About the Role
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.
Due to continuous growth, we are looking for Connections Operations Manager to join us at NESO.
The Connections Operations Manager leads the effective delivery of connections activity within Connections Operations, covering demand, DNO and generation portfolios across the relevant E&W, Scotland or national scope.
The role is responsible for ensuring that connection offers, modifications, customer engagements and associated operational processes are delivered in a timely, coordinated, compliant and customer-focused manner. It provides clear operational leadership across a portfolio of customers and projects, ensuring that delivery aligns with regulatory requirements, Connections Reform, policy intent, customer commitments and wider NESO priorities.
The role plays an important part in supporting customer and investor confidence by ensuring that customers receive clear, consistent and high-quality service, and that internal teams are well-coordinated across the end-to-end connections process. It also supports the delivery of wider government and industry ambitions, including Clean Power 2030, network readiness, economic growth and the transition to a more efficient connections process.
Key Accountabilities
1. Connections Operations Delivery
- Lead the end-to-end operational delivery of connections activity across demand, DNO and/or generation portfolios.
- Ensure timely, compliant and high-quality delivery of connection offers, modifications, agreements and associated customer outputs.
- Provide clear ownership and coordination across a portfolio of customers, projects and escalations.
- Ensure delivery activity aligns with agreed operational priorities, policy requirements, regulatory obligations and programme timelines.
- Monitor delivery performance and take action to resolve blockers, dependencies and risks affecting customer outcomes.
2. Portfolio Leadership
- Manage a portfolio of connection projects across the relevant regional, national or technology/customer segment.
- Provide operational oversight of Connection Contract Managers and associated delivery teams.
- Ensure customer issues, offer dependencies, complaints and escalations are managed consistently and effectively.
- Support prioritisation across competing demands, including Connections Reform activity, BAU delivery, customer escalations and regulatory commitments.
- Drive a clear understanding of portfolio status, key risks, delivery constraints and customer impact.
3. Policy, Reform and Process Implementation
- Translate policy, regulatory and Connections Reform requirements into practical operational delivery actions.
- Ensure new or changing processes are implemented consistently across teams.
- Work with policy, reform, legal, charging, system and data teams to ensure operational feasibility and clarity.
- Challenge and shape process design where required to ensure it is deliverable, efficient and aligned with customer outcomes.
- Identify lessons learned from delivery activity and feed these into continuous improvement, future reform and process development.
4. Customer Service and Stakeholder Confidence
- Ensure customers receive clear, proactive and consistent communication throughout the connections process.
- Build trusted relationships with demand customers, DNOs, generators, developers and investors.
- Provide effective ownership of complex issues, complaints and escalations.
- Ensure customer messaging is aligned across NESO, Transmission Owners, Distribution Network Operators and, where relevant, Ofgem or government stakeholders.
- Support confidence in NESO’s delivery by providing transparent timelines, clear accountability and professional engagement.
5. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination
- Build strong working relationships across the connections ecosystem, including:
- Transmission Owners
- Distribution Network Operators
- Demand customers
- Generation developers
- Ofgem
- DESNZ and government stakeholders where relevant
- Internal NESO teams across policy, reform, legal, charging, finance, DD&T, network planning, operability and corporate affairs
- Ensure coordinated delivery across organisations where customer outcomes depend on multiple parties.
- Represent Connections Operations in internal and external forums as required.
- Provide clear operational insight to senior stakeholders, including delivery progress, risks, dependencies and recommended actions.
6. Risk, Governance and Assurance
- Identify, manage and escalate risks across the connections portfolio.
- Ensure robust governance, clear accountability and effective issue resolution across complex delivery pathways.
- Support senior governance forums with evidence-based updates, options and recommendations.
- Ensure delivery decisions are well-documented, consistent and aligned with regulatory and contractual requirements.
- Promote strong assurance disciplines across offer quality, customer communications, process compliance and data accuracy.
7. Continuous Improvement and Operational Effectiveness
- Drive improvements in operational processes, governance, coordination and customer experience.
- Identify recurring issues, bottlenecks or inefficiencies across the connections process and work with relevant teams to resolve them.
- Support standardisation of processes and templates across portfolios where appropriate.
- Encourage learning across teams, including sharing good practice across demand, DNO and generation activity.
- Use operational insight and data to improve visibility, prioritisation and delivery performance.
8. People Leadership
- Lead, coach and support team members to deliver high-quality outcomes in a complex and changing environment.
- Build capability across the team, including technical understanding, customer handling, process discipline and stakeholder management.
- Promote a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture.
- Ensure team members understand priorities, accountabilities and expected standards.
- Support wellbeing, workload management and team resilience during periods of high operational demand.
About You
- The successful candidate will bring strong operational leadership, customer focus and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to deliver through complexity and ambiguity.
- You will have:
- Experience leading operational delivery in a complex, regulated or infrastructure environment.
- Strong understanding of the electricity connections landscape, or the ability to build this quickly.
- Experience managing customer portfolios, delivery teams, escalations or complex operational programmes.
- Ability to translate policy, regulatory or technical requirements into practical delivery outcomes.
- Strong customer focus, with the ability to build trust with customers, developers, DNOs and other external stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, including engagement at senior levels.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, ambiguity and delivery pressures effectively.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify practical solutions to blockers and risks.
- Collaborative working style, with confidence operating across internal and external organisational boundaries.
- Commitment to continuous improvement, process discipline and high-quality customer outcomes.
- Strong leadership capability with experience delivering in complex, high-profile operational environments
- Experience working with government, regulators or major external stakeholders
- Proven ability to translate policy intent into practical delivery outcomes
- Strong customer focus, with ability to build trust with investors and strategic stakeholders
- Ability to manage complexity, ambiguity and competing priorities effectively
- Strong communication and influencing skills, including engagement at senior levels
- Understanding of the UK energy system and connections landscape (highly desirable)
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At NESO, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for everyone. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one.
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What You'll Get
A competitive salary of £70,000 - £80,000 dependent on experience and capabilityAs 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 helath, 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
About Us
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 actin 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 thing 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.
More Information
This role closes at 23:59, on the day before date shown above, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary.
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
We're committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve, and a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential. If this role sparks your interest but you're not sure you tick every box, we still want to hear from you. 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.
