Cascading Risks Manager in Wokingham

Reliable energy systems are fundamental to everyday life in Great Britain. They underpin homes, businesses, public services, and critical national infrastructure, and are essential to economic stability, public safety, and social wellbeing. As the energy system evolves through decarbonisation, increasing electrification, and greater interdependence across sectors, ensuring that it remains secure, reliable, and resilient is more important than ever.

The Whole Energy System Resilience (WESR) directorate strengthens whole-energy-system resilience by being a catalyst for change – turning insight into coordinated, prioritised action that reduces risk and builds capability across the system. WESR delivers this through analysis, assessments, reviews, emergency exercises, and plans that drive tangible improvements with our partners. We are building our capability to maintain a strategic, system-wide view that integrates insights from WESR’s analysis and outputs and translates them into prioritised risks, workplans, and engagement strategies. This enables each of our technical teams to focus on developing deep expertise and driving change in a specialist area.

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.

• Build and lead a new specialist team focused on novel approaches for identifying and assessing cascading and interdependent risks across the whole energy system.
• Ensure analytical findings are supported by robust technical understanding of the physical energy systems.
• Generate strategic insights from cascading risk analysis to inform prioritisation, preparedness, and long-term resilience improvements (e.g. through policy, planning, operational practice or system design).
• Work closely with wider WESR and NESO teams to ensure cascading risk insights are integrated into system-level assessments, narratives, and advice.
• Translate complex analytical outputs into clear, decision-relevant insights for senior leadership, industry, and government.
• Establish partnerships with academic institutions, research bodies, and technology providers to remain at the forefront of interacting systems and resilience modelling.
• Ensure methods are robust and best practice in analytical rigour is adopted.
• Engage with industry, government, and research communities to share insights and shape thinking on systemic and cascading risks.
• Represent NESO as a thought leader in forums focused on complex systems, interdependencies, and resilience analysis.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK by the start of employment. Visa sponsorship may not be available for this role and will be considered in line with business requirements.

You are naturally curious, motivated by building new capability and by applying innovation in a way that strengthens real-world decision-making. You think holistically, able to join the dots to finding connections, interactions and interdependencies in complex systems. You are comfortable working at the frontier of analysis and strategy, where problems are complex and ambiguous, interdependencies are not fully understood, and traditional approaches are insufficient. You have a collaborative mindset, working effectively across disciplines, organisations, and sectors.

Previous experience in analysis of interacting systems, risk modelling, resilience analysis and/or leading small teams in these or related disciplines.

Strong communication skills able to connect with a wide range of technical and non-technical audiences to explain complex concepts. Knowledgeable of the GB energy system, with relevant engineering, energy, or policy experience - or a willingness to learn and develop this expertise.

A competitive salary of £77,000pa - £85,000pa dependent on experience and capability. As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 15% of your salary for stretch performance, 28 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%.

NESO's flexible benefits programme provides you with more flexibility around your health, 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

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 acting 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 thinking 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.

This role closes at 23:59, on the date displayed on the top of this advert, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary. Interviews will be held early to mid September.

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 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.