About the job

Job summary

About the role

Achieving Net Zero is a core priority for DESNZ. The Net Zero Strategy directorate is central to successful delivery, working right across Government and closely with central departments including No10, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office. We are responsible for overseeing the Carbon Budget framework and driving decarbonisation action across the economy.

We’re looking for someone to join our leadership team who can be a strategic leader in this large and complex area. You’ll need to be a big picture thinker who is quickly able to gain the confidence of a wide and varied set of stakeholders and make critical decisions at pace. You’ll have analytical and policy skills and ability to operate effectively across government to deliver. You’ll lead a fantastic team of policy officials working in this priority area, leading through change and ambiguity and ensuring we continue to deliver as a high performing team.

This role sits at the heart of the Government’s efforts to tackle climate change, you will have to leverage relationships across Government and beyond, so will need to have excellent interpersonal, influencing and communication skills to build and maintain strategic relationships. You will be working in a very dynamic and fast paced environment and so must be comfortable dealing with change and new and novel issues, be able to show excellent judgement and ability to provide robust advice and identify key issues quickly and confidently. 

The successful candidate will be able to lead strategy development, drive action through their own team and a network of wider teams supporting decarbonisation of the economy and demonstrate inspiring and effective leadership. Being able to build effective partnerships, to influence, persuade and lead across a complex environment and delivering through others is also key.

Job description

Key duties/tasks that the candidate will be responsible for

•  Delivery monitoring and assurance of Government’s progress towards its legal and other commitments to decarbonise the economy including oversight of the cross Government governance structures which drive action on decarbonisation.
•  Particular focus on and support to policy delivery led by other Government Departments outside the DESNZ portfolio of action to support net zero.
•  Working flexibly with your peers to:
•  Support delivery of cross cutting directorate priorities, such as assessment and setting of Carbon Budget 7  - the analysis and advice that we will need to present to Ministers to support a decision on the cap on carbon emissions in 2038 – 2042. 
•  Contribute to strategic challenges across the net zero policy portfolio to help shape and deliver on Directorate projects that guide our approach to decarbonisation.

Person specification

Essential criteria

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

1. Confident, empowering, inspiring and visible leader, with experience of building inclusive, and inspiring high-performing teams with a strong focus on delivery;

2. A strong understanding of the key drivers to achieve Net Zero and previous experience in energy or climate policy;

3. Excellent analytical and strategic insight with a track record of developing and implementing evidence-based strategies, policies and programmes; 

4. A powerful communicator, who has experience operating across a complex landscape with multiple stakeholders, securing the confidence of Ministers and Senior Civil Servants (or their equivalent) to achieve outcomes through strong relationships and delivering through others.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £20,250 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.

How to apply

To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55, Sunday 23rd June 2024. As part of the application process you are asked to complete the following:

1. A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1,000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
3. Final Interview which will include a presentation exercise. Full details will be shared with shortlisted candidates nearer the time.

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 security check (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.