Rosella Jones, Market Transformation Manager, Transformation team
“I wanted to work in the energy industry to focus on energy efficiency, energy sustainability and reducing energy costs for consumers. Since I started working at ElectraLink in October 2017, I have been given the opportunity to work in all three of those areas. As a central body operating at the heart of the energy industry, ElectraLink must tackle key issues facing consumers and industry parties during a period of extensive change. As a result, my roles at ElectraLink have really cemented my understanding of how all the pieces of the energy market, the suppliers, generators and customers, fit together and how ElectraLink supports the market actors, so that they make informed decisions.
No day is the same though, with market challenges keeping us on our toes! But this makes it a really exciting time and I have been provided with real insights into how to manage the wide-scale challenges facing the market. Regulatory changes driven by Ofgem (i.e. the Price Cap) and system changes driven by market actors (i.e. the growth in smart home devices and embedded generation) are a couple of examples of the changes we monitor within ElectraLink. Part of my job is to understand how these changes impact ElectraLink. Through regular and strategic collaboration and interaction with relevant market participants and central bodies, my aim is to engage effectively and, where appropriate, to influence how these changes are delivered internally and externally.
What does a typical day for me look like? Often, I can be found reviewing consultation documents from Ofgem or the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as well as news articles about updates in the market which I then use to update the Industry Change Dashboard for me to present to the Senior Management Team at the monthly Industry Change Board. This is the place where we review and agree ElectraLink’s approach to upcoming and ongoing industry changes. At the moment, we are collaborating closely with the energy market on so many transitional areas of the sector, so getting out and about and hearing the views of others is so important.
I am also responsible for managing and providing subject matter expertise to some of ElectraLink’s projects, such as the development of new technologies (a new API), innovation projects or the introduction of new market actors onto ElectraLink’s services.
We have seen substantial growth this year and 2019 will be no different. This means all staff need to be flexible and willing to take on new activities and responsibilities. My role has become increasingly diverse which I really love, enabling me to manage projects, attend and present at important industry meetings and to carry out data analytics … alongside the ‘day’ job. The transformation of the energy market is certainly not dull, which means that a ‘day in the life’ of a Market Transformation Manager isn’t either!”