How would you design the perfect global energy system, if you could start with a blank sheet of paper? A system that meets energy demands without jeopardising the climate of future generations. One that is resilient in the face of extreme weather events, and enables fair and reliable access to energy for all. At Centre for Net Zero we are dedicated to solving this problem!
We are an impact-driven research lab working at the intersection of tech, energy and climate, delivering pioneering research to make a fully sustainable global energy system a reality. We are an autonomous team that sets our own research agenda. Whilst we work closely with Octopus Energy, we are a separate organisation that is part of the Octopus Energy group of companies.
As an innovative and high growth global company, Octopus Energy has access to millions of progressive energy customers with billions of corresponding data points. This gives us unprecedented insight into the energy behaviours of tomorrow, today. We believe that through transparent research, opening up data and building tools in a tech-first way, we can work together to co-design the future energy system.
We are looking for a Data Scientist with a focus on Energy Systems Modelling to join the Data & Modelling team. The primary focus will be the research, prototyping, development, and deployment of complex energy systems models. You will also work on other data projects within Centre for Net Zero. Examples of projects we’ve worked on are predicting whether a household owns low-carbon technologies, like an electric vehicle or heat pump and building a model of the UK energy grid to understand the impact of energy flexibility on fossil fuel generation.
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What you'll do - Research and develop open-source models to help decarbonise the energy system
- Build and extend models, analyse data, and build data pipelines in Python
- Work with unique energy datasets including smart meter data at national scale and data from large-scale randomised control trials
- Maintain and improve our published models and data products
- Work alongside economists, policy experts, and other data scientists, to shape research questions and modelling approaches, and to drive real-world policy and system change
- Contribute to open-source tools, open data, and our published research
- Present your work internally and at conferences and events
What you'll need- Understanding of energy systems, including areas such as electricity grids, transmission and distribution, balancing supply and demand, or energy markets
- Experience building quantitative models to solve real-world problems (e.g. optimisation, simulation, statistical, or machine learning models)
- Comfortable working with messy, real-world data at scale (e.g. geospatial or household data)
- Fluency in Python
- Software development practices (e.g. git, testing, code review)
- Proactive curiosity: you independently research unfamiliar topics, think about the wider strategic context of your work, and care about real-world impact
Nice to have- Experience with open-source energy systems modelling frameworks (e.g. PyPSA, Calliope)
- Familiarity with demand flexibility, electrification of heating and transport, or energy demand data such as smart meter data
- Understanding of how energy systems and data differ across countries
- SQL and experience with large-scale or cloud-based data tools (e.g. GCP, BigQuery, dbt)
- Experience deploying and monitoring models in production
- Experience contributing to open-source projects or publishing research
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💚 Why else you'll love it here 💚
• 💰 Wondering what the salary for this role is? Just ask us! On a call with one of our recruiters it's something we always cover as we genuinely want to match your experience with the correct salary. The reason why we don't advertise is because we honestly have a degree of flexibility and would never want salary to be a reason why someone doesn't apply to Octopus - what's more important to us is finding the right octofit!
• 🎉 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 were recently named the UK's top company to work for, and we ranked in the top ten in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. 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
• 🎁 Visit our UK perks hub - Octopus Employee Benefits
If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you. 🚀
P.S. Our process usually takes up to 4 weeks, but we’ll always do our best to flex around what works for you. Along the way, you’ll chat with our recruitment team and your Recruiter will help you throughout different stages. Got any burning questions before then? Drop us a message at talent@octoenergy.com and we’d love to help!
Are you ready for a career with us? 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.
