Senior Market Operator

EirGrid Group; Dublin; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

EirGrid is seeking a Senior Market Operator to support the full range of Market Operations activities for Ireland's electricity markets. As a certified Market Desk operator, you will oversee desk activities and provide operational cover as needed.

You will work with the Markets Team to meet real-time deadlines, analyse market outcomes, coordinate with stakeholders including GB/SEM bodies, and lead system testing, releases and change requests.

Qualifications

• Two years’ experience in a relevant, critical operational role.
• Experience with Market Operations systems such as ICMP or MMS.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills.
• Advanced Excel skills with database queries and automated checks.

Responsibilities

• Perform and oversee Market Desk activities as a certified Market Operator.
• Oversee market auctions and related processes for wholesale markets.
• Investigate and resolve operational issues with internal teams and stakeholders.
• Plan and deliver market system testing and releases, including QA.
• Coordinate responses to complex market participant queries and provide timely communication.
• Support audits and maintain procedures to ensure compliance.

Skills

Numerical skills

Analytical skills

Advanced Excel

Time management

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Team mentoring

Team collaboration

Education

Two years’ experience in a relevant operational role

Tools

Imbalance Pricing

ICMP

MMS

Transparency Platform

Market Surveillance

Job description

We are at the heart of Ireland’s energy transition - connecting, operating and transforming the electricity grid to support a low carbon, renewable future.

We are building talented teams that tackle real world challenges every day and help us to achieve our goal to prepare the grid to carry up to 80% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources.

We are proud to be a certified Great Place to Work, recognised for our culture built on trust, collaboration and inclusion. At EirGrid you will find supportive teams, opportunities to grow and meaningful work. We also offer secure employment with a range of flexible and family friendly working policies to support your life and wellbeing. If you want to know more about what EirGrid has to offer you, visit .

If you are ready to make an impact and grow your career in a purpose-led organisation, your journey starts here.

The Opportunity

The Market Operations Function operates and develops the integrated Single Electricity Market across the island of Ireland. This market enables generators and electricity suppliers to buy and sell electricity ahead of delivery. The Market Operations function also calculates the prices used to balance electricity supply and demand in real time.

This includes operating the day-ahead, intraday and balancing markets. Analysing market behaviour is a key part of the work due to the scale of transactions—approximately €10 billion each year—and the volume of data generated. The markets operate 365 days a year and produce data at intervals as short as five minutes.

The Market Operations Function is seeking individuals who want to develop their careers in the energy industry. The critical nature of this work, together with the experience it provides, offers exciting career opportunities.

The Senior Market Operator supports the full range of Market Operations activities. As a certified Market Desk operator, in this role you’ll perform and oversee desk activities and provide operational cover when required. You may join the Market Desk rota, typically for one week every six weeks, depending on operational and resourcing needs.

The Markets Team works to strict real-time, daily, weekly and monthly auction deadlines. The Senior Market Operator works closely with colleagues to maintain operational support and guide Market Operators on queries, decisions and issue resolution. You’ll also work with service providers and stakeholders to operate wholesale electricity markets and verify market outcomes.

In this role you’ll oversee market auctions and resolve operational issues within demanding deadlines. Key stakeholders include the EirGrid and SONI Control Centres, Market Operations management, internal IT teams, service providers, market participants, the GB System Operator, interconnector owners, and other European and GB Market Operators.

Beyond Market Desk duties, the role supports the operation and development of Market Operations. Responsibilities include managing system release testing, change requests, system enhancements and defects; coordinating audits; supporting projects; maintaining operational procedures; analysing market outcomes and performance; responding to market participant queries; and engaging with vendors, stakeholders and industry forums, including the Weekly Participant Call, Market Operator User Group (MOUG) and SEM-GB OPSCOMs.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform and oversee Market Desk activities in line with market procedures and operational standards, acting as a certified Market Operator and providing cover when required.
• Support Market Operators and act as the escalation point for operational issues, market incidents and complex queries.
• Oversee market auctions and related processes to support the accurate and timely operation of wholesale electricity markets.
• Investigate and resolve operational issues and market system defects with internal teams, service providers and stakeholders.
• Apply sound judgement when managing issues and incidents by assessing risks, identifying solutions and determining when to escape.
• Plan and deliver market system testing and releases, including test preparation, resourcing, quality assurance, defect management and business sign-off.
• Lead Pricing Dispute investigations and ensure resolution in line with the Trading and Settlement Code (TSC) and Agreed Procedures (APs).
• Support projects and strategic initiatives affecting Market Operations by providing expertise, coordinating activities and stakeholder engagement, and helping deliver outcomes.
• Develop, review and maintain procedures, checklists and supporting documents to ensure operational effectiveness and compliance.
• Analyse market outcomes, performance and anomalies to identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities.
• Coordinate responses to complex market participant queries, ensuring timely, accurate and consistent communication.
• Implement system enhancements, change requests and process improvements to increase efficiency and reduce operational risk.
• Support internal and external audits through evidence gathering, stakeholder engagement, action tracking and implementation of recommendations.
• Provide expertise in assigned market systems, processes or functions, share knowledge across the team and support issue resolution.
• Support the training, mentoring and development of Market Operators and team members to strengthen capability and operational resilience.
• Represent Market Operations at internal and external meetings, working groups, participant forums and operational committees.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying and implementing operational, process and system enhancements.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, governance and operational requirements, and support operational risk management.
• Support management in prioritising workloads and delivering Market Operations objectives.
• Undertake other duties as required to support Market Operations.

About You

• Typically, at least two years’ experience in a relevant, critical operational role.
• Expertise in one or more Market Operations systems or functions, such as Imbalance Pricing, the Interconnector Management Platform (ICMP), Market Management System (MMS), Transparency Platform or Market Surveillance.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills.
• Advanced Excel skills, with experience in database queries and automated checks.
• Ability to prioritise and resolve operational technical issues with service providers and IT teams.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Experience using multiple systems simultaneously to monitor and troubleshoot operational processes, with the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly under pressure while meeting strict deadlines.
• Experience supporting junior team members and acting as an escalation point for Market Operators.
• Advanced Microsoft Office and file management skills, including SharePoint.
• Ability to train and develop team members, strengthening knowledge across the team.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to represent the organisation at meetings, stakeholder forums and industry working groups.

Closing date for applications

23/10/2026

Please note we receive a high volume of applications, and as every application is carefully reviewed our response time may vary. If you agree to be considered for other roles this may result in a delayed response as we establish the best fit for your experience. We appreciate your patience.

We value potential as much as experience.

We're dedicated to diversity and inclusion at EirGrid. We recognise the strength that comes from having a diverse workforce and the importance of a supportive culture for all our people to achieve their potential. Our diversity and inclusion networks have been designed to create an inclusive culture that enables our people to feel a sense of belonging at work.

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Reasonable accommodations are offered at every stage of our recruitment process.