Distributed Flexibility Strategy Lead

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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.

The NESO ‘Markets’ function designs and delivers a range of long‑term and near‑real‑time markets to balance and operate a secure, rapidly decarbonising GB electricity system. These markets were worth over £3 bn in the financial year ending March 2022, representing a major investment signal to a wide range of electricity supply, demand, and flexibility technologies. Within Markets, the Flexibility and Electricity Markets Development team (FEMD) is part of the strategic engine – creating the vision for the markets that support a decarbonised energy system and designing the roadmap to get there.

The Distributed Flexibility Strategy and Policy team, part of FEMD, aims to enable and unlock flexibility, including distributed generation, storage, and demand‑side flexibility such as EV charging and electric heating. This team developed our Enabling Demand‑Side Flexibility roadmap, which outlines all the actions required to reform NESO’s markets so that distributed and demand‑side flexibility can participate easily. The Flexibility Strategy Lead will work in this team.

This role can be based from Wokingham, Warwick or Glasgow, and we continue to offer hybrid working from office and home. We are open to full‑time and part‑time applicants, as well as flexible working arrangements.

You will need to understand and be aware of the interactions between electricity markets, investment policy and market participant commercial behaviour, so that you can develop holistic, net‑zero compliant policy positions that provide optimal consumer value. Your work will shape NESO’s thinking and positions to grow demand‑side flexibility and reach our Clean Power 2030 targets, requiring an understanding of NESO system needs.

You will develop our strategies to enable DSO market growth, remove service barriers for NESO Markets, work closely with Elexon as the Market Facilitator, and manage and deliver NESO actions in the Market Facilitator Delivery plan. The role will also lead on investigating potential risks and issues that could impact the delivery of more demand‑side flexibility, looking for options to manage them.

Good problem‑solving skills and a logical approach are vital.

• Understanding of NESO’s balancing services markets and their role in operating the electricity system.
• Understanding of DNO flexibility markets, their role in operating the system, and how they interact with NESO markets.
• Understanding of the role of flexibility in achieving GB’s Clean Power 2030 target.
• Knowledge of GB electricity market policy and design, e.g. from a market participant perspective or regulatory experience.
• Knowledge of key electricity policy instruments (e.g. Clean Flexibility Roadmap) and economics of investment in GB electricity assets (generation, flexibility, DSR).

• Excellent written and verbal communication (report writing, slide packs, presentations).
• Ability to present complex issues to audiences with varying levels of familiarity in power systems and power markets.
• Strong interpersonal skills in influencing and working effectively internally across an organisation, gaining buy‑in to priorities and driving delivery through others.

• Evidence of developing strategies based on collaborative working, expert insight and independent analysis.
• Ability to quickly understand a new challenge and develop a structured approach to finding a way to address it.
• Proven use of quantitative and qualitative evidence to develop a thoughtful and independent viewpoint.
• Knowledge of and experience in technical, commercial or operational aspects of flexibility assets (battery storage, commercial and industrial DSR, EV, electric heating) and…