Advisor Grid Congestion

Project overview

Assignment Description

The energy transition team of the Metropolitan Region Eindhoven (www.metropoolregioeindhoven.nl) is looking for 2 senior advisors on the topic of grid congestion. The Metropolitan Region Eindhoven is the collaboration of 21 municipalities in the region Southeast Brabant – also known as the Brainport region. Within the Energy Transition program, municipalities, grid operators, the province, businesses, and other partners are working together on a future-proof energy system.

The necessary expansion and better utilization of the electricity network in the Brainport region require significant acceleration, partly due to strong economic growth and housing development. To achieve this, the national government has established a crisis approach for North Brabant since September 2026. One of its components is the regional Brainport Grid Congestion Approach. In this, all involved parties work together on the most promising solutions for the electricity network, ensuring grid security and enabling housing development and (economic) growth in the region to continue in the coming years.

The MRE leads the execution of regional activities.

Assignment

To implement the regional approach to grid congestion, we are looking for two senior advisors who can provide strategic and tactical direction for the further development and realization of measures within the Brainport Grid Congestion Approach. To organize the stakeholder landscape from the MRE's leading role, enabling joint solutions and supporting local municipalities in taking steps.

Within the package of measures for the Brainport Grid Congestion Approach, the tracks 'accelerated construction' and 'Better Utilization' form the core. For the further development and realization of various measures within the approach, we are looking for two experienced senior advisors. We seek professionals who can not only advise but also connect, organize, initiate, and achieve results. Advisors who can "pull and push" in a complex playing field with diverse interests and partners, to continuously achieve progress together in the very short term.

The advisors will work closely with municipalities, grid operators, Brainport Development, the province of North Brabant, market parties, and other stakeholders.

Activities

The advisors will jointly focus on the further development and implementation of the Brainport Grid Congestion Approach. This means you will be responsible for the development of multiple dossiers, such as:

In all these processes, it is important that you organize the (regional) playing field to achieve progress together. Additionally, from the MRE, we actively support our municipalities in translating these tasks into local practice. The assignment is part of a crisis approach. This means it's not just about advising, but also about actively organizing implementation, connecting parties, and ensuring visible progress in the short term. You will be hands-on and drive progress, both on the overarching strategy and on concrete cases.

The exact division of tasks between the two advisors will be further defined after the selection of candidates, depending on expertise and experience and in conjunction with the existing team. The advisors will work within the energy transition team of the Metropolitan Region Eindhoven. The overall coordination of these tasks will remain with the senior process manager energy system/grid congestion of MRE, who will also remain the primary point of contact.

12 months - 36 hours - 1.00 FTE

Profile of the suited interim professional:

Job Requirements

• Congestion management for companies for temporary flexible capacity. As governments, we support the grid operator in discussions with existing customers to realize flexible capacity. Together with our sister organization Brainport Development, Enexis, municipalities, and the province of North Brabant, you will organize the strategy for how these companies can best be approached.
• Realizing temporary controllable capacity. With Enexis, the province, and municipalities, we organize locations for temporary controllable capacity. From the MRE, you will act as a director (on strategy and process) to ensure that the joint steps are completed efficiently and at a high pace, so that locations are determined and, for example, Enexis can proceed with flex tenders.
• Housing development task. Together with municipalities, housing corporations, the province, developers, and innovation partners, you will ensure the development and expansion of the strategy for grid-aware and grid-neutral development. You will create the ecosystem for rapid scaling of pilots. You will help municipalities translate the strategy into concrete local action perspectives, for example, how they should deal with continuing to build as much as possible, even with little prospect of a connection.
• Infrastructure acceleration. With grid operators, authorities, the province, and the national government, you will pull the most important levers to realize energy infrastructure projects faster. You will be an initiator and a linchpin between various parties. From the MRE, we also monitor the progress of all ongoing projects to maintain an overview of our interests.
• A completed HBO or WO education (preferably in spatial planning/urban planning, sustainability, public administration, or similar);
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience;
• Demonstrable experience with energy transition, grid congestion, and/or energy systems;
• Experience in an administratively complex environment with multiple public and private stakeholders;
• Experience with program management, collaboration trajectories, and implementation issues;
• Knowledge of municipal and regional decision-making.
• Relevant experience with energy transition, grid congestion issues, and related tasks, such as housing development;
• Demonstrable experience with regional and administrative collaboration;
• Demonstrable experience with realizing complex change processes.

Project details

• Start: flexible
• Duration: 2 months
• Location: Eindhoven, Brabant, Limburg, Zeeland, NL
• Languages: Dutch