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Job Summary
The CDM Advisor will provide practical, proportionate and risk-based advice to ensure compliance with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) across underground cable and overhead line design projects.
The role will support nxzen, appointed dutyholders and project teams throughout feasibility, surveys and investigations, detailed design, tendering, construction support and project handover stages. The position is advisory in nature unless nxzen or the individual is formally appointed in writing to a statutory CDM dutyholder role.
Where Principal Designer support is required, the successful candidate must demonstrate suitable skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability in accordance with CDM 2015 requirements.
Project Scope
Underground Cable Projects
Projects ranging from 6.6kV/11kV through to 132kV, including:
- Route planning and corridor assessments
- Utility and topographical surveys
- Trial holes and ground investigations
- Cable trenches and duct installations
- Crossings and interfaces with existing infrastructure
- Joint bays and ancillary civil works
- Cable installation activities
- Streetworks and highway interfaces
Overhead Line Projects
LV to 132kV overhead line projects involving wood pole and steel tower infrastructure, including:
- Route and condition surveys
- Foundation design and construction
- Temporary works
- Conductor replacement and installation
- Working at height activities
- OHL-to-cable and substation interfaces
- Maintenance, refurbishment and replacement programmes
Key Responsibilities
- Provide specialist advice on CDM 2015 duties, appointments, interfaces and compliance requirements.
- Support nxzen, Clients and project teams in fulfilling statutory responsibilities under CDM 2015.
- Develop and maintain project dutyholder and responsibility matrices.
- Review available Pre-Construction Information (PCI) and identify information gaps, missing surveys or required investigations.
- Facilitate design risk and constructability workshops during all project phases.
- Support the identification, elimination and reduction of foreseeable construction, maintenance and operational risks.
- Review and challenge:
- Design Risk Assessments
- Hazard Registers
- Design Assumptions
- Residual Risk Information
- Ensure significant residual risks are effectively communicated through:
- Drawings
- Specifications
- Reports
- PCI documentation
- Health & Safety File inputs
- Assess design changes, technical queries and departures for CDM implications.
- Attend project reviews, site visits and stakeholder meetings as required.
- Maintain auditable records of CDM reviews, actions and decisions.
- Escalate material compliance concerns or significant unmanaged risks.
- Support competency assessments of CDM-sensitive suppliers and subcontractors.
- Coordinate with project delivery and commercial teams to ensure adequate:
- Time
- Resources
- Risk allowances
- Survey requirements
- Programme provisions
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Specific Design Risk Focus Areas
Underground Cable Projects
The CDM Advisor will provide particular focus on risks associated with:
- Existing buried services and utility congestion
- Highway and route constraints
- Excavations and trial holes
- Contaminated land
- Traffic management arrangements
- Trench, duct and joint-bay constructability
- Confined or restricted access locations
- Lifting operations
- Cable-pulling activities
- Reinstatement requirements
- Future maintenance and emergency repair activities
Overhead Line Projects
The CDM Advisor will provide particular focus on risks associated with:
- Access constraints and poor ground conditions
- Working at height
- Climbing and rescue arrangements
- Pole and tower condition assessments
- Foundation construction
- Temporary works
- Lifting operations
- Conductor stringing activities
- Electrical clearances and crossings
- Work adjacent to energised assets
- Outage restrictions and network constraints
- Asset dismantling
- Emergency restoration activities
Qualifications & Experience
Essential
- Degree, HND/HNC or equivalent qualification in:
- Engineering
- Construction
- Health & Safety
- Related discipline
- Recognised CDM or Health & Safety qualification such as:
- NEBOSH Construction Certificate
- NEBOSH Diploma
- Equivalent demonstrable competence
- Strong knowledge of:
- CDM Regulations 2015
- UK construction health and safety legislation
- HSE guidance and best practice
- Demonstrable experience within UK electricity transmission and/or distribution projects.
- Experience covering underground cable and/or overhead line projects up to 132kV.
- Practical understanding of:
- Linear infrastructure projects
- Excavations
- Surveys and investigations
- Temporary works
- Working at height
- Lifting operations
- Traffic management
- Live electrical interfaces
- Experience producing or reviewing:
- Pre-Construction Information (PCI)
- Design Risk Registers
- Residual Risk Schedules
- Health & Safety File content
- Full UK driving licence or ability to travel regularly within the UK.
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Desirable
- CMIOSH, IMaPS or CMaPS membership.
- Chartered or Incorporated status within a relevant professional institution.
- Previous experience as an appointed Principal Designer.
- Extensive experience supporting Principal Designers on utility or infrastructure projects.
- Familiarity with:
- UK DNO standards
- NRSWA requirements
- Ground investigations
- Working-at-height and climbing activities
- Temporary works management
- Overhead line and cable construction interfaces
Key Deliverables
The successful candidate will be responsible for producing and maintaining:
- Dutyholder and responsibility matrices.
- PCI reviews and information gap assessments.
- Design risk workshop records.
- Hazard and Design Risk Registers.
- Residual risk schedules.
- CDM review reports and assurance comments.
- Stage-gate compliance reviews.
- Health & Safety File contributions (where applicable).
- Design change and CDM compliance records.
Performance Measures
Success in the role will be measured through:
- Effective implementation of CDM 2015 requirements.
- Timely identification and closure of high-risk actions.
- High-quality design risk management and documentation.
- Clear communication of significant residual risks.
- Traceable and auditable design risk decisions.
- Positive project stakeholder feedback.
- Compliance with project governance and assurance requirements.
- Successful support of safe project delivery across design and construction phases.
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