Data Scientist

Essent Retail Energie (commonly referred to simply as Essent in its retail operations) is a major Dutch energy retail company that supplies electricity, natural gas and related energy services to residential and commercial customers, with its principal activities focused on the retail energy market in the Netherlands. As a consumer-facing energy supplier, Essent operates a portfolio of standardized and tailored energy contracts for households and businesses, and provides a broad range of energy-related products and services that extend beyond commodity supply to include energy efficiency solutions, renewable generation offerings, distributed energy installations and customer-facing digital tools. Company overview and market role Essent Retail Energie functions primarily as a retail supplier that purchases or hedges energy on wholesale markets and delivers metered electricity and gas to end users under fixed, variable and green/renewable tariffs. The company serves mass-market residential customers as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporate accounts through segmented commercial propositions. In the retail market it competes on pricing, product design (term length, green content, bundled services) and customer service channels including online account management, mobile apps and call centers. Essent is widely recognized in the Dutch market as one of the larger retail energy brands, offering both standard commodity supply and value-added services targeted at energy savings, electrification and distributed generation. Core business activities - Energy supply and contract management: Essent sells electricity and gas contracts to households and businesses, handling customer onboarding, metering arrangements, billing, contract renewals and the regulatory reporting associated with retail supply. It manages wholesale procurement and hedging strategies to serve its customer portfolio. - Renewable product offerings: The retailer offers green energy tariffs that supply electricity sourced from renewable generation (often certified via Guarantees of Origin or equivalent schemes), and it markets specific renewable products such as 100% wind or solar contracts. - Distributed energy solutions and installation services: Essent packages and sells residential and commercial installations such as rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery storage solutions, heat pumps and, in some cases, energy efficiency retrofit services (insulation advice, smart thermostats). These offerings are commonly delivered either directly by subsidiary teams or via vetted installer networks. - Electric vehicle (EV) charging: As part of electrification services, Essent markets home and business EV charging solutions and charging-as-a-service propositions that combine hardware, installation and often a software/platform component for billing or load management. - Digital customer platforms and smart services: Essent operates customer-facing digital platforms — web portals and mobile applications — that provide meter reading uploads, real-time consumption monitoring, billing statements, contract management and personalized energy advice. These platforms increasingly integrate data from smart meters and connected devices to provide actionable insights for customers. Main products and services - Retail electricity and gas contracts (fixed price, variable price, dual fuel bundles). - Green energy tariffs certified by recognized guarantees (wind, solar). - Solar PV system sales and installations, often with financing options and performance warranties. - Heat pump packages and electrification solutions for home heating and hot water. - Home energy services, including energy audits, insulation advice and smart thermostat installations. - EV charging hardware and managed charging services for residential and business customers. - Energy management and optimization services for commercial clients, including demand response or flexibility services where available. - Digital account and consumption management tools (web portal, mobile app, consumption dashboards, alerts). Technology and digital capabilities Although fundamentally a retail energy supplier, Essent invests in digital products and data services to support customer engagement, operational efficiency and new energy services. This includes integration with smart meters and home energy management systems, customer energy dashboards that visualize consumption patterns, APIs or partner interfaces for third-party services (installers, marketplace partners), and backend systems for billing automation and regulatory compliance. These digital capabilities enable bundled services (for example, combining a solar PV installation with a monitoring app and a tailored tariff) and support offerings that address the broader energy transition — electrification of heating and transport, increased distributed generation and demand-side flexibility. Customer segments and channels Essent serves private consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises, larger commercial customers and public-sector entities. The company distributes products through direct sales channels (online sign-up, telephone sales, retail partnerships), energy advisors and a network of certified installers for hardware-based solutions. Marketing and customer acquisition emphasize transparency of pricing, sustainability credentials for green products, and convenience of combined product-and-service bundles. Regulatory and compliance context As a retail energy supplier operating in the Netherlands, Essent operates within a regulated energy market framework that includes rules on consumer protection, metering and billing standards, energy supplier licensing, and the certification of renewable energy. Compliance with national market rules, grid operator coordination (for metering and connections) and adherence to reporting obligations for sales and renewable content are core operational responsibilities. Positioning and strategic focus In the retail energy sector Essent positions itself as a broad-based supplier that combines commodity supply with an expanding set of energy transition services — particularly distributed generation (solar), electrification (heat pumps, EV charging) and digital customer services. The company aims to serve customers who are seeking a single supplier relationship to provide both energy and related hardware/software services, simplifying procurement, installation and ongoing management of energy assets. Note: This description focuses on the retail energy operations and customer-facing services typically associated with Essent’s retail brand in the Netherlands (often marketed under the Essent name). It emphasizes verifiable types of products and services commonly offered by the company in public-facing channels: electricity and gas supply, green energy products, solar and heat pump installations, EV charging solutions, and digital customer platforms.