Economics Engineer: Kevin Tilley

Kevin Tilley

BSc Mathematics and Physics

First job:

My very first professional role was as an Accelerator Physicist! This involved being part of a team who operated and developed a particle accelerator at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford. The machine is used to produce neutrons for characterising new materials. During this time, I was also involved with various international collaborations, including one to demonstrate new technology for future muon colliders!

Advice for current students:

I think the foremost recommendation that I’d always make is to try and understand as best you can your own reasons and motivations for a particular direction, or new role. This will guide you, but also help you to sell yourself, and sustain you in your job when times are harder. From the many people I’ve met, I’ve found there are many valid motivations, which can range from doing something you are good at, to making a difference in some way that matters to you, or for some - even just simply making money! But try to be as clear as you can about what your main drive and interest in something is. It also doesn’t have to be the same as other people, nor does it have to be settled on day one, but understanding this will help to propel you forward!

Ambitions for the future:

The energy sector is very wide, and thus far I’ve prioritised developing a broad view of it, after starting work in a green energy supplier, and then latterly within the central organisation, NESO. In the near term I’m keen to deepen my technical expertise further, particularly around energy system economics. As I’ve also enjoyed wider responsibilities in the past, then as my experience grows, I’d also be interested to grow my responsibilities more as well.

Economics Engineer, National Energy System Operator (NESO)

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

My current role involves quantifying the different costs and benefits associated with upgrades to the electricity transmission system in Great Britain. The UK is on an ambitious path to decarbonise its electricity system by 2030, and thereafter to emit no net greenhouse gases by 2050. This means that the network needs to be strengthened from new volumes of renewable energy generation and other clean technologies to transfer power. My present role involves looking at the cost-benefit of these different upgrades, by comparing the reductions in network congestion payments that we make to generators, to the cost of the actual upgrades themselves.

I was attracted to this role as it involves a nice mixture of studying the future energy system, further development of my technical expertise, as well as some project management. Having already worked in different specialisms within the energy sector, this role also helps me to form a rounded view of the current and future energy system, which is something that I value now and for my future career.

What’s your favourite part of the role?

There are lots of different parts I enjoy. I was originally drawn to it as it gave me the opportunity to explore quantitatively how the energy system might look in the future, be that with more offshore wind generation, interconnection to Europe or hydrogen-fuelled power stations.

I also find it rewarding working with the people in my immediate team and wider areas. I find that people working in NESO are generally very friendly, bright, and motivated. Because of the central role that NESO plays in the energy sector, it also means that you feel your work can make a significant contribution.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

Perhaps the key skills that I took away from Warwick were the sense of how to approach complex problems, and from my Mathematics courses, a sense of how to apply rigour when needed.

Knowing how to approach a problem is particularly valuable. When you undertake a career in the industry, it’s very important to distinguish between what’s critical and what’s less important to make any project a success. In practice, this is usually determined by working closely with whoever is the customer of your work and calibrating the depth and scope of what you do to their needs.

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

I hadn’t given any special thought to what career I might pursue after my degree. I really enjoyed Physics, and my main objective in choosing this was just to study it further.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector? *

My first piece of advice would always be to understand why you’d like to work in any sector. This can go hand in hand with familiarising yourself with what it’s like to work there, and what are the biggest changes and trends.

For me, I chose the energy sector as I enjoy the fact that it’s relevant to everyone and that my work connects to my science and technology background. It’s also great that I’m helping to tackle climate change. Once you’ve decided if the sector is interesting to you, then I’d suggest thinking about which sort of role would fit your skills and interests. There are jobs in engineering, science, finance, policy, and the list goes on.

You can inform your understanding in lots of ways, such as via independent research, speaking to people who work here, or by taking up internships to name just a few. Finally, and as per any field, when applying for roles, try and understand what the recruiter is really looking for, and try to project your strengths and answer the question of why you’d be a great choice. It’s not easy, and everything has an element of luck to it, but do persist and try to learn as you go along. This way you’ll stand a good chance of success!

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

If I had to think of the challenge that was hardest overall, it would probably be getting my first role in the energy industry, and rather later in life than others.

The first part of my career was spent working in science, which was a natural move given my interests and some internships that I’d completed during my degrees. However, after spending time working in this area, I took redundancy , as whilst interesting, I had a sense that I wanted to do something different. I spent a few years teaching at GCSE and A-level, which was a lot of fun, but I also used this time as a bridge to decide my future direction. After deciding to move into the energy sector, despite having obtained an internship at EDF, it took a lot of effort to get my first step on the ladder. Perhaps this was because I was an unusual case, but it took many applications and something like nine months in total. Of course, this might sound normal for a lot of graduates these days, but this wasn’t something that I was prepared for. I imagine that the key characteristics which helped me may have been persistence and a willingness to learn from the setbacks. Once you have your first professional role however, building your career thereafter seems to become easier. I recall that my second role was obtained after just a single application. I’m very happy that I made this transition, and it’s been very successful and rewarding for me.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for your role?

Besides the general observation that university is very different to the workplace, something that I’ve observed in all the roles that I’ve had in energy, is that the pace and the speed of change can be quite fast. The energy sector is experiencing a period of rapid change, whether that be to meet the UK’s 2030 clean power target, or because of growing competition and innovation. This underpins how busy it can get at times, but these changes can also make work exciting and rewarding. I’ve found that roles where the pace of change is high are also often those roles where you can make the biggest difference.