Principal Regulatory Advisor
- Varied role: strategic advisory, board reporting, & capability development
- Bring your experience in regulated markets/sectors and accelerate your career
- Influence and collaborate with regulators, to enable a net carbon zero future!
Lead regulatory thinking and revenue forecasting for NZ’s largest critical infrastructure provider to enable a more sustainable energy future.
Our core purpose is to empower the energy future for New Zealand – a future that delivers a net-zero carbon economy and a reliable and secure electricity system.
Our context
At the centre of the electricity sector in New Zealand, Transpower's position as grid owner and system operator creates a wide range of policy and regulatory activity, including rules for strategic investments, engaging in policy debates with national impact, and integrating regulatory understanding with business practices.
Electricity market, transmission, and economic investment regulation provides several fronts for regulatory development directed towards the long-term interests of consumers.
About the team
The Regulatory Affairs team, within our Corporate Governance division, is a leadership function for all regulatory matters, fostering understanding across the business of the key aspects of economic regulation and incentive settings, and represents Transpower externally.
The team influences and maintains relationships with key industry regulators, delivering effective advocacy (often by written submissions) and providing central regulatory affairs oversight cross-business. They lead delivery of Transpower's five-yearly multibillion-dollar expenditure proposal to the Commerce Commission and engage with the Commission on the application of the regulatory framework.
The team collaborates with a wide range of customers (generators, retailers, and large organisations that are directly connected to the Grid) and stakeholders.
What’s in it for you?
As someone who aspires to head a regulatory affairs function at some point in the future, you will work in this high-profile role alongside our Head of Regulation (who is based in Wellington), to provide proactive leadership both internally and externally and work to improve the regulatory framework - identifying barriers and initiatives to ensure Transpower can evolve and continuously improve to meet our strategic priorities, and ultimately a decarbonised energy sector.
Broader than most regulatory economist roles, you will be working in the context of owner and operator of the national grid, building relationships across a range of corporate, governance, and strategy functions, as well as with specialists in grid development and operations, and externally with regulators, auditors, and consultants.
You’ll advise on Transpower's economic regulation and incentive settings and help the business to interpret and understand its regulatory obligations, risks, opportunities, and incentives, whilst supporting and contributing to the development of analysts.
Over the next 12-18 months you will also play a key role in:
- Engaging internally and externally with the Commerce Commission on the Input Methodologies review. A lot of work has already been done, but this role will lead the implementation of the changes
- Supporting the completion of our fourth regulatory control period proposal and engaging with the Commission on its review of our proposal
- Supporting our investment team with its submissions to the Commission for major capital investments
- Assisting with our submissions and engagement with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- Engaging with our stakeholders to identify and resolve issues with our economic and electricity industry regulation
What will you bring?
A depth of commercial and/or regulatory advisory/consultancy experience – in roles where you have led and presented, engaged, and influenced senior executives internally, ideally including at Board level, as well externally with regulators.
Degree qualified, you’ll have outstanding verbal and written communication and relationship management skills to be able to clearly and confidently articulate complex subject matter to varied and astute audiences of all levels.
Your CV and cover letter will demonstrate:
- Knowledge of regulatory thinking, market regulation, contract incentives, or similar and you will be confident to inform at all levels as required
- High-quality modelling, analysis, and data distillation experience, including excel modelling expertise - ideally financial, discounted cash flow, and/or cost benefit modelling
- Commercial and strategic acuity cognisant of detailed rules and policy settings
- The ability to identify options and opportunities at a sector, organisation, and functional level
- Outstanding expectation management ability, including identifying and working with changing priorities, whilst demonstrating ownership of work outputs, such as economic models or regulatory disclosures ideally presented at Senior Executive and/or Board Level
Join us at Transpower!
Aotearoa is powered by the people who work here. Every home, every marae, every electric vehicle, every hospital relies on the electricity we manage and deliver. This is your opportunity to join us on a mission that affects all New Zealanders, every day and long into the future.
With over 28 nationalities, our people provide diverse perspectives, knowledge, and deep and varied experience which they love to share. Our environment is modern and family friendly with the option to work from home two days per week.
A competitive salary $140,000 - $195,000 based on experience is on offer, and in addition wellbeing is supported with excellent employee health and wellness benefits - check them out here https://www.transpower.co.nz/about-us/careers-transpower/working-transpower
Role closes Monday 13th November. However, applications will be reviewed as received and we may contact you to discuss prior to the closing date. Check out the position description available on our careers site https://careers.transpower.co.nz/search and apply without delay.
While our ideal location for this role is Wellington, we will consider other Transpower office locations for an outstanding candidate. Reasonable accommodation is available including a start date to suit your personal circumstances! For queries in confidence, please call Campbell Hepburn Ph 021 365 584
Please note: Existing eligibility to work in New Zealand is preferred however we are open to sponsorship for exceptional candidates with relevant experience.
