Smart Grids Senior Analyst

Job Description
About The Role
Overall Description of Duties
Working under the Smart Grids Technical Delivery Manager, this role will play a lead part in helping maximise the profitability of Smart Grid (SG) managed assets, through oversight and development of the algorithms deployed within our automated trading platform. This in house developed platform (aka Virtual Power Plant or VPP) controls action on those assets, according to their individual flexibility potential and the revenue opportunities presented across multiple markets for flexibility and trading.
More specifically the role will necessitate a thorough understanding of the dynamics of both short term energy trading markets and alternative revenue streams available through grid services, for example Frequency Response, or Balancing Reserve. Hence recognising how and where these streams can be combined to target an optimal portfolio of trades that is tailored to each of the SG managed assets and implementing pricing and auction bidding strategies in order to successfully acquire the desired target portfolio at minimum cost.
Working alongside the senior data scientist and other team members, the post holder will need to be sufficiently confident to direct material improvements to the environment as well as providing input into the platform future development – especially with regards to managing evolving profitability trends and the potential from future trading market growth.
The role is a fantastic opportunity for someone who has proven quantitative skills and financial experience to work on developing Ecotricity’s state of the art VPP, where our USP is having a best-in class optimisation model.
You need to be a self-starter who embraces responsibility and working independently at times, although very much part of a collaborative team, and will be comfortable providing thoughts and opinions on the development strategy and direction of the platform.
Department
In the Smart Grids Team we are responsible for the development of an asset flexibility platform, whether that is the optimisation of energy storage revenues, aligning Power Purchase Agreements for flexible renewable generation or load shifting for our business and domestic customers so as to avoid costs – and maybe help our trading portfolio of renewable assets at the same time.
We’re always exploring new technologies and the best way in which to use them to meet the company’s vision.
For the right candidate, this role represents a unique opportunity to be part of a growing team in a fast paced and highly challenging environment.
Core Responsibilities
Senior role in helping develop a ‘best in class’ optimisation model for controllable flexible assets (Batteries, Solar, Wind, etc ) against available income streams;
Work with Data Analysis team on developing state of the art auction theory to bid assets into the day ahead various markets, mindful of stacking constraints caused by mutually exclusive revenue streams
Help develop, update and maintain the integration of the optimisation models into Ecotricity’s wider decision-making environment.
About You
Who you are
Have an innate curiosity, a tendency to be discerning and a natural interest in the space.
Are comfortable communicating (verbal and written) to different audiences (e.g. technical and non-technical)
Ability to manage and understand trading positions
Ability to provide actionable insight from complex data
Strong analytical, theoretical and numeric skills
Experience in the Energy Industry.
Python user or similar
Degree in a numerate subject, or a proven track record of quantitative and qualitative analytical abilities, ideally in a commercial setting
Desirable additional skills and experience
Experience programming and developing optimisation techniques
Experience of modelling distributed energy resources such as energy storage
Experience using SQL is advantageous
Experience using AWS or other cloud services
Strong initiative and the ability to take the lead on projects.
Experience using REST APIs to read and post data.
Ability to mentor/coach more junior team members
About Us
What's in it for you...
Healthcare plan, life assurance and generous pension contribution
Volunteering day
Hybrid working
Various company discounts (including shops, days out and events)
Holiday of 25 days (plus bank holidays) & ability to buy/sell days
Cycle to work scheme, car pooling and onsite parking available
As a valued member of the team you will be supporting the Group Environmental policy and its associated targets to make the Green Britain Group net carbon neutral by 2025
Flexibility statement
The fast moving nature of the company's business means that from time to time you may be asked to perform duties or tasks outside of your original job description on an ad hoc basis. This allows the company to use it's people in the best possible way at all times and helps the employees to make make their contribution in a changing environment.
Ecotricity is Britain's greenest energy company. When we started back in 1995, we were the first company in the world to provide a new kind of electricity- the green kind.
Our mission was, and remains, to change the way energy is made and used in Britain- by replacing fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy.
We don't just supply green energy, we use the money from our customers' bills to make it ourselves too- we build windmills and sun parks in Britain. We call this 'bills in to mills'. In 2021, we started work on building two new solar parks, and now, in 2023, we're bringing geothermal energy to our customers' fuel mix, a first in the UK. We're also developing green gas mills which will generate 100% green gas from a source that we will never run out of- grass.
We don't just focus on energy though- we built Electric Highways, Britain's leading network of electric vehicle charging points, we helped Forest Green Rovers become the greenest football club in the world, and, in partnership with RSPB, we launched Britain's greenest mobile phone service, Ecotalk.
Ecotricity is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to providing equality for all.