Executive Search Trends 2026 | The Future of Senior Leadership Hiring

How is MHHS impacting the energy workforce?

For several years, industry planning has included the Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) as part of the larger UK energy market reform. The deadline for May 2027 remains in place, and with central systems achieving readiness in 2025, meters are now being integrated into the new settlement model. To continue operating under the current settlement arrangements, organisations are currently figuring out how to integrate their current platforms into the MHHS infrastructure. Jump to: MHHS reaches far beyond settlement Where programmes are feeling the strain How hiring conversations are evolving Broadening where capability comes from Preparing for MHHS workforce demand MHHS reaches far beyond settlement The majority of the definitions surrounding MHHS emphasise the transition from estimated usage to precise, half-hourly readings. That description merely reflects the result. The underlying shift is how this change in settlement is supported. Electricity consumption is measured every 30 minutes based on actual data, not on profiles or estimates. Systems designed for periodic updates now need to handle continuous streams of information, with far less tolerance for delay or discrepancies. Data flows between organisations and needs to stay consistent at every stage to prevent errors in settlement. This is where energy system integration becomes essential. As information no longer sits within a single platform or team, effective coordination is required across independently managed systems, each presenting unique constraints around data formats, settlement timings, and the validation processes prior to submission. The act of consumption itself evolves into a more dynamic experience. Metrics like average household electricity consumption or average UK home electricity consumption are no longer fixed reference points. Data collected every half hour reveals how usage varies throughout the day, directly influencing forecasting models and operative decisions. Where programmes are feeling the strain MHHS programme teams are scaling while still working through the intricacies that only emerge as systems begin interacting. Dependencies between internal platforms and central MHHS infrastructure are becoming clearer during testing, where data needs to be exchanged, validated, and accepted within defined time windows. Data handling stands out as a significant pressure point. Half-hourly settlement depends on precise, high-frequency data streams, which existing systems are not always designed to support. In many cases, such pressure leads to projects for reworking parts of the architecture instead of simply building upon existing infrastructure. Especially relevant where data infrastructure and quality have been identified as potential risks within the transition to MHHS. The settlement and billing processes still need to function smoothly, even as new strategics are introduced and tested alongside them. This means operational teams are working within both models at once, adding to the existing workload for processes that already depend on a small pool of specialists. How hiring conversations are evolving With the rise in delivery activity, demand for specific skillsets is becoming easier to pinpoint. There has been a noticeable uptick in hiring for programme leadership, data engineering, and settlement expertise. Roles focused on data governance and system integrations are also gaining traction as organisations move further into managing migrations and various phases. How those roles are defined is starting to influence how quickly they can be filled. Some roles heavily rely on hiring criteria based on prior experience in the energy market, which can unexpectedly limit the candidate pool. As a result, roles frequently stay open for extended periods or fill at a slower pace than programme timelines permit. This places additional pressure on existing teams and slows progress in areas where specialist expertise is already stretched Many of the required capabilities are not exclusive to the energy sector, although they are frequently presented that way during hiring processes. Some organisations are already adjusting how they approach these challenges. Rather than focusing only on direct sector experience, they are bringing in people who have delivered comparable programmes in other environments. Broadening where expertise comes from Financial services platforms handle high volumes of transactional data, making accuracy, reconciliation, and auditability essential. Telecoms programmes oversee infrastructure transformation throughout distributed networks, often coordinating system upgrades while minimising interruptions to live services. In large technology environments, integration teams routinely connect platforms with different data structures, handling mismatches in format, latency and validation rules. These examples align closely to the types of challenges encountered in MHHS delivery: Data engineers who have honed their skills with high-volume transactional systems can apply that expertise to half-hourly data flows. Data governance specialists bring experience in managing data quality and resolving validation exceptions where information does not meet required standards. Programme managers who are used to coordinating complex infrastructure or digital programmes are well-versed in managing dependencies across multiple teams and timelines. Integration specialists often move between sectors, applying their expertise to connect systems that were not originally intended to work together. Transitioning into the energy sector still requires onboarding and familiarity with the operating environment. However, they allow organisations to access capabilities that would otherwise fall outside conventional hiring standards without causing additional delivery delays. There is also increasing interest in structured development routes. Training programmes are being used to build skills in areas experiencing increased demand during phases like testing and migration and the transition into live systems. Preparing for MHHS workforce demand Workforce planning needs to adapt and evolve with the MHHS programme rather than sit alongside it. Each phase presents its own unique set of requirements. Mapping these changes in advance helps reduce reliance on reactive hiring, especially in areas where onboarding takes time. This also allows for different ways of structuring delivery. Some roles are better suited to permanent teams. Others can be delivered through specialist contractors or outcome-based models depending on the nature of the work. Align workforce planning to delivery phases MHHS delivery doesn’t place consistent pressure on the same roles throughout. Workforce demand shifts as programmes move forward, and planning needs to reflect that progression rather than treating hiring as a single, static requirement. In the early stages, work tends to centre around architecture and settlement design. Solution architects define how systems will connect and business analysts translate regulatory requirements into process and system changes. Settlement specialists are also closely involved here, reworking existing processes and identifying where adjustments are needed. As programmes move to system integration testing (SIT), demand shifts. The emphasis moves from design to validation, with data engineers and integration specialists becoming more central as data moves between systems and needs to hold up under settlement conditions. Bringing these systems together safely requires the expertise of both the test managers and environment leads to ensure seamless coordination. The later stages bring different pressures. The rise in migration activity drives a greater need for professionals skilled in data alignment and reconciliation to make sure records match across systems. Operational teams tasked with billing and settlement processes are gearing up to implement innovative strategies while maintaining existing processes. Some roles require continuity where knowledge of settlement processes needs to be retained. Others are more concentrated within specific phases. By structuring workforce delivery around these stages, organisations can bring in support where needed, without the need to expand teams across the entire programme. Delays tend to surface once systems interact at scale Successful integration hinges on coordination across teams working within defined settlement timelines. Delays in one area can quickly affect others. Migration then adds further pressure. Transferring meters and associated data into the new model demands both continuity and accuracy. When additional support is not in place early enough, existing teams absorb the extra workload, which can hinder progress and raise the chances of errors in settlement outputs. MHHS delivery depends on how teams are built MHHS sits within a wider energy market reform, with multiple organisations in the sector progressing through delivery at the same time and often drawing on the same types of experience. The overlap is already influencing the speed of team construction and the onset of progress slowdowns. Identifying these overlaps earlier allows organisations to bring in the right experience before timelines are affected. Once programs reach the integration or migration stages, there is less flexibility to resolve gaps without slowing delivery. This is why workforce delivery is starting to shift. Delivery is less about the technology itself and more about the teams having the right capacity and expertise in place to carry programmes through. Broadening the methods of talent assessment and exploring new avenues for sourcing talent, including bringing in transferable skills from adjacent sectors, can enhance MHHS delivery. The organisations that move with more certainty here tend to be the ones that have built teams to be able to handle the complexity and scale of the change required.