About the job

Job summary

As Deputy Director for the Smart Metering Implementation Programme (SMIP) Stewardship team you will be responsible for driving and supporting energy suppliers to complete the remaining 40% of the smart meter rollout in GB with a specific focus on the domestic market.

This role is critical to the delivery of SMIP’s £6billion of net benefits to society through enabling consumers to reduce their energy use, industry to reduce costs and providing the platform for a smarter and more flexible energy system – delivering to the Department’s promises in reaching Net Zero.

You will lead a highly capable and engaged team of around 15 people, made up of a mixture of civil servants and embedded industry experts covering a range of professions and skills encompassing stakeholder engagement, operational delivery (including oversight of the Programme’s safety responsibilities), project delivery, and leading aspects of programme governance.  The team’s latest Civil Service People Survey Engagement score was 71%.

You will be responsible for the successful engagement with relevant stakeholders and delivery partners across the full spectrum of smart metering interests.  In particular you will lead work to:

• Optimise operational progress of industry stakeholders by triaging and utilising high-quality evidence and insights to drive industry parties performance using tools like operational benchmarking; comparative data insights on key metrics on delivery performance and good practice sharing;
• Support energy suppliers planning for an effective and timely transition to 4G technology from mid-2025 and ensuring internal SMIP 4G workstreams are aligned between teams to deliver against the key milestones to meet 2033 deadlines;
• Develop actions and interventions with industry to overcome remaining barriers to successful first time installs and leading interventions to improve operational outcomes;
• Ensure safety performance is prioritised and improved by industry stakeholders through co-operation and good practice sharing; and
• Incentivise and promote best operational practices and collaboration between stakeholders and delivery partners (including the Data Communications Company (DCC)) to drive benefits while ensuring team members are valued and have the right skills to deliver.

Job description

You will be part of the SMIP senior leadership team, which encompasses four Deputy Directors (DD) led teams (including your own).  The teams work closely together and with the Programme Director and Senior Responsible Owner in a highly integrated and collaborative manner to deliver overall Programme objectives given many are cross cutting across the DD teams.

Key responsibilities

Driving new smart meter installation activity (particularly through continuous operational performance actions) to help energy suppliers achieve their annual smart meter install targets. This is achieved through regular senior level bilateral engagement with energy suppliers to review and challenge performance;  chairing the monthly Smart Metering Operations Group (SMOG); sponsoring quarterly supplier benchmarking and specific initiatives including targeted interventions based on geographical insights for smart meter deployment rates to drive innovation and increase installation activity; leading on actions associated with installer capacity including work on driving installer capacity recruitment by energy suppliers and monitoring key supply chain risks. 

• Preparing and planning for 4G transition to be achieved between 2025 and 2033 with activities including bilateral engagement with suppliers on their 4G transition planning and associated SMETS1 replacement programmes; supporting the work of the SEC (Smart Energy Code) Panel CTG (Communications Transition Group) on transition planning issues; and putting in place arrangements to ensure energy supplier incentives for the transition are aligned and the 4G solution is implemented into the supply chain. This requires working in close collaboration with two other SMIP Deputy Directors leading on the regulatory policy interventions and delivery of the 4G solution via the DCC. 
• Driving stakeholder continuous improvement in safety performance for smart meter installations to ensure customers and installers are kept safe by providing strategic direction on safety governance involving key external stakeholders; ensuring continuity of monthly safety reporting; and targeting areas of weaker performance to be addressed. 
• Driving reductions in volume of smart meters operating in non-smart mode including monitoring performance; and collaboration with Ofgem on compliance activity. Driving DCC operational service improvements and supporting the 4G transition as new services are introduced including chairing the monthly Implementation Managers Forum (IMF); driving DCC delivery of key Programmes working in conjunction with SMIP DD for Delivery; engagement lead with the Chair of the SEC Panel Operations Group to maintain alignment and strategic focus with DCC on operational matters and engagement with DCC on key operational performance areas.
• Supporting the SRO, Programme Director and task managing the PMO Team on developing key inputs for monthly Programme governance meetings with key stakeholders including ensuring opportunities to forward plan and shape issues to be addressed in the monthly Smart Metering Delivery Group (SMDG) and identifying actions to be take consistent with driving the Programme agenda forwards.
• SMIP SLT sponsor for maximising realisation of benefits for the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) including bilateral engagement with DNOs; driving DCC engagement between DCC and DNOs; tracking of DNO benefits; and DNO/Supplier collaboration on operational and consumer engagement initiatives.

Person specification

Skills, experience and qualifications (Essential)

It is essential in your application you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following selection criteria below:

• An outstanding leader and manager with a track record of developing inclusive, high-performing teams that harness the benefits of diversity. You will be effective at ensuring different skill sets work well together and with the SMIP policy, consumer, benefits and project delivery functions. 
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills to confidently set the direction of travel and drive successful delivery through expert collaboration and influencing. You will be able to support other projects or programmes that contribute to or enhance benefits. 
• A strong communicator, capable of being able to influence external and internal partners successfully and in a way that secures mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Experience delivering large projects and multiple workstreams ideally within a complex stakeholder framework and through the full project lifecycle, including the development of business cases. The role has a strong operational delivery dimension requiring an appreciation of operational issues including service delivery; logistics; quality control and efficiency. 
• Able to think and act strategically and across a complex and constantly evolving system, and to draw out and act on opportunities, risks and issues to meet organisational objectives. You can set out a clear and compelling vision that achieves the buy-in of stakeholders and then have the drive and resilience to make it a reality.
• A track record of making evidence-based, deliverable strategic decisions.  You will be commercially and politically astute, experienced in confidently working with subject-matter experts and able to clearly explain such matters to senior stakeholders. 

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.

To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55, Monday 27th May 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 1000 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. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to undertake a series of psychometric assessments including a Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) and Individual Leadership Assessment (ILA) as part of the recruitment process prior to the final interview. This assessment will not result in a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ decision. Rather it is designed to support the panels decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. 
4. Final Interview which may include a presentation exercise.

Shortlisted candidates may also have the opportunity to speak to a senior leader within the hiring department prior to final interview to learn more about the role and organisation. Please note, this is not part of the formal assessment process. 

For further information on the application process and an overview on what to expect, please visit the Civil Service Careers website.

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.