Senior Connections Manager (Mat Cover)

Overview Hemiko are recruiting for a Senior Connections Manager to lead on a portfolio of heat network projects in development and expansion.

The purpose of this role is to ensure that target customers join our heat networks. You will do this by engaging with our customer base to cultivate excellent relationships, develop a strong offer for each customer (supported by our technical and commercial teams) and work with each customer to ultimately get a decision to join the heat network.

Your clients will be senior level representatives from within the public sector, private businesses and developers in towns and cities where we are developing low-carbon networks.

This is a fixed term contract, however, we are a fast growing company and we will explore opportunities for extension where there is a good fit.

About Hemiko

Hemiko is the leading UK heat networks utility provider.

We are a fast-growing, innovative business which is looking to invest in and deliver over £1bn of heat network projects. These are major infrastructure projects that will decarbonise heating for homes and businesses. Our vision is to deliver zonal scale heat networks across towns and cities, to decarbonise the UK and deliver excellence for customers whilst we do it.

Hemiko has been successful in 9 town and city scale funding bids across the UK and have been successful in our bids to develop two zonal scale heat networks in London: the South Westminster Area Network (SWAN) and the Old Oak and Park Royal Energy Network (OPEN).

Hemiko is an industry leader in town and city-scale decarbonisation. The decarbonisation of heating and the built environment is one of the most complex areas of decarbonisation. Hemiko's goal is to be a decarbonisation partner to communities, offering clear pathways to net zero heating.

Hemiko is an investor (deploying our own capital), developer and operator of heat networks, offering us an end-to-end view of heat networks.

We are an innovative, intelligence led company, looking to attract people who think around a problem and past an issue. We want to be at the front end of commercial and technical innovation and are looking for team members to come on that journey.

Hemiko is absolutely committed to an honest and collaborative approach to all our work - always looking for better ways to do things. We put communities and people at the heart of what we do.

We are a friendly, approachable business in the very rapidly growing low carbon energy sector, which provides significant opportunities for career flexibility and development.

The team and our activities / skillsets

The Connections Team is headed up by Rhea Marsden (Head of Connections) and is part of the Growth Department which is led by Charlotte Owen (Growth Director).

The goal of the Connections Team is to secure connections (customers) to our heat networks, to grow our heat networks and decarbonise our towns and cities.

There are five core skillsets and activities involved in the Growth Team, with team members specialising in one or more of these skills.

1. Origination. For each project it is a core goal to drive a pipeline of connections (customers) into our projects. Some of our team spend their time at events, door knocking and engaging via Linked In, email and phone, identifying and developing relationships with potential customers for heat networks. Skills involved here include sales, emotional intelligence, perseverance and a willingness to speak to anyone. Origination also encompasses identifying new places to invest in heat networks. This role is not focused on origination, but holding some skills here are an essential part of our Senior Connections Manager role. Hemiko is also hiring for specific roles focused on origination and stakeholder engagement.
2. Developing customer offers and connection solutions. This skillset involves being highly engaged with potential heat network connections (customers) at a mid- and senior level, responsible for driving our Project Development Team and Assets Team to produce commercial/technical offers that are ultimately accepted by customers. The goal is to really understand the customer and what they want/need, and deliver an offer to match. This will be the core focus of the Senior Connections Manager role.
3. Project and process leadership. Every project we work on has a Project Development Manager, responsible for ensuring that the techno-commercial elements of the project are de-risked and delivered. Our Growth Team works closely with the Project Development Manager, responsible for ensuring that the customer and stakeholder elements of the project are de-risked and delivered in parallel. This involves ensuring that the connections and external affairs processes are executed well and that our relationship with the council remains strong. This includes contributing to network governance processes and reporting. This will also be a core focus of the Senior Connections Manager.
4. External affairs. This skillset revolves around how we communicate our activities with public and political stakeholders at a local and national level. It encompasses activities ranging from media relations and government engagement, through to direct community engagement. We have a dedicated External Affairs Team, but skills around external affairs are held across the team.
5. Hemiko's development opportunities often come through bidding, which requires setting out in writing and attending meetings to showcase why Hemiko are the best in the market at developing and delivering heat network projects. This is not a required skill for this role, but experience or willingness to support bidding is welcome.

The Role As a Senior Connections Manager your job will be to secure customers for our heat networks. You will do this by:

1. Managing and providing strategic leadership for growth over a portfolio of heat network projects, responsible for ensuring that connections (customers) join the network from origination through to ultimately sign contracts to connect to the heat network and buy heat.
2. Managing at least one direct report, responsible for ensuring that they are fulfilling their duties (this could well be origination) and supported in their development.
3. Cultivating senior relationships within public sector organisations, housing developers and other businesses which have properties which may connect to our heat network.
4. Ensure a positive client experience by balancing business discussions with rapport-building in a social setting.
5. Identifying how to get each customer property to join the heat network, using your commercial and strategic awareness. This will involve understanding in depth what the selling points and blockers are for each customer.
6. Working with our commercial and technical advisors to develop a compelling connection offer for each customer and getting each customer to a point where we have a high degree of confidence that the customer will join the heat network.
7. Working closely with our Asset Manager for the relevant network who will be responsible for the detailed contractual negotiations with each customer and hold the ongoing customer relationship.
8. Holding relationships with the councils that we work with, including contributing to our Steering Groups and other network governance meetings, ultimately ensuring that we keep councils happy and engaged in the networks development.
9. Responsible for ensuring that wider Growth Team priorities are being delivered for your portfolio of networks. This involves ensuring that External Affairs and Origination functions are being delivered successfully, to ensure that planning permission is secured for our networks, and a pipeline of connections is being delivered.
10. Cultivating a strong presence with the local community, including attending industry and local events, as well as networking functions.
11. As required, support in origination and external affairs activities, and other duties from time to time.

Candidate We are looking for a bright, communicative, problem solver. You will be someone who has an excellent commercial awareness, and is confident and competent to undertake high level negotiations with commercial and public sector customers. You will be excellent at managing your work to deliver team and individual goals, working as part of a project team to deliver financial investment decisions on programme across our networks.

Required:

• Proven aptitude for working as part of a fast-paced team towards shared goals and deadlines.
• Experience of cultivating relationships in a sales environment.
• Experience of presenting and negotiating commercial proposals and associated headline contract terms.
• Proven track record of developing solutions for clients, working closely with other technical and commercial teams to deliver these proposals .
• Excellent stakeholder relationship management and the ability to get a good read on people.
• A genuine commitment to making a positive impact within the local community and driving sustainable solutions.
• A mindset geared towards identifying and solving problems.
• Confidence to deal with very senior stakeholders (CEO/CFO) - must be happy presenting at senior level.
• A willingness to travel.
• Excellent communication skills, including written and verbal.
• Strong MS Word and PowerPoint skills with proven ability to prepare high quality written proposals, based on company templates.

Desirable

• Proven track record of securing and managing contracts with business and public sector customers.
. click apply for full job details