow us to install or upgrade our assets.

You’ll find more information about SP Energy Networks, including details of our current projects, on our website.

**What you’ll be doing**

As a Graduate Land Officer, you will play a key role in helping us secure land rights that allow us to deliver a sustainable and efficient network. Your role will include liaising with landowners, their professional representatives, and internal project teams. You’ll be responsible for initiating contact with landowners, providing them with details of the project, and discussing proposed activities on their land. Developing and maintaining strong relationships is crucial and you’ll be responsible for answering questions, addressing concerns, and keeping them up to date with the progress of the project. By fostering these relationships, you’ll enhance collaboration and cooperation as well as build trust, reducing potential conflict and minimising disruptions to the project. Establishing good relationships with stakeholders is a key part of the role and can directly impact the success of a project.

You will also be responsible for the successful delivery of proposed new infrastructure projects, connections, refurbishment, or decommissioning projects by ensuring adherence to timelines and project objectives. In addition, ensuring compliance with licence obligations, statutory regulations, contractual commitments, and company policy is vital as legal consequences could disrupt or delay the project and impact our reputation. We’re in a race to achieve Net Zero and our strategic infrastructure projects are essential to this goal so there’s no time to waste

You’ll also have the opportunity to gain exposure to all elements of the project lifecycle. From design to land consents and negotiation, no two days will be the same. One day, you might find yourself in a busy urban environment, and the next, working on a rural farm in the picturesque countryside. This role offers a unique blend of office-based work and fieldwork, allowing you to experience the diverse landscapes that the UK has to offer. You’ll benefit from a hybrid working approach, with your time split between home, the office, and sites, depending on the projects you’re supporting. In addition, travel to different district locations and sites within your licensed area may be required a few times each month.

**What you’ll bring**

To excel in our Graduate Land Officer role, excellent communication skills are essential. You'll be interacting with a wide range of stakeholders, including landowners, government officials, local authorities, and the public. Your ability to effectively communicate, negotiate, and build relationships with diverse groups will be key to your success. And of course, you’ll have an Honours Degree at a minimum of 2:2 (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline such as Rural Business Management, Rural Land Management, Real Estate Surveying, Land Management, or similar. Additionally, you’ll need a driving license to enable y