Sectors | Power, grid and energisation
Power and grid leadership search across the GCC, the UK and the US.
The leaders a campus waits on. A data centre takes three to six years to build; the grid behind it can take five to fifteen. The seats that decide the date are the head of power, the grid connections lead, the energisation director and the utility-side programme leaders. I run those searches for developers, operators, EPCs and utilities, in the GCC, the UK and Europe, and the US.
Seats like these open quietly. If you lead power, grid and energisation work and would consider a move, including into or out of the Gulf, talk to me in confidence.
Not ready to brief? Get a pay benchmark for your open seats
A benchmark of your open seats carries no fee. A full compensation study is a fixed-fee piece, credited against a search.
Last reviewed , the date of the market facts on this page.
Looking at your next move? See this page for leaders
Hiring for one of these seats? See this page for clients
The seats
- Head of power and energy for data centre developers and operators
- Head of grid connections, energisation director
- HV, substation and transmission programme directors
- Head of HVDC and interconnector delivery
- On-site generation, storage and battery leads for campuses
- Utility-side programme and commercial leaders for large-load connections
What is driving hiring, and the timelines
- Grid is the binding constraint. New grid takes 5 to 15 years against 3 to 6 for a data centre, and grid spend of about USD 400bn a year must approach generation spend of about USD 1tn by the early 2030s (IEA, World Energy Investment 2025).
- The UK spend is set. Ofgem's RIIO-3 final determinations allow GBP 43.3bn ex ante from April 2026 to March 2031, with more through uncertainty mechanisms (Oxera; Ofgem).
- The US and the Gulf are funding transmission. US investor-owned utilities plan more than USD 1.1tn for 2025 to 2029 (Edison Electric Institute). Saudi Electricity has set out SR220bn (USD 58.7bn) for 2025 to 2030, SR135bn of it for transmission (MEED).
Where I find them
I built a retained desk for e-mobility, renewables and battery storage across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with retained mandates for multinational engineering groups through their subsidiaries, and ran executive search in energy and EPC across the Middle East. The power leaders Gulf campuses need are often running UK and European connections programmes today.
Why clients use me here
- Searches filled across the GCC, Europe and North America
- Executive search in energy and EPC across the Middle East
- Retained mandates for multinational engineering groups, through their subsidiaries
- Recruitment teams built and trained
- Your search page, live from day one
- A shortlist in 10 working days, in writing
How a retained search runs
Map
Who has delivered this scope, where they sit, what they cost.
Shortlist
People who have agreed to be introduced, with a written assessment of each, within 10 working days on a retained or engaged search.
Start date
Offer, notice and relocation handled through to day one.
How retained search works, and when engaged search fits better
Questions clients ask
- Do you cover utilities as well as data centre firms?
- Yes, for the leadership seats on large-load and transmission programmes. The same people move between the two sides.
Terms
Retained or engaged, with a fee on signing. Retained: three stages, on signing, on the shortlist and at the start date. Engaged: a fee on signing, credited in full against the final fee. Both exclusive, both with a shortlist within 10 working days. How the terms work
Brief me on a power, grid and energisation seat
The more you tell me, the more useful my first reply. I'll come back within one working day.
Thank you.
I'll be in touch within one working day. If it's urgent, call me on +971 58 585 2790.
Other seats open? Get a pay benchmark for them while you wait.
Seats I search for in this family
- Head of power and energy for data centre developers and operators
- Head of grid connections, energisation director
- HV, substation and transmission programme directors
- Head of HVDC and interconnector delivery
- On-site generation, storage and battery leads for campuses
- Utility-side programme and commercial leaders for large-load connections
Most of these searches are confidential and never advertised. Published ones are on the careers page.
What they pay
| Seat | Published pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Programme director, transmission and distribution, UK | GBP 140,000 to 175,000 a year | Published figure: LSP Renewables, 2026 |
| Project director, transmission and distribution, UK | GBP 110,000 to 145,000 a year | Published figure: LSP Renewables, 2026 |
| Grid connections director, UK | Up to GBP 125,000 a year | Published figure: Piper Maddox, job advert |
Published figures from the sources named, not my own data. Base pay unless stated; Gulf packages usually add housing, transport and schooling. For your own seat, ask for a confidential market check.
How a confidential conversation works
- A call, not a form. What you run today, what you would move for, and what you would not.
- Nothing shared without your say-so. Your profile goes to a client only with your permission for that one role.
- The real package, in writing, before you interview: base, housing, schooling, bonus and relocation.
- The move handled: notice, visas and family questions, into or out of the Gulf.
- You never pay a fee.
Register and share your CV
I read every profile myself. If a power, grid and energisation seat fits, I'll call you; if not, I'll keep you in mind, only with your permission.
Thank you. You're in the talent network.
I'll read your details myself. If there's a role that fits now, I'll call you, usually within a week. If not, I'll keep you in mind for the next one.
Want to know what your seat pays elsewhere? Ask for a confidential market check.
Confidential by default. Your profile is never shared with a client, or described in a way that could identify you, unless you have agreed to that specific role. You can ask what I hold about you, or ask me to delete it, at lloyd@millerandwoodall.com.
An energisation date that depends on one hire?
Tell me the seat and the date. Not ready to brief? Ask for a pay benchmark for your open seats.
Open to the right move?
Register in confidence, or ask what your seat pays elsewhere.