Job Description
Company Description
Whakatakoto te tūāpapa, Laying the foundation
At Contact, there is a real buzz of collective energy, the kind that comes from people who know their mahi matters for Aotearoa. We are investing heavily in New Zealand’s energy markets and building the next chapter of our strategy, moving from Contact26 to Contact31+, with a clear commitment to lead the renewable energy future of New Zealand.
That ambition is backed by real projects and real momentum. We are progressing renewable developments including battery energy storage, firming solutions, and efforts to get more value from our hydro schemes, all while energy markets evolve and decarbonise. Our grid scale battery work is already taking shape, with commissioning activity underway at our BESS site in Glenbrook, and we are also leaning into long duration flexibility options, including storage approaches such as pumped hydro, because reliability matters just as much as renewables.
Job Description
Te āhua o te tūranga | The nature of the role
Picture this, you start your day with a fresh problem and a clear purpose. You are the person who can turn complex grid dynamics into decisions a trading floor can act on, building optimisation and forecasting models that work in real time, and across multiple day horizons too. In this pivotal role within the Trading group, you will design, implement, and operationalise real time energy market algorithms for trading and portfolio optimisation, helping our platform scale as our renewable portfolio grows.
You will not be doing it alone, as part of the Market & Portfolio Analytics team, you will be working in a tight, cross disciplinary squad alongside traders, operators, data engineers, software developers, business analysts, architects, and fellow modellers, all bringing different strengths to the same kaupapa. The role begins with deploying and refining the real time modelling framework for grid scale battery assets, then expands into trading strategy, reporting, and support for further batteries and hybrid renewable storage systems, and as you grow with it, you will move into hydro modelling and optimisation too.
Qualifications
Ko wai koe | About you
You are someone who loves the moment when the maths meets the market, and the output becomes a decision that genuinely shifts performance. You bring a mix of curiosity, rigour, and humility, you are comfortable with ambiguity, you can dive deep into detail, then zoom out and explain what matters, clearly and simply. Most of all, you build trust, you show integrity, you bring people along with you, and you enjoy working kanohi ki te kanohi with a bunch of smart humans who are up for building something new.
Must haves, the core prerequisites
- Real world modelling experience in energy markets, trading, analytics, and building mathematical models for algorithmic trading or portfolio optimisation, ideally in environments that run close to real time.
- Strong capability in Python and R, and confidence building models that are explainable, testable, and benchmarked, including back testing.
- Experience with mixed integer linear programming and commercial solvers like CPLEX or Gurobi.
- A relevant tertiary qualification, for example Electrical Engineering, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences, or similar, or equivalent practical experience that shows the same depth.
Nice to haves, great if you bring them
- A solid understanding of power market fundamentals, especially real time operations, plus the ability to translate quantitative outputs into recommendations traders can action.
- Familiarity with tools such as Julia, PLEXOS or PSR models or exposure to 24⁄7 operational trading contexts.
This is a role where you will grow your craft, shape how we trade and optimise a changing portfolio, and help power a cleaner future for Aotearoa.
Additional Information
Our preference is for the role to be based in Wellington however we are open to looking at remote/hybrid options for the right candidate.
There are a bunch of perks to being a permanent Contact kaimahi. Along with great leadership, teammates, development, and growth and progression opportunities, free health insurance cover, better-than-your-average leave, access to Contact Shares, a ‘Good to be Home’ annual payment toward your home set up & wellbeing, a trail-blazing parental leave policy, bi-annual payments towards Contact Energy products, and more!
Here at Contact Energy (Te Mata Hiko), we know our strength lies in developing a sense of belonging - one that helps us attract and retain people with a broad range of perspectives and experiences.
We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of our customers and communities to help build a better Aotearoa New Zealand.
We have a rich community of talented people that we support to thrive at Contact.
Our inclusive hiring process is designed to embrace the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring a wide range of perspectives are included in our decision-making and helping reduce bias along the way.
The wellbeing of our kaimahi is super important to us.
We use employee insights to offer a range of initiatives and resources to support physical, mental, financial and emotional wellbeing – including flexible working arrangements, employee network groups and a market-leading parental leave policy.
At Te Mata Hiko, we want everyone to thrive. We welcome applicants far and wide - of every age, stage, background, and pride. Join us and be part of a team that values your passion and attitude just as much as your experience and skills.
Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.
Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box. We’re not about box ticking, so if you think you have what it takes but don’t meet everything stated above, please still get in touch. We’d love to kōrero.
Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent team. In the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies, Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.
