Principal Project Manager - Connections Reform Initiative

Who is AEMO?

We are the Australian Energy Market Operator. AEMO’s role is to design and operate a sustainable energy system that provides safe, reliable and affordable electricity and gas today, and to enable the energy transition for the benefit of all Australians. All Australian governments are now committed to a net-zero economy for Australia by 2050, the first step of which is a net-zero energy system. We are collaborating with industry and other stakeholders to engineer electricity grids that can handle 100 per cent instantaneous renewable generation by 2025. AEMO also plays a significant role in the east coast gas market, which has recently expanded to assessing if there is enough natural gas for customers, including electricity generators. The transition to a renewable energy system is occurring at a world-leading pace. It is an exciting, momentous time to be part of this mission. 

The Connections Reform team is responsible for the end-to-end connection process across the National Electricity Market (NEM). It works closely with transmission and distribution network service providers in supporting project developers and equipment manufacturers through the application, registration and commissioning phases of the project lifecycle to enable release to full operation.

• Multiple Capital City locations available
• Flexible, hybrid working environment
• Be at the forefront of Australia's journey to a more sustainable energy future

About the role

You will manage and coordinate AEMO’s activities in relation to major connection reform processes, with particular focus on the program of works under the Connections Reform Initiative (CRI). The CRI was established by AEMO and the Clean Energy Council (CEC) in 2021 with a vision to enhance the NEM connections process so that it provides efficient, transparent and predictable outcomes for all parties involved. Your role will have oversight of all CRI project workstreams as well as extensive stakeholder management, and negotiation of agreed approaches across a variety of conflicting interests. Key stakeholders include generation developers, OEMs, NSPs and industry associations such as the CEC. Consultation and collaboration processes and their design will be key to your success of this role, along with the coordination of activities and outcomes with other parts of AEMO and industry partners.

What you will be doing 

• Lead AEMO’s program of works on the Connections Reform Initiative (CRI). This will involve representing AEMO on industry working groups
• Develop stakeholder management plans for the delivery of the CRI, and lead stakeholder negotiations across a diverse set of stakeholders with conflicting interests
• Proactively develop and maintain procedures, policies, registers, and controls to facilitate the achievement of key milestones within the project
• Consult and engage with internal and external stakeholders to proactively identify, monitor and address key project risks and issues
• Provide regular status reports and communications on the project, impacts and issues to stakeholders and escalate through appropriate channels
• Build a service-oriented culture, based on client partnerships and close collaboration within AEMO and across industry
• Lead a step-change improvement in AEMO’s technical collaboration with clients and the energy industry, and analysis/reporting methods and tools, to ensure proactive identification of common industry challenges, constructive and outcome-focused problem solving, as well as robust, transparent decision-making
• Prepare clear, concise and high quality written and verbal communication to inform internal or external stakeholders on a range of issues for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Proactively build AEMO’s reputation as a trusted partner to generation developers, original equipment manufacturers, Government, Network Service Providers, Market Participants, Customers and other stakeholders

What you will bring to the role 

• Project management qualifications and stakeholder engagement experience. (Engineering or regulatory/policy qualifications would be highly regarded)
• Experience in:
  • managing large programs of work involving multiple parallel workstreams and deliverables
  • managing strategic reform projects that require extensive stakeholder engagement and negotiation, as well as NER change management and implementation
  • building and managing project teams - shaping a proactive and ownership-based team culture, fostering a service oriented, outcome-focused and pragmatic approach to problem solving
  • shaping and delivering projects across a variety of stakeholders with conflicting interests, negotiating agreed outcomes, and delivering these on time and to budget
  • managing a diverse set of matrixed resources with differing skill sets and objectives to achieve time and budget requirements

An understanding of the NER, the NEM and the Rule change framework, and of the challenges experienced by generation developers will be highly regarded. 

Some of our employment benefits    

• Flexible working: work from home, part time, job share, hybrid options, and additional leave options 
• Professional development via projects, assignments, industry networks, job rotation, study assistance and formal learning 
• A full health and wellbeing program, discounted health insurance, discounted gym membership and other concessions 
• Free salary continuance insurance and annual performance bonuses (subject to eligibility) 
• Up to 4 days volunteering leave per year 
• A comprehensive and professional Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

We are AEMO

At AEMO, our core values aren’t just ‘words on a wall’ – we are a purpose-based organisation at the centre of our energy future, and we stand for integrity, inclusiveness, empowerment and excellence. 

As we continue to innovate and work on some world-first, ground-breaking projects, we need to attract the brightest people and provide opportunities to contribute, stretch and grow. We actively encourage you to bring your whole self to work, so that together we can do better, be better, and love our work. For this reason, inviting difference and leading inclusively is a core part of our culture. We challenge ourselves to take bold actions to improve the experience for all our people, with a current focus on gender, flexibility, (dis)ability and our First Nation peoples. 

If you would like to know more about working at AEMO, please check out our careers page for more information, or apply now. #joinaemo