Intraday Forecasting Data Scientist

At Octopus Energy Trading, we're on a mission to reshape the future of energy. As part of Octopus Energy Group, we're creating an innovative approach to trading that will accelerate the transition to a Net Zero world. With the growth of renewables and a push toward decarbonising heating and transport, greater flexibility in the grid is essential. We are building cutting-edge technology to optimise everything from domestic EV charging to grid-scale batteries, to meet the global demand for energy flexibility.

As innovators at the forefront of the energy transition, our trading team is addressing the unique challenges and volatility of a renewables-based power sector. This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-impact venture where you'll play a key role in driving Octopus' growth within the dynamic energy market. We're looking for passionate and unconventional thinkers to join us on this journey, bringing a diversity of experience and ideas to shape a more efficient, flexible, and sustainable energy system.

With an increase in variable and distributed supply, forecasting has never been more important. Octopus has always had a tech-first approach, and our trading and analytics tools are all built in-house. We are looking for a data scientist who's comfortable building data pipelines bringing together internal and external data to create market leading forecasts using both classical and ML techniques. This will include demand, renewables and transmission system fundamentals forecasts.

What you'll do:

• Build, improve and maintain models to forecast electricity demand and renewable generation, primarily in GB but developing into Western Europe.
• Work towards building a system model to forecast local power congestion, supporting opportunities for batteries and demand side flexibility.
• Finding high quality, novel data sources to base our forecasts off of.
• Development on forecasting framework and tools.
• Maintaining and automating forecasting processes, whilst building in checks and alerting.
• Utilising these forecasting models to build or enhance our price forecasts.
• Collaborating with Trading, Renewables, Flexibility and other teams to utilise our combined knowledge and data.

What you'll need:

• Experience with Python is essential.
• A good understanding of what forecasting techniques to use and the ability to build a simple baseline and quickly iterate.
• Ability to communicate their modelling approach, including its strengths and limitations.
• Able to quickly understand commercial and industry concepts; Team player excited at the idea of ownership across lots of different projects and tools.
• Passion for driving towards Net Zero.
• Experience with Machine Learning is essential.
• Experience in the electricity industry would be useful but not required.

Why else you'll love it here:

Octopus Energy Group is a unique culture. An organisation where people learn, decide, and build quicker. Where people work with autonomy, alongside a wide range of amazing co-owners, on projects that break new ground. We want your hard work to be rewarded with perks you actually care about! We won best company to work for in 2022, on Glassdoor we were voted 50 best places to work in 2022 and our Group CEO, Greg has recorded a podcast about our culture and how we empower our people. We've also been placed in the top 10 companies for senior leadership and most recently The Sunday Times, Best Places To Work 2023.

If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you. We want to ensure you have all the tools and environment you need to unleash your potential. Need any specific accommodations? Whether you require specific accommodations or have a unique preference, let us know, and we'll do what we can to customise your interview process for comfort and maximum magic!

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.