Wholesale Systems Lead
Job Description
The future of energy is digitized, decarbonized and localized. At SmartestEnergy, we need revolutionary thinkers to help our customers make the most of this new landscape, thinking differently to find smart solutions to complex problems.
Formed in 2001, we’re an agile business driven by entrepreneurial thinking. As a subsidiary of the Marubeni Corporation, we also have strong investment and infrastructure behind us. As well as our three offices in the US, we have three offices in the UK and another in Australia. Further expansion is planned for 2026 and beyond which means global career opportunities for you, with plenty of potential to explore new markets.
When you join our Team, you will have the opportunity to contribute and make an impact every single day.
Overview
The IT – Wholesale Energy Systems Lead serves as a strategic partner between the Wholesale business and IT, leading the design, delivery, and optimization of technology capabilities supporting energy trading, risk management, scheduling, settlements, and market operations. This role combines deep business domain expertise with strong analytical and leadership skills to drive complex initiatives across the wholesale energy value chain.
The successful candidate will act as a trusted advisor to business stakeholders, helping shape technology strategy, define future-state capabilities, and ensure technology investments deliver measurable business value. The role requires extensive knowledge of wholesale power and gas markets, ETRM platforms, risk management practices, and the end-to-end trading lifecycle.
In this role, you will be involved with the following:
Business and Technology Leadership
Serve as the primary liaison between Wholesale business functions and IT, ensuring strategic alignment between business objectives and technology solutions.
Lead the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of technology initiatives that enhance trading, risk management, scheduling, settlements, and market operations capabilities.
Partner with business leaders to define future-state processes, operating models, and technology roadmaps.
Provide thought leadership on industry trends, market structure changes, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies.
Strategic Analysis and Solution Design
Lead complex business analysis efforts from concept through implementation, translating business objectives into actionable requirements and solution designs.
Drive process improvement initiatives across the wholesale trading lifecycle, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, controls, scalability, and automation.
Evaluate technology options and provide recommendations that balance business needs, risk, cost, and long-term architectural considerations.
Develop business cases, cost-benefit analyses, and implementation roadmaps for strategic initiatives.
ETRM and Platform Ownership
Act as a senior functional lead for Energy Trading and Risk Management (ETRM) platforms and supporting applications.
Drive enhancements and optimization efforts across trade capture, position management, valuation, risk reporting, scheduling, settlements, and market interfaces.
Ensure systems effectively support evolving business requirements and market participation strategies.
Partner with technical teams and vendors to deliver platform improvements while maintaining operational stability.
Stakeholder Engagement and Delivery Leadership
Facilitate collaboration between traders, risk managers, schedulers, finance, operations, technology teams, and external partners.
Lead workshops, requirements sessions, and solution reviews with senior stakeholders.
Mentor and guide business analysts and project team members across complex initiatives.
Support project governance activities, including prioritization, scope management, status reporting, and executive communications.
Risk Management and Compliance
Ensure technology solutions support effective risk measurement, reporting, and control frameworks.
Evaluate impacts of regulatory and market rule changes on business processes and systems.
Partner with business and compliance teams to maintain adherence to market regulations and internal controls.
Support audit activities and governance reviews as required.
To be successful in this role, you are likely to have the following skills/experience:
Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
Experience: 10+ years
Extensive experience supporting wholesale energy trading organizations and Energy Trading and Risk Management (ETRM) platforms.
Deep understanding of physical and financial power and natural gas markets, preferably including ERCOT, PJM, NYISO, ISO-NE, and MISO.
Strong experience across trading, risk management, scheduling, settlements, forecasting, market operations, and regulatory compliance.
Experience supporting Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), battery storage, virtuals, congestion products, and other structured energy products.
Experience leading large-scale technology initiatives, platform implementations, and business transformation efforts.
Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive decision-making across business and technology teams.
Business Domain Expertise
Recognized subject matter expertise in wholesale energy markets and trading operations.
Ability to engage credibly with senior traders, originators, risk managers, schedulers, and executive leadership.
Strong understanding of front-to-back trading lifecycles and associated technology ecosystems.
Strategic Thinking
Ability to balance near-term business needs with long-term technology strategy and architecture considerations.
Demonstrated success identifying opportunities for innovation, automation, and operational improvement.
Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills
Exceptional ability to analyze complex business and technology challenges and develop practical solutions.
Strong data analysis, process mapping, and requirements management capabilities.
Leadership and Communication
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence outcomes without direct authority.
Ability to communicate effectively with both executive leadership and technical teams.
This role offers the opportunity to directly influence the evolution of SmartestEnergy's wholesale trading and risk management capabilities while helping shape the technology strategy supporting our continued growth
Note: This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.
Diversity
Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to what we do. We value everybody irrespective of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability and genetic information (including family medical history). EOE.
We know that for our business to thrive we need diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the countries in which we operate. We view diversity as one of the key enablers that helps our business to grow.
We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As such, if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to the HR & People Team via email [email protected] so we can discuss with you further.