Programme Director

After looking at available roles across Capita’s portfolio, she discovered a position at DCC which she could only describe as her dream job.

"When I was offered the job of Programme Director of Enterprise Change, I was beyond excited to start.

"The change in the energy sector is a big topic at the moment, so it was a great time for me to join.”

In her role as a Programme Director, Charlotte works with coders, system integrators and governance administrators to manage the continuous upgrading and maintenance of smart meter networks across the UK. This network allows DCC and suppliers to better understand consumer usage and consumption; Charlotte works with her team to keep this network active, updated and relevant.

“Think of the smart meter like a mobile phone; every few months they need upgrading to stay up-to-date with advancements. Me and my team create those upgrades and release them, so the smart meters have the latest functionalities. We liaise with our supply chain to manage the end-to-end design, build and testing process before putting them into production and rolling them out.”

The power of Charlotte’s role lies in her being a significant driver of industry transformation. When changes in the industry or potential improvements are discovered, she works to build those changes, and together with her team, Charlotte has planned updates happening as far as 2023.

“We need to look to the future, but a lot of it is around aligning with governance and making sure we’re providing the best and most cost-effective solutions for our customer’s. I need to manage what we’re producing and make sure it’s the right solution at the right price before we start building it. That’s why we start so far ahead of time.”

One of Charlotte’s favourite projects to work on has been a business case with Ofgem that could transform the country’s energy efficiency; the Market-wide Half-hourly settlement.

“We use energy; energy suppliers supply it, and network operators provide it. During that process there is a bid where it is estimated how much energy will be used in the next hour, a number is settled and then energy will be bought based on that estimation. What we’re proposing to do is huge; to take that estimate and instead use our smart meter network to drive settlement accuracy and significantly reduce the amount of wasted electricity."

From governance liaison with Ofgem to managing the network, energy suppliers and solutions being built – for Charlotte, no two days are the same. She believes her growth and achievements come from being empowered to take responsibilities and make important decisions.

"You spend as much time doing the things you’re good at as well as doing the things that challenge you – and it’s a big learning curve. It pushes you to grow and develop your skillset constantly, whatever level you’re at.

And whether it’s doing small tasks one day, and big projects the next, Charlotte feels the impact herself, her team and the wider business are making.

"One of the best things about DCC is the people. We’re all passionate and aware of the impact we’re making daily, from net carbon to sustainability and saving the planet."
 

"To come to DCC and do the things I dreamt of doing as a student, with like-minded people, is amazing.