Lead Program Manager (Community and Customer Mgmt), Customer Management and Engagement

The Lead Program Manager, Customer Connections is responsible for the contract administration and cost reporting of customer-funded infrastructure projects associated with large customer connections. This role partners closely with Project Management, Legal, Finance, Regulatory, Economic Development and Account Management teams to ensure Cost Reimbursement Agreements (CRAs) are effectively developed, administered, and executed, reimbursable project costs are accurately tracked and recovered, and contractual obligations are fulfilled throughout the project lifecycle.

The position plays a critical role in providing customers and internal stakeholders with transparency into project costs, maintaining compliance with customer agreements, supporting customer billing and reporting requirements, mitigating cost recovery risks, and enabling the successful delivery of strategic customer projects and economic development initiatives.

This role supports some of National Grid's largest customer-funded infrastructure investments, including major economic development and large-load customer projects, ensuring contractual compliance, effective cost recovery, and transparent financial reporting throughout project execution.

Cost Reimbursement Agreement Administration

• Lead and coordinate the development, review, execution, and administration of Cost Reimbursement Agreements and other customer-funded construction agreements supporting large customer connection projects.
• Serve as a primary point of coordination for CRA governance, ensuring contractual requirements, obligations, milestones, and customer commitments are clearly understood and executed by the appropriate internal and external stakeholders.
• Partner with Legal and Project Management to support contract amendments, supplemental funding requirements, and other changes affecting customer or company obligations.

Customer Reimbursable Cost Reporting and Notices

• Review, analyze, validate, and monitor reimbursable project costs to ensure expenditures are appropriately documented, allocated, and recoverable in accordance with contractual agreements, applicable tariff requirements, and company policies.
• Prepare and coordinate required customer cost reports under Cost Reimbursement Agreements, providing detailed summaries of actual project expenditures.
• Partner with Project Management to monitor project expenditures, prepare project overage notifications and develop detailed cost breakdowns, supporting documentation, and financial justifications for additional expenses and required customer payments.

Customer Invoicing, and Payment Oversight

• Track customer funding commitments, invoicing activity, required payments, payment collections, and outstanding balances associated with reimbursable infrastructure projects.
• Coordinate timely invoicing and collection of customer payments in accordance with CRA requirements.
• Provide leadership with timely visibility into customer funding risks, contractual issues, and potential under-recovery of project costs.

Project Reporting and Governance

• Collaborate with Project Management in the preparation and coordination of project-related financial and contractual materials for customers, executive leadership, and other key stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain reporting tools, governance processes, and controls that provide visibility into customer-funded infrastructure investments, contractual commitments.
• Track, maintain, and report on CRA status, customer funding commitments, invoicing activity, payment collections, reimbursable project expenditures, overage requirements, and cost recovery performance.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify and implement opportunities to improve CRA administration, customer reporting, financial governance, project controls, billing processes, and cost recovery practices.
• Lead or support initiatives focused on automation, process standardization, reporting enhancements, governance improvements, and data quality.
• Develop and promote repeatable processes, controls, and reporting standards that can be applied across large customer connection projects.

#LI-SA1

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Project Management, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Experience managing or supporting contract administration, project controls, construction cost reporting, or related business functions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to interpret complex contractual, project, and financial information.
• Proven ability to navigate complex, ambiguous business environments, establish structure where none exists, and drive cross-functional activities to successful completion within established deadlines.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and stakeholder communication skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience using business reporting and data analysis tools.
• Ability to translate detailed project and financial information into clear, actionable insights for customers, project teams, and executive leadership.
• 5+ years relevant experience

Preferred

• Experience supporting utility infrastructure projects, customer connections, capital programs, or major construction initiatives.
• Understanding of utility tariffs, financial governance, regulatory processes, project forecasting, and cost recovery principles.
• Experience administering Cost Reimbursement Agreements, Contribution in Aid of Construction arrangements, or other customer-funded infrastructure agreements.
• Knowledge of SAP, Power BI, project controls systems, or enterprise financial reporting platforms.