At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a transformative AI programme, shaping the future of control room operations.
- Company: Join NESO, a leader in innovative energy solutions with a focus on collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, bonus potential, and flexible working arrangements.
- Other info: Embrace a culture of diversity, equity, and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the energy sector while driving cutting-edge innovations.
- Qualifications: Expertise in power systems engineering and strong project leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 78000 £ per year.
This is a secondment / fixed‑term opportunity – circa 12 months. The Volta Programme Manager leads NESO’s flagship transformation programme for AI‑enabled system operation, shaping an integrated portfolio of optimisation and decision‑support innovations for the future control room. The role combines strategic roadmap ownership, deep technical and operational stewardship, cross‑directorate coordination, and external partner management, ensuring Volta delivers credible, validated solutions that can transition from innovation into business‑as‑usual operations.
The manager will be accountable for the end‑to‑end leadership and delivery of the Volta programme, translating NESO’s long‑term system operation needs into an integrated innovation portfolio, and steering that portfolio from discovery through validation and towards production‑ready pathways, while maintaining strong operational, technical and governance alignment.
This role can be based from Wokingham or Warwick and offers hybrid working from office and home. There will be an expectation to visit the Wokingham office at least once a week to work closely with the existing team and key stakeholders. We are open to flexible working arrangements.
Key Accountabilities- Building and Leading a High‑Performance Innovation Function: Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team that underpins NESO’s operational innovation portfolio. Provide technical direction, set delivery standards, and shape the capability needed to design, test, and deploy advanced optimisation, AI, and decision‑support tools for the control room of the future.
- Strategic System Transformation & Roadmap Architecture: Lead the development of NESO’s cross‑directorate roadmap for delivering an AI‑enabled, data‑driven control room. Translate long‑term system needs into a coherent portfolio of innovation projects covering modelling, optimisation, situational awareness, predictive analytics, and operator‑support tooling. Define milestones, dependencies, and resource strategies to ensure system‑level integration and regulatory alignment.
- Cross‑Functional and Cross‑Industry Collaboration: Work across System Operations, Networks, Markets, Digital, and Major Projects directorates to ensure innovation outputs are technically aligned with operational constraints and implementation pathways. Drive collaboration with global grid operators and technology partners to import best‑practice intelligence into NESO’s design processes and strengthen internal technical maturity.
- Technical Leadership of Complex Innovation Projects: Lead the design and execution of complex projects across the Volta portfolio, including adaptive modelling, advanced scheduling, real‑time optimisation, and scenario‑based situational awareness. Oversee formulation development, algorithmic testing, and architectural validation. Guide teams through proof‑of‑concept phases, ensuring solutions meet operational realism, computational requirements, and scalability thresholds.
- Rigorous Validation, Assurance, and Transition to Delivery: Set validation criteria, test strategies, and acceptance thresholds for all Volta innovations. Ensure proofs‑of‑concept undergo structured evaluation, stress‑testing, sensitivity analysis, performance benchmarking, before transitioning to delivery teams. Provide technical support through handover to ensure designs are fully understood, implementable, and integration‑ready.
- Continuous Improvement, System Learning, and Innovation Culture: Embed a culture of scientific rigour, experimentation, and continuous improvement across the innovation programme. Use insights from previous projects, assurance reviews, and operator feedback to refine methodologies, strengthen modelling capabilities, and evolve the roadmap. Champion emerging technologies, novel optimisation strategies, and industry best practice to keep NESO at the forefront of global system‑operation innovation.
- Expertise in Power Systems Engineering: Deep technical understanding of real‑time and forward‑looking power system operation, including stability, balancing, security constraints, and the system‑wide implications of high renewable penetration. Experienced in assessing grid‑integration challenges, emerging system behaviours, and the design of next‑generation operational strategies for a decarbonised system.
- Control Room Systems, Architectures & Operational Tooling: Extensive knowledge of electricity control room functions and the end‑to‑end architecture of operational systems, including forecasting, dispatch optimisation, network security assessment, situational awareness tooling, and operator decision‑support frameworks. Able to identify gaps, design new capabilities, and assess the operational feasibility of novel AI‑ and optimisation‑based solutions.
