About the job

Job summary

DESNZ

The responsibilities for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero for 2023 are as follows: 

• Delivering security of energy supply 
• Ensuring properly functioning energy markets 
• Encouraging greater energy efficiency 
• Seizing the opportunities of net zero to lead the world in new green industries 

For 2023, our priorities are: 

• Ensure security of energy supply this winter, next winter and in the longer-term – bringing down energy bills and reducing inflation. 
• Ensure the UK is on track to meet its legally binding Net Zero commitments and support economic growth by significantly speeding up delivery of network infrastructure and domestic energy production. 
• Improve the energy efficiency of UK homes, businesses and public sector buildings to meet the 15% demand reduction ambition. 
• Deliver current schemes to support energy consumers with their bills and develop options for long-term reform to improve how the electricity market works for families and businesses. 
• Seize the economic benefits of Net Zero, including the jobs and growth created through investment in new green industries. 
• Pass the Energy Bill to support the emerging CCUS and hydrogen sectors; to update the governance of the energy system; and to reduce the time taken to consent offshore wind. 

Our Inclusive Environment

We are building an inclusive culture to make the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves.

We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.

We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. We will fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process.

Find Out More

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/departmentforenergysecurityandnetzero?

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/

Job description

The two roles are both exciting opportunities, one within the Crisis Management & Fuel Resilience (CMFR) team, and the other in State Threats, Energy Resilience and Cyber Security (STERCS). Both roles are supporting high-profile, crosscutting risk and resilience work at the forefront of seniors' and ministers' priorities. You will provide critical expertise and build links between DESNZ and other partners across Government and industry to guarantee the Department has the right plans, processes, and capabilities to respond to incidents affecting our diverse sectors.

In CMFR, alongside supporting crisis management exercising activity, this role refines and builds capabilities via adherence to a response assurance framework and management of lessons identified from responses to emergencies, such as Russia-Ukraine response, Covid-19 or incidents caused by severe weather. Working closely with DESNZ sector teams, you will build confidence and expertise in managing emergencies as and when they occur, identify gaps in departmental knowledge and skills, assure plans and contribute to the delivery of crisis management excellence across DESNZ and Government.

In STERCS, the role is an exciting opportunity to work across government and with industry to support the policy development to mitigate risks in the downstream electricity sector.

Both roles provide an opportunity to build a strong and collaborative network across the department, government and industry, working together to build resilience and be at the heart of government response structures. This role also allows you to build a diverse knowledge base of DESNZ Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors and its wide policy portfolio.  

As part of CMFR and STERCS you will also support the Departments response to emergencies, being a core member of the Emergency Response Team. This role is a unique opportunity to work across a variety of DESNZ sectors and be part of the XHMG response and resilience community. 

If you would like to play a role in shaping the preparedness of DESNZ and Government, we would love to hear from you!

About the team:

Our friendly, welcoming and supportive teams ensure the risks of significant disruption to energy supplies and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) are understood, prepared for and responded to effectively. We work across Whitehall and industry on the mitigation, prevention and reduction of risks, including severe weather (floods, storms, space weather), supply chain issues, cyber-attacks, terrorism, state actors, industrial action, and economic shocks. Our team works reciprocally to improve the resilience of sectors, in particular the oil, gas and electricity sectors, leading on the development of contingency plans and mitigation policies.

Our team provides emergency response coordination across DESNZ's broad portfolio. We bring together the different strands of complex response operations and feed into cross-government COBR response structures and activity. We collaboratively develop and exercise plans and provide bespoke emergency response training to make sure that government is ready to respond effectively to incidents that threaten our areas of interest.

Person specification

Emergency Response Capabilities and Operations Advisor

Crisis management might sound complicated, but effective response and preparedness comes down to understanding and communicating the risk and effective lessons learnt management - learning from past experiences to know what we need to do to, be prepared to respond and working with our key partners to ensure we collectively act at the right time according to the practised and integrated processes we have in place.

We are looking for a talented HEO (or someone ready for promotion) who is able to provide thought leadership and build positive and productive relationships with the full range of partners to deliver our objectives.

