CRM Operations

The introduction of a capacity remuneration mechanism (CRM) on the Belgian market has been one of the measures within the federal government's energy strategy. This strategy defines specific measures to guarantee the country's security of supply in the long term. The CRM is a major instrument within this panel of specific measures in order to guarantee the security of supply of the country. The CRM aims at supporting the needs for covering Belgian security of supply ("adequacy") by allowing market players to recover their "missing money" through a market-wide and technology neutral market mechanism.

The CRM is in constant evolution in order to, as best as possible, reflect the market and society needs. In combination with the high complexity of the mechanism given its close links with the overall electricity market, it is a very interesting topic to work on.

In practice, the capacity remuneration mechanism stipulates that for each delivery year (i.e. the year in which the capacity must be available) two auctions have to be organized: a first one, four years before the delivery year, and a second, one year prior to the delivery year. Each auction is preceded by the determination of the volume and parameters of the auction and by an extensive pre-qualification process for the participants to the auction. Before participating in an auction, all capacities must indeed be pre-qualified, provide financial guarantees, project information, etc. The first auction has taken place in October 2021, for the 2025 delivery year. In 2024 an auction for delivery in 2028 will be organized as well as – for the first time – an auction for the next year, i.e. 2025, to complement the earlier 2021 auction.

After such auction, contracts are signed and Elia has to follow-up on the progress of the contracted projects. Also, in the delivery period (i.e. as from November 2025) Elia will have to closely monitor the performance of the contracted capacities and do the settlement of the remuneration (and possible penalties in case of underperformance) foreseen in the contracts. These are complex and large processes to be implemented, operated and continuously improved.

For the CRM the Market Operations team at Elia takes a central position and is responsible for:

• Implementation: Ensure the operational readiness of the processes to be operated, meaning, implementing the necessary processes, procedures through robust IT and non-IT tools in collaboration with the product architects, customer service, business analysts and IT services.
• Operations: Running the processes of prequalification (i.e. registration, checks and controls, calculation of parameters... for all the participants to the CRM mechanism), auction, monitoring and settlement, reporting & transparency, etc.
  
  

In view of the large task of continuing the implementation and operating the processes in the large context of the CRM, Elia is looking for a (CRM) Market Operations and Implementation Manager to reinforce the Market Operations team.

The tasks executed by the CRM Operations and Implementation Managers vary during the year and blend the operations and implementation responsibilities mentioned above. The precise split between both varies throughout the year and depends on the processes, products, tools under your responsibility. The tasks then typically include:

• Operations: Participate in the execution of the CRM Prequalification & Auction processes
  • Together with your market operations colleagues, be in front line for the operational processes related to the prequalification process and other related processes
  • Proactively manage the operational questions in close collaboration with the KAM Adequacy and the product architect
  • Ensure the accurate application of the organized process in view operational excellence.
• Implementation: Be the reference expert on one or more (sub)processes allowing you to support operations beyond the standard practices, provide feedback to improve designs and processes and lead the implementation of those processes, including:
  • Represent the business as implementation manager in the IT development tracks for one or more functional components of the CRM
  • Take the lead on the implementation of improvements and changes of existing processes or new processes in view of the CRM by means of analysis, developing proposals, describing business needs... in collaboration with product architects and business analysts.
  • Fully act as reference expert within Elia for the assigned processes and act as key contact person on the matter towards other colleagues
  • Embody the sequence of the processes and participate in the CRM internal and external tools testing and feedback, the creation or updating of procedures, etc. (all year but focus Jan.- May).
  • Report on the process status
  • Contribute to solving problems, incidents and special cases
• Actively seek the synergy between the operations and implementation tasks in view of continuous improvement of products, processes and tools, both for the internal and the external customers.
• Depending on further evolutions, it is not excluded that similar tasks/products/processes in the Market Operations team (e.g. in ancillary services) could be added to the portfolio.

• Master degree in Economics / Engineering or equivalent experience
• 3 years relevant experience, e.g. in implementing complex processes in IT tools as a product owner or representing a business need and/or in running operations
• Strong willingness to develop in-depth expertise on the energy sector and market mechanisms, and in particular the Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM)
• Problem-solver: can develop pragmatic solutions for both ad hoc operational problems as well as thinking for appropriate solutions on the longer-term, knows when (s)he may act/answer, may (not) delegate the action/question to the appropriate person
• Strong communication skills: able to communicate with peers and experts as well as towards broader less expert audience with the ability to keep the right focus and level of detail both in written and oral communication.
• Sixth sense for operational excellence: has a mindset of working accurately and striving towards continuous improvement of people, processes and tools with the ability to work in an evolving environment and to adapt when needed
• Ability to orient on (internal and external) customer needs in view of developing added value.
• Ability to autonomously organize yourself around different task and priorities while keeping the focus on the result
• Very good knowledge on MS Office is required. Knowledge of Python, VBA in excel and/or PowerBI is a relevant extra.
• A good dose of team spirit and flexibility
• Trilingual skills (FR/NL/EN – spoken and written)
  
  

• Salary: a competitive salary package, allowance for representation expenses, year-end bonus, double vacation pay, meal vouchers (€8 per working day), eco-vouchers, sport & culture vouchers, bonuses based on individual and group results.
• Insurance: group insurance, hospitalisation insurance, ambulant care insurance for the whole family and also personal accident insurance.
• Vacation: You will be entitled to 20 vacation days and 5 additional vacation days, 6 local days, 4 exempt days (after 1 year of employment) and up to 5 long-service days (1 day for every 3 years in employment).
• Social fund: Sinterklaas and year-end vouchers, birth and marriage allowance. We will also cover part of the cost of glasses, a dental prosthesis or similar needs.
• Communication: you will be given an iPhone, a phone subscription (for work and private use) and a laptop with internet reimbursement.
• Private PC plan: once every 3 years, a budget will be made available to you for a PC/tablet with software & peripherals for personal use.
• Discounts: you will enjoy a 30% discount on your gas and electricity bill.
• Mobility: we will offer you a company car and public transport or a mobility budget.
• Elia shares: Elia will give you the opportunity to subscribe to shares with a discount of 16.66% on the average share price.

Keizerslaan Brussels