Manager - Future System Studies

Department : System Design

Division: Future Energy Systems

Reference number: 12581

Engagement type: Permanent

AEMO at the Heart of Energy
AEMO is Australia's independent energy system and market operator and system planner. AEMO's purpose is to ensure safe, reliable and affordable energy today, and enable the energy transition for the benefit of all Australians.  Australian governments are now committed to a net zero economy for Australia by 2050 and our vision is to enable this. We have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to co-design the future of our energy systems, and our core values revolve around character, commitment, and connection. Join us as we contribute to this significant transition in the energy sector.

AEMO's System Design division is responsible for planning the power system in the context of unprecedented transformation, supporting AEMO's mission of designing a sustainable energy system that provides affordable, safe, and reliable energy for all Australians.

The Future Energy Systems (FES) department sits within AEMO's System Design division and has accountability for establishing and implementing a strategy for the engineering and operational readiness efforts that will prepare Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM) for future operational conditions, including 100% instantaneous contributions of renewables. This progressive body of work has evolved through the Future Power System Security Program, AEMO's Renewable Integration Study (RIS), the NEM Engineering Framework, the Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables, and most recently the Transition Plan for System Security. The department now also has accountability for Type 2 Transitional Services – a new power of AEMO's to facilitate trials of new or existing technologies in novel applications that support power system security in a low- or zero-emissions environment.

About The Role
Managing a team of up to ten individuals, the Manager - Future System Studies is accountable for a key element of how Australia navigates the energy future, by leading an engineering centre of excellence and a team of highly skilled, future focussed power system engineers who are at the cutting edge of power system engineering.

The incumbent and their senior staff will be leading technical voices on emerging power system phenomena, helping the NEM stay ahead of emerging technical challenges by identifying risks ahead of time and helping enable proactive solutions.

You will be a trusted partner of Network Service Providers (NSPs), and AEMO's operational and planning teams, providing high quality service and advice.

Flexibility to be based in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney (CBD or Norwest), Adelaide, Hobart, or Perth.

What You Will Be Doing

• Lead the Future System Studies team including attracting, retaining, nurturing, and developing a high-performing team that demonstrates AEMO's values and has an inclusive and innovative culture. Manage external consultants where required who will provide expert technical advice. Contribute to enterprise leadership and stakeholder trust as a member of the FES Management team and support the development and implementation of Departmental, Divisional and team initiatives in line with overall strategies.
• Lead the future power system study elements of the Engineering Roadmap and Transition Plan for System Security, including the analysis of emerging power system phenomena, new technology capabilities, and major system transition points, working closely with key internal and external stakeholders. This includes prioritising approaches that resolve the most pressing technical issues, and help enable timely action across industry to support a secure energy transition.
• Develop and maintain power system study capability, tools, models, and future state cases for technical investigations.
• Lead the specification of technical requirements and capability from emerging technologies including grid forming inverters.
• Lead projects aimed at assisting project proponents in evaluating the service contributions of their assets.
• Deliver a program of planning studies in collaboration with AEMO's System Security Planning team and Transmission Network Service Providers (TNSPs) to prepare for future system transition points.
• Engineering expertise and input – Provide engineering expertise and advisory services to support reform development and implementation, by ensuring that new policy, regulatory and market mechanisms take appropriate account of technical and power system engineering requirements.
• Enabling the secure operation of a rapidly transforming NEM power system – Motivating and enabling the team to deliver on assigned accountabilities, effectively influencing internal and external stakeholders to support timely action by other parties.
• Stakeholder engagement – Engage with internal and external stakeholders to provide expert advice on future power system development and energy system issues, influencing decision-making processes and maintain currency of information. Stakeholders include executive levels internally and externally, encompassing various market bodies, government, business and industry entities.
• Technical communication – Manage the production of clear, concise, and high quality written and verbal communication to inform internal or external stakeholders on a range of issues for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Manage team budget, risk register, resourcing, and compliance obligations setting clear performance expectations for staff (both technical and behavioural).

What You Will Bring To The Role
Education/Certificates

• Appropriate tertiary and/or postgraduate qualifications in a relevant discipline (for example engineering)

Experience and Knowledge

• Deep expertise in the operation and planning of large power systems, and the engineering challenges that need to be addressed as the NEM power system transitions.
• Demonstrated experience in building and managing teams that work in complex technical environments - shaping a proactive and ownership-based team culture, fostering a service oriented, outcome-focused, and pragmatic approach to problem solving.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, reporting, and delivery; ensuring that projects are delivered to budget and schedule, and to a high quality.
• Demonstrated experience making innovation and change happen, thinking strategically about the requirements of the future, being comfortable with ambiguity, and driving outcomes in the face of resistance.
• Well-developed and demonstrated analytical skills sufficient to review, critique and approve the modelled outcomes that underpin key messages to stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and editorial skills.
• Demonstrated experience in managing strategic changes that require extensive stakeholder engagement and negotiation.
• Demonstrated experience in managing a variety of stakeholders with conflicting interests, negotiating agreed outcomes, and delivering these on time and to budget.
• Experience in facilitating industry working groups and negotiating the resolution of complex issues across stakeholders with competing objectives and a variety of commercial and reputational drivers.
• Experience in managing a diverse set of matrixed resources with differing skill sets and objectives to achieve time and budget requirements.
• Understanding of the NER, the NEM, and the Rule change framework.

Want to know more about who you will be working for? AEMO | A Day in the life of...Future Energy Systems .

Requirements
To find out more about the previous work delivered or actively supported by the Future System Studies team, see the publications on Grid Forming Inverters and Power System Requirements here:

AEMO | Engineering Roadmap Execution Reports

To find out more about the Future Energy Systems department, click here to see some of our webinars:

AEMO Transition Plan for System Security Webinar

AEMO | Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables

AEMO | Renewable Integration Study (RIS)

In Return Some Of Our Benefits to You

• Flexible working: work from home, part time, job share, hybrid options, and additional leave options
• Professional development via projects, industry networks, job rotation, study assistance and more.
• Give back with up to 4 days of volunteering leave per year.
• Reward your hard work with annual performance bonuses (subject to eligibility).
• Embrace a healthier you with our wellness program, discounted health insurance, gym perks and our comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

About Our Process
At AEMO we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome people of all backgrounds, including people with disabilities and neurodivergence and those who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the application or interview process, simply let us know by emailing us at 

If you would like to know more about working at AEMO , please check out our careers page for more information.

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