Working in our Emergency Response:

Capabilities and Operations (ERCO) Team within CMFR, you will focus on ensuring the implementation of the Lessons Learnt Strategy as well as leading on the management of the Assurance Framework across risk owning teams in DESNZ. The work is vital in assuring our preparedness to deal with incidents and in how we provide these assurances to seniors and ministers including through exercising with industry and across Government.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Support the management and delivery of the Emergency Response Concept of Operations and work to develop our preparedness to respond to incidents as a Lead Government Department during crises.

• Provide a key role in the DESNZ emergency response exercising and assurance work.

• Maintain a network with other DESNZ teams, ensuring advice and support on working to the Assurance Framework and associated resilience standards.

• Capture lessons identified from all activities and ensure we are proactively monitoring the implementation of those lessons and act as a lesson learnt and assurance champion - promoting meaningful implementation across the Department.

• Support the design and development of internal response exercises to build capability within DESNZ.

• Participate in cross-Whitehall exercising fora as appropriate.

• Support the coordination of the Department's response to emergencies major incidents as and when they occur.

Other key responsibilities will be:

• Lead by example, helping to promote a positive culture of diversity, inclusion and collaboration within CMFR

• Drive yours and others personal development, ensuring they are happy, motivated and clear in our/their objectives and priorities.

• Maintain positive relationships with DESNZ teams and wider stakeholders to ensure a multidisciplinary and combined approach and interact with appropriate organisations across HMG and Agencies to work collaboratively on capability development and positively promote DESNZ interests

• Communicate effectively to provide advice, mentorship and direction internally and externally to partners and staff.

Policy Advisor: Downstream Gas and Electricity Resilience

• You can look forward to leading the implementation of the Severe Space Weather Preparedness Strategy across Government. Ensuring critical sectors (including electricity) are mitigating the effects of and prepared to respond to a Severe Space Weather event. 

• You will support policy development to mitigate the risk of downstream electricity disruptive incidents, working with industry to ensure their and Departmental / HMG readiness to respond. 

• You will develop capabilities within the team to ensure we can fulfil our role as a Lead Government Department during an energy crisis. Including playing a key role in responding to disruptive emergencies in the energy sector when they occur; developing viable policy options and advising Ministers on appropriate response actions.

• All of the above involve significant engagement and collaborative working with the industry, energy teams across DESNZ and other government departments

Skills and experience requirements

You do not need to be a crisis management specialist, as we provide on the job training. Both roles would suit someone who is practically minded and seeking to develop transferable skills, or who may have an interest in moving into crisis management policy. Experience of energy and/or exercising and/or crisis management is desirable but not necessary. 

We are looking for someone who is flexible, proactive, enthusiastic and energetic, who can learn quickly and work collaboratively with others across industry and wider government.

You will:

• Be dedicated and have a hardworking, flexible approach to work.

• Enjoy delivering across multiple concurrent workstreams, prioritising when needed.

• A willingness to develop pragmatic solutions to risk and crisis management.

• Have an eye for detail and good analytical and data skills.

• Emergencies can occur at any time so you will become a member of the Out of Hours Emergency Rota (roughly 1 week in 6), providing a 24hr/7days a week capability. An additional allowance is provided for this function.

• Have or be willing to acquire DV security clearance, which is essential for this role.

The DV process can be completed in post, and requires you have 10 years residency in the UK and UK National Status. (Please contact the vacancy manager if you are unsure whether you meet these requirements).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,410, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £9,290 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and a number of behavioural statements.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to provide a brief background about yourself, outlining why you have applied for this role. You should also include evidence of the key requirements listed in the job advertisement

Please note - the CV incorporated into the application form is for information purposes only and will not be scored.

Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements and personal statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behavioural statement - Delivering at Pace.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will consist of behaviour-based questions.

Sift and interview dates

Expected Timeline subject to change

Sift dates: w/c 01/01/2024

Interview dates: w/c 15/01/2024

Interview Location: MS Teams.

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further Information

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero  from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

DESNZ does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DESNZ cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DESNZ holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.