Title:  Stakeholder Engagement Lead - 8 month FTC

About the role

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 Strategic Spatial Energy Plan will set out what needs to be built, where, and when. Not only will it provide an authoritative evidence base for the key clean energy projects that are needed to deliver government targets for 2035 and beyond, we will be asking for all of society to feed into the creation and development of the plan. 

We are looking for a Stakeholder Engagement Lead for an 8-month FTC. We are seeking a strong leader with enthusiasm for communicating this and other strategic plans with our most important stakeholders and industry leaders.  You will be responsible for ensuring that we are communicating what we are doing clearly and that we are understanding and incorporating stakeholder views at appropriate points. This includes representing the project and NESO at conferences, external stakeholder advisory groups, at workshops ad meetings.  These will be with the UK and devolved governments, our regulator, stakeholders and partners, community stakeholders and groups.  

The project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to plan and promote the new energy system that society wants, and the planet needs.  Our engagement with stakeholders is vital to its success and you will be developing and delivering this engagement. 

This role is a Fixed Term Contract for 8 months.

This role can be based from Wokingham, Warwick, 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.

About us

The creation of National Energy System Operator (NESO) is driven by an urgent need to unify and optimise our approach to energy. A more integrated and coordinated strategy is needed to meet the unprecedented challenges of climate change, ensuring secure energy supply, and keeping costs manageable for consumers.

Join us and empower your potential, energise our team, and be part of something bigger.

Your energy, our future, together.

About the National Energy System Operator (NESO)

In Autumn of 2024, the ESO transitioned to National Energy System Operator, or NESO for short. Previously denoted as the Future System Operator (or FSO), the new National Energy System Operator is the independent body responsible for planning Great Britain’s electricity and gas networks and operating the electricity system.  

The ESO, including all of its existing roles, are now at the heart of the new National Energy System Operator. As NESO, we will build on our existing roles, capabilities, and ways of working significantly to create an organisation the energy system and its users’ need. Our new capabilities will enable us to look across vectors, including electricity, natural gas and hydrogen, and crucially consider the trade-offs between them.

The organisation is set up as a public corporation with its own Board of independent directors, with complete operational independence from government, the regulator and any and all commercial interest. As was the ESO, NESO will be licenced and regulated by Ofgem through price control agreements and obligated to identify optimal solutions to system operations and planning in the most sustainable, affordable and secure way for all.

The time to deliver is now. As part of our team, you won’t just be touching the lives of almost everyone in Great Britain – you’ll be shaping the way we use and consume energy for generations to come.

Key Accountabilities

• Accountable for the development and delivery of a proactive community engagement strategy for sharing and advocating for the SSEP with high profile and important stakeholders across a number of different forums and channels. With a particular focus on societal, industry and political events and engagements, such as conferences, consultations and other organisations stakeholder groups. 

• Accountable for ensuring that SSEP analysis is understood by our most important stakeholders as well as ensuring that feedback and data from stakeholders is appropriately input into SSEP processes. 

• Represent the SSEP in challenging conversations and engagements with stakeholders and groups. 

• Lead work to understand stakeholder views and sentiment towards SSEP outside of the formal governance and engagement structures, working closely with External Affairs, other project stakeholder managers and the external agencies supporting this. 

• Work closely with internal workstream leads, governmental stakeholders as well as industry and societal stakeholders to create and execute engagement plans that support the delivery of the project’s objectives and meet the needs of the project’s diverse range of stakeholders. This will need to balance the need to gain stakeholder views with meeting the project’s sometimes tight timescales. 

• Deliver communications assets, stakeholder events and industry and societal communications related to the project’s objectives to time and agreed quality for our most important stakeholders.  

• Own a clear and comprehensive stakeholder strategy, including a stakeholder satisfaction survey action plan and embedding the use of Salesforce to support coordination around stakeholder activities and drive action to improve engagement. 

• Work closely with internal colleagues to ensure consistency between all strategic energy plans as well as central and corporate messages. 

• Keep abreast of developments in the stakeholder and communications and bring lessons and new thinking into your work. 

• Be a fully active, constructive, and progressive member of the SSEP leadership team. 

About you

We’re forging the path, and we know we can’t do it alone. That’s why we need visionary minds like yours to join us on this transformative journey. In this case, we’re looking for someone who:

• First class engagement, presentation and written communication skills, with a proven ability to communicate complex information in a way non-experts can understand 
• The ability to balance different stakeholders’ needs and adapt messages and approaches for different (sometimes challenging) audiences  
• Written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to understand, communicate and discuss at a high level technical and other project information clearly 
• The ability to lead and work in a fast-paced project environment and work with others to overcome ambiguity 

• Ability to see the big picture and think strategically 
• Ability to deliver change and mitigate complex risks for the overall benefit of the NESO both internally and with our external stakeholders, in a sometimes uncertain environment 
• Demonstrated ability to build efficient working relationships 
• Ability to develop self to achieve their full potential 
• Proven ability to build high quality relationships both internally and externally and using those to achieve the required outcomes 
• Strong organisational skills, able to work to tight deadlines and deliver as promised, ideally with experience of delivering within complex projects and managing consultants to deliver desired outcomes. 
• Understanding of the energy sector – in terms of structure, regulatory environment and the short and long-term issues affecting the industry 

About what you'll get

A competitive salary between £46,000 - £55,000 per annum – dependent on experience and capability. As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on company performance, 26 days annual leave as standard and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.

As we work towards creating a cleaner, greener, and more affordable future for all, we also work towards creating a place for our teammates to belong, with professional and personal growth and positive well-being.

• Full support and career-development resources to expand your skills, enhance your expertise, and maximise your potential along your career journey.
• A diverse and inclusive community of belonging, where teammates are empowered to bring ideas to the table.
• Generous Total Rewards Plan – comprising of health, finance and wealth, work/life balance, and career benefits.

More information

This role closes on 2nd March 2025 at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary.

We work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office. 

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.

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