Jobs at National Energy System Operator (Now Hiring) — 15 open

About the Role

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is taking on the exciting new role of being the Regional Energy Strategic Planner. We will be responsible for developing Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) for 11 regions across Great Britain, empowered through the recent Ofgem policy decision.
 

One of these regions is South East England:  bringing together the counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
 

The South East England RESP will need to reflect regional characteristics and priorities, driving whole energy considerations across all energy vectors. Think renewables, heat decarbonisation, hydrogen, energy networks, transport and flexibility! And how each region’s needs differ, yet come together in forming the Great British energy plan.
 

To achieve this, we need a South East England based team – to work alongside our other regional and South East teams in forming the hub and spokes needed for energy planning to benefit from and reflect local inputs.
 

Developing the South East England RESP will require us to work with organisations at a local level (‘local actors’) including local government and gas and electricity networks, to improve understanding of the infrastructure needed in different parts of the country and attract investment for projects. Stakeholder engagement will be key to unlocking the benefits of integrated regional energy planning. 
 

The purpose of this job is to be a technical engagement lead. You will apply your technical energy and system planning understanding and skill in leading engagement with technical audiences and coordinating technical and data interfaces with the South East and other regional teams in developing RESPs. This will include inputting into specific energy aspects of the whole energy system as part of the team and wider NESO, engagement with energy system planning stakeholders, strengthening cross-team working, and leading your regions work in gaining and validating local energy insights into RESP. This will include you inputting into the methodology and assumptions behind regional energy strategic planning, consulting and communicating these with stakeholders, understand how local energy systems inputs align, and working with others in NESO to validate these.

Having an understanding and lived experience of the South East England will be key.

Our focus in the immediate term is to build trust with our stakeholders, establish our process and methodology, and grow our capability in whole energy systems to best support local actors and industry stakeholders in developing credible plans to support net zero.

Climate change is the challenge of a generation, and the time to act is now. Join us and you won’t just be touching the lives of almost everyone in Great Britain – you will be shaping the way we use and consume energy for generations to come.

This role will include hybrid working, in the Wokingham. We are open to full time and part time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements. 

 

Key Accountabilities 

The role accountabilities will be dependent on the successful candidate’s experience, knowledge and interest. There will be flexibility, to reflect regional and NESO needs, in the composition of each regional team. We need people that will contribute or lead on the following accountabilities:

• To take ownership and understand technical specific aspects of your region’s energy system planning inputs into developing the RESP including the interfaces with local and national data, South East RESP methodology and assumptions.
• To develop, consult and then implement parts of the RESP methodology within your region relating to gaining, validating and balancing technical and spatial planning energy inputs
• Ownership of obtaining and validating regional geospatial energy inputs, coordinating with the South East team
• To work in a matrix style structure within the wider regional energy strategic planning team to ensure work your leading upon is coordinated with other regional and South East RESP teams
• To represent NESO’s regional energy planning function to energy system planners and energy leads within local government, gas and electricity networks, and other local actors
• To understand, engage and gain required and beneficial inputs from stakeholders in developing the RESP to the prescribed methodology; being able to clearly communicate and propose changes, where needed, to key assumptions
• To work with the South East team in developing geospatial visualisations to support regional insights and communicating to stakeholders key changes in the energy system
• To create new ways to analyse and present problems and potential solutions, sometimes building on the work and experience of others to quickly develop sufficient understanding of unfamiliar topics in developing the RESP.

About You

To deliver RESP requires a diverse team made up of individuals with a wide range of skills and knowledge which are unlikely to be present in a single individual. Key skills and experience we are looking for are:

• Technical experience within and knowledge of the energy sector including of energy scenarios
• An understanding of the ‘whole energy’ system – with experience in one of the energy vectors (gas and/or electricity networks, heat decarbonisation, hydrogen, transport decarbonisation, storage/flex etc). Please note that gas expertise is already covered within the South East England team, so we will weight experience in other energy vectors favourably, to achieve a balanced team.
• Experience of working with or within energy distribution and/or transmission companies, ideally relevant to the region(s) you seek to work within
• Understanding and experience of geospatial data modelling, ideally applied in energy planning, including knowledge of data management procedures
• Understanding and experience of applying common methods and assumptions and validation of data
• Ability to translate complex and technical information into easily understandable messaging for non-technical audiences
• Experience of communicating with, and influencing, internal and external stakeholders at a range of levels
• Project management, coordination and planning skills to ensure that deadlines are met, governance is adhered to, stakeholders are effectively engaged and high quality process and outputs are achieved
• An inquisitive mind with the ability to join the dots and a willingness to learn about new areas of work
• Training and development of the team will be a key priority as we set up RESP. Successful individuals may be asked to help train other team members and also have the opportunity to be trained on less familiar areas.

Training and development of the team will be a key priority as we set up RESP. Successful individuals may be asked to help train other team members and also have the opportunity to be trained on less familiar areas.

What You'll Get

A competitive salary of £54,000 - £64,000 dependent on experience and capabilityAs well as your base salary, NESO's core benefits are the essential perks and advantages that form part of your employee package. - You will receive a bonus based on company performance- 26 days annual leave as standard - A competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. - Annual Enrollment to NESO Savings Plan, when you save between £20- £500 a month from your take-home pay, we will pay a 50% matching contribution.

NESO's flexible benefits programme provides you with more flexibility around your helath, lifestyle and protection benefits, here's just a few available:
- Flexible Bank Holidays & Holiday Trading
- Additional Birthday Day Off
- Cycle to Work Scheme, Retail & Gym Discounts
- Private Medical Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance & Personal Accident Insurance
 

About Us

At the National Energy System Operator (NESO), we play a vital role in tackling climate change and securing Great Britain's energy future. We already operate the world's fastest decarbonising electricity system and are working towards our ambition to run it carbon-free for a short period this year - provided the market supplies electricity exclusively from renewable sources. Alongside this, we provide expert advice to government on how to deliver a clean power system by 2030.

In autumn 2024, the Electricity System Operator (ESO) transitioned to become NESO - an independent, expert public corporation with a whole-system view across electricity, gas, and hydrogen. NESO operates independently and transparently, always actin in the best interests of all energy users.

Licensed and regulated by Ofgem, we make impartial decisions that balance sustainability, affordability and security. Our organisation is fully independent from government, the regulator and all commercial interests, with a clear focus on system-wide benefit, long term thing and public value.

The time to deliver is now. Join the energy transformation and help shape the future.
Your energy. Our future. Together

National Energy System Operator (NESO) recognises the potential of bright and talented individuals, and we encourage you to join us as Great Britain’s energy system undergoes an ambitious, exciting, and vital transformation. Together with industry, we are creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

More Information

This role closes at 23:59, on the day before date shown above, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary.

Research shows that some people may hesitate to apply unless they meet every single requirement. At NESO, we believe potential comes in many forms and we're committed to a fair, inclusive recruitment

We're committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve, and a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential. If this role sparks your interest but you're not sure you tick every box, we still want to hear from you. process where everyone has the opportunity to show their talents. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds.