Chief Operating Officer

ENGIE; London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead their Energy Management and Trading activities in the UK. This pivotal role involves overseeing risk governance, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks, and managing operational excellence across the business platform. The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record in risk management and operational leadership, with strong communication and analytical skills. Join a forward-thinking company committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, where your expertise will drive the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in risk management and operational leadership.
• Deep understanding of regulatory frameworks and operational processes.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the implementation of risk governance and manage operations.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and internal controls.

Skills

Risk Management

Operational Leadership

Regulatory Framework Knowledge

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Digital Transformation

Education

Relevant Professional Experience

Other Education Level

Job description

With 100,000 employees worldwide, ENGIE is a leader in the energy transition. Its purpose is to act to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally-friendly solutions. This purpose brings together the company, its employees, its clients and its shareholders, and reconciles economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet.

We are looking for people who are committed to help turn our vision into reality.

In the UK, ENGIE is engaged in the operation and the development of a large portfolio, comprising renewable assets (onshore wind, solar PV, biomethane plants), flexible assets (pumped-hydro storage, gas storage, batteries, …) and the supply of gas and electricity to +17,000 B2B customers.

GEMS (Global Energy Management and Supply) is a business unit within ENGIE, with a core mission to support clients in their transition towards a carbon neutral economy. GEMS supplies energy & provides comprehensive energy management solutions, both to other ENGIE’s Global Business Units and to its external customers.

GEM UK is a Business Platform within GEMS, responsible for Energy Management and Trading activities in the UK. GEM UK operates on two main pillars:

• Assets management and optimisation: long-standing experience in managing flexibility assets (eg. pumped-hydro storage, batteries, flexible gas storage, …), with 24/7 operations
• Risk management solutions for clients: providing market access and hedging services, as well as bespoke Green power and Green gas agreements to internal and external customers

GEM UK has developed a deep-expertise of UK power and gas wholesale markets.

With +60 employees, GEM UK is a self-contained platform, covering the whole chain from front-office (commercial origination and trading) to back-office, including core-business support functions (IS, Risk, Legal).

Organisation, Location & main Missions

The Chief Operating Officer’s primary responsibilities are to facilitate the implementation of business strategies established by the head of the platform “EM UK” and to manage the complete operations chain of support functions locally, in accordance with business growth.

Additionally, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for continuously maintaining internal relationships and coordination with the Expertise Centers (EC) throughout the GEMs’ new organization. This includes ensuring constant support to and from the EC and sustaining local alignment with the EC’s transversal objectives, such as Risk, Finance & Business Operations, Operational Excellence, Compliance, and Market Conduct.

Given the current country setup and the business organization roles between the Engie group GBUs & GEMs setup, the COO is responsible for ensuring effective interaction within Engie UK/B2B UK functions/representatives. This will help maintain formalized, efficient, robust, and transparent services on both sides, such as shared legal entities and asset management agreements.

Detailed Role & Responsibilities

As COO of EM UK, you are in charge of:

Overseeing the roll-out of the local risk governance & approved mandate with close collaboration with GEMs RISK EC & CRO Europe.

• Building and implementing the risk mandate and monitoring its operation for BP EM UK.
• Review and obtain approval for the risk mandate on BP EM UK perimeter on a yearly basis.
• Ensuring a proper balance between commercial objectives and effective market and credit management while adhering to applicable policies in managing the relationship with business functions.
• Oversee market and credit risk analysis for deals requiring specific approval (GEMs RC, Origination Committee, Investment Committee) and ensure the quality of presented files.
• Represent GEMs EM UK in Operational Excellence matters (eg : SBA), support Front Office in developing new business, markets, and products. Continuously enhance the Risk & Trading environment by collaborating with FINOPS, RISK, and MAS EC, including reviewing market and credit risk measurement methodologies and new e-trading platforms or internal market place.
• Supervise the market and credit risk team/analysts in GEMs EM UK. Manage all risk teams in the UK and ensure efficient communication between Risk representatives of various Business platforms in the UK (e.g., B2B UK).
• Maintain current risk policies (market, credit, model risk, AML/KYC).

Overseeing and Coordinating the day-to-day FINOPS responsibilities within GEMs organization in the UK e.g. Back office & Middle Office operations, connecting to the Finance function :

• Oversee the FINops team (or coordinate within existing resources) to match business organization and GEMs EC expectations & standards. (processes in place…)
• Be responsible of the local Validation of P/L results /Financial reporting for EM UK and link with service providers current set-up (e.g. Treasury..)
• Ensure guidelines, tools and processes are in place to guarantee the proper functioning of the daily operations.
• Evaluate business needs and issues for ongoing development and sustainable FinOps support.
• Support and mobilize the teams to drive the automation of various accounting and back office task
• Ensure the accurate recording of transactions and maintaining up-to-date records
• Resolving confirmation discrepancies with counterparts through collaboration with local back office operators, such as addressing margin calls and delayed payments.

Overseeing transversal roles; mainly Internal Control, Compliance, Market Conduct missions

• Ensure adherence to regulations and best practices in collaboration with the local legal department and regulatory bodies, to safeguard clients and facilitate the efficient functioning of markets (compliance).
• Ensure the security of operations and compliance with GEMs rules (internal control) in collaboration with EC CEP compliance department.
• Organize on-boarding compliance sessions to new colleagues joining the BP EM UK Platform: GEMs code of conduct (all staff), Sales & Trading handbook (Front Office only) and ensure balanced relation with Market Activities Oversight EC.
• Ensure business compliance with European and local regulations (e.g., EMIR, REMIT, MIFID, MAR).
• Ensure trade surveillance activities are fully rolled out for EM UK , in relationship with GEMs TS central teams
• Oversee the development, documentation, and operation of Internal Control for EM UK. Ensure compliance with the Group INCOME framework through the annual self-assessment process.
• Local contact and coordinator for internal and external audit control.
• Coordinate with country UK Ethics and Regulations departments to ensure Engie’s policies are respected across the transversal management of the GBUs;

Key Requirements

• Proven track record in risk management and operational leadership. They must possess a deep understanding of the regulatory framework and operational processes within which the business operates
• Knowledge and understanding of the operations, processes and the organisation of such activities
• Experience in management of senior staff and experts, including transversal management
• Communication Skills: demonstrating the ability to synthesize complex information and communicate it clearly and simply
• Positive leadership and strong interpersonal skills to inspire and manage senior staff and experts fostering a collaborative and productive work environment
• Effective organization/ planification/ prioritization skills. Setting pragmatic goals and manage resources efficiently to achieve business objectives
• Strong analytical mind and business acumen
• Experienced and/or interested in digital transformation
• Very strong personal ethos and principles. The COO should be trustful, maintaining high ethical standards and demonstrating integrity in all actions.
• Open-mindedness is essential for embracing new ideas and innovative approaches. The COO should be flexible and willing to adapt to changing circumstances

Business Unit:GEMS

Division:GEMS – BP UNITED KINGDOM

Legal Entity:INTERNATIONAL POWER LTD.

Professional Experience:Senior (experience >15 years)

Education Level:Other

Why this matters to us.

Our organisation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We offer reasonable accommodations upon request for individuals with disabilities.

C1OO