- Future Power System Design & Market‑Aware Operations: Strong knowledge of evolving system operation paradigms, including flexible demand, storage integration, locational signals, and advanced market‑driven behaviours. Skilled at anticipating long‑term system trends and translating them into the technical requirements for future control‑room algorithms and decision‑support systems.
- Applied AI & Advanced Analytics for System Operations: Proficient in the application of machine learning, adaptive modelling, optimisation, and emerging AI techniques (including predictive models, NLP for operator interfaces, and computer‑vision‑enabled asset intelligence). Experienced in evaluating feasibility, interpretability, and deployment considerations for AI‑based operational tools within highly regulated environments.
- Strategic & Systems Thinking: Ability to take a whole‑system perspective, framing challenges across markets, operations, engineering, and digital capabilities. Skilled at anticipating constraints, sequencing transformation steps, and shaping roadmaps that balance ambition with operational realism.
- Programme & Project Leadership: Strong command of programme governance, risk management, and dependency mapping across complex innovation portfolios. Adept at shaping workstreams, structuring PoCs, defining validation criteria, and ensuring orderly transition into delivery teams.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Influence: Exceptional engagement skills grounded in clarity, and technical credibility. Able to extract key insights from busy experts, convene diverse groups, translate between technical and operational audiences, and create shared ownership of outcomes.
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – we encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of whether they meet each single requirement.
What You’ll Get- Competitive base salary of £72,000–£78,000, dependent on experience and capability.
- Bonus of up to 15% of your salary for stretch performance.
- 28 days annual leave as standard.
- Competitive contributory pension scheme – double match to a maximum company contribution of 12%.
- Flexibility around health, lifestyle and protection benefits, including:
- 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
Equal Opportunities: NESO is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for everyone. All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
Programme Manager employer: National Energy System Operator Limited
NESO is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, making it an ideal place for Programme Managers looking to lead transformative projects in AI-enabled system operations. With competitive salaries, flexible working arrangements, and a strong commitment to employee growth and diversity, NESO provides a supportive environment where professionals can thrive and contribute to the future of energy management. The hybrid working model allows for a balanced work-life integration while being part of a pioneering team based in Wokingham or Warwick.
Contact Details:
National Energy System Operator Limited Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Programme Manager
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We think you need these skills to ace Programme Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Versatile Engineering Skills:For a temporary engineering role like this one at National Energy System Operator Limited, make sure to showcase a broad range of your engineering skills. Talk about different projects you’ve undertaken, focusing on your problem-solving ability and adaptability—key traits for temporary positions that depend on quick integration into teams.
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How to prepare for a job interview at National Energy System Operator Limited
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Engineering roles often involve assessing your technical expertise, so be prepared to delve into your core skills. Brush up on relevant software and tools you’ve used before, as well as any engineering principles that relate to the position at National Energy System Operator Limited. We want you to showcase your hands-on experience and problem-solving capabilities – it could be the difference between you and another candidate!
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Expect to tackle some practical scenarios during the interview. Whether it's a design challenge or a troubleshooting test, National Energy System Operator Limited might want to see how you approach real-world engineering problems. Think of specific examples from your past work where you had to think on your feet and be ready to walk your interviewers through your thought process.
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Since this is a temporary position, it’s key to demonstrate your flexibility and ability to hit the ground running. Make sure to convey your eagerness to learn and adapt quickly to the team and the specific projects at National Energy System Operator Limited. We all know that temporary roles can be a bit of a whirlwind, so emphasise your quick learning skills and your approach to managing change.
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If you've worked on engineering projects that align with the role at National Energy System Operator Limited, make sure to bring them up! A portfolio can be a great way to illustrate your engineering prowess. Discuss the challenges you faced, the solutions you implemented, and the results achieved – this will give the interviewers a tangible idea of what you bring to the table.
