The National Energy System Operator (NESO) are currently looking for a Regional Strategic Planning Technical Lead based in North England to join our growing Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP) team on a permanent basis. The North (North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humber) RESPs will need to reflect regional characteristics, driving whole energy considerations across all energy vectors. Think renewables, heat decarbonisation, hydrogen, energy networks, transport and flexibility And how each region’s needs differ yet come together in forming the Great British energy plan. To achieve this, we need North based teams – to work alongside our other regional and central teams in forming the hub and spokes needed for energy planning to benefit from and reflect local inputs. Having an understanding and lived experience of the North England will be key, ideally in one of the following, North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humber. The purpose of this job is to be the technical engagement lead. You will apply your technical energy and system planning understanding and skill in leading engagement with technical audiences and coordinating technical and data interfaces with the central and other regional teams in developing RESPs. This will include inputting into specific energy aspects of the whole energy system as part of the team and wider NESO, engagement with energy system planning stakeholders, strengthening cross-team working, and leading your regions work in gaining and validating local energy insights into RESP. This will include you inputting into the methodology and assumptions behind regional energy strategic planning, consulting and communicating these with stakeholders, understand how local energy systems inputs align, and working with others in NESO to validate these. The role accountabilities will be dependent on the successful candidate’s experience, knowledge and interest. There will be flexibility, to reflect regional and NESO needs, in the composition of each regional team. We need people that will contribute or lead on the following accountabilities: To take ownership and understand technical specific aspects of your region’s energy system planning inputs into developing the RESP including the interfaces with local and national data, central RESP methodology and assumptions. To develop, consult and then implement parts of the RESP methodology within your region relating to gaining, validating and balancing technical and spatial planning energy inputs Ownership of obtaining and validating regional geospatial energy inputs, coordinating with the central team To work in a matrix style structure within the wider regional energy strategic planning team to ensure work your leading upon is coordinated with other regional and central RESP teams To represent NESO’s regional energy planning function to energy system planners and energy leads within local government, gas and electricity networks, and other local actors To understand, engage and gain required and beneficial inputs from stakeholders in developing the RESP to the prescribed methodology; being able to clearly communicate and propose changes where needed to key assumptions To work with the central team in developing geospatial visualisations to support regional insights and communicating to stakeholders key changes in the energy system To create new ways to analyse and present problems and potential solutions, sometimes building on the work and experience of others to quickly develop sufficient understanding of unfamiliar topics in developing the RESP