About the job

Job summary

Do you want a career where you can make a real difference? Do you want to work in a government department that is at the forefront of current policy making decisions that will impact the UK and beyond? If yes then a career at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) could be for you.  

Here at DESNZ we are securing the UK’s long term energy supply, bringing down energy bills and halving inflation. We are seizing the opportunities of Net Zero to lead the world in new green industries and encouraging greater energy efficiency across the UK. The work of the department has never been more timely or relevant, and by joining us you will be part of making that difference.  
 
Our work is varied, interesting and most importantly it's impactful. Our Values are interwoven into everything we do; we are Bold, we are Collaborative, we are Inclusive and we Learn. As a department we are committed to these values to build a culture where everyone can thrive.   

We offer great work benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. 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. 

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 Role and Our Team

Do you want to join a high profile, friendly, diverse team committed to decarbonising the UK energy system? This is a really exciting time to come and work on hydrogen!

The Hydrogen Economy team leads an expanding programme to enable the growth of the low carbon hydrogen sector in line with the Government's Hydrogen Strategy. In April 2022, the UK Government, through the British Energy Security Strategy (BESS), committed to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production by 2030 – alongside new business models for hydrogen transport and storage (T&S) infrastructure by 2025 .

We have an exciting opportunity for a G6 to lead the delivery of a challenging and broad agenda of regulation to enable the hydrogen economy. This is a new role reflecting the growth of urgency and interest in this area.

As the hydrogen economy scales up we need to ensure we have the market design and regulation necessary to facilitate growth. We will need to learn from electricity and gas systems to deliver a framework of system operation and balancing to ensure all elements of the hydrogen value chain work together and ultimately deliver a functioning market. This is a complex, exciting and novel area of work.

The G6 will lead a team designing the new market structure of the hydrogen economy (the framework that will evolve out of or replace the Gas Act for Hydrogen). They will also work on assessing the need for, and potentially delivering a functioning network code for hydrogen.

You will also be responsible for delivering the full suite of hydrogen non-economic regulation across environmental impacts of hydrogen, planning, licencing, standards, health and safety and decommissioning. This work is done in very close collaboration with regulators responsible across these areas. You will lead our regulators forum and a budget of spend with regulators on hydrogen work programmes. This portfolio is absolutely critical to enable the emerging hydrogen economy – for example to ensure that appropriate licensing arrangements are in place for new sites and that the hydrogen economy at scale can operate safely.

We are looking for a leader for this team to take this policy from early stage scoping to design a full portfolio of work to deliver a new market design and regulatory system. It is an opportunity to significantly contribute to making an integrated hydrogen system a reality. You will have the opportunity to lead all areas of the role described working closely with economists, technical advisers, finance advisers, legal, industry, Regulators and policy colleagues across the Department and Whitehall.

The team is part of the Hydrogen Economy team in the HICC directorate that is also delivering Hydrogen transport and power business models, transport and storage strategic planning and demand strategy. We are proud to be a happy, inclusive and high performing team.

If you are a fantastic and inclusive leader, work innovatively and have a background and/or interest in economic regulation and/or working with regulators we would love to hear from you!

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

You will join the leadership team of the Hydrogen Economy team and will provide leadership of a multi-disciplinary and high-performing team in an innovative and complex environment. You will work closely with Grade 6 colleagues in the hydrogen economy team and wider directorate to ensure joined up policy making.

In this role, you will take overall responsibility for delivering a market design for hydrogen (including system operation and balancing roles and responsibilities), ensure we have a suitable set of rules governing hydrogen network connections and operation (e.g. through a suitable network code) and deliver the full suite of non-economic regulation for hydrogen across licencing, standards, planning, environmental impacts and decommissioning – working very closely with regulators.

You will provide leadership and oversee policy development. You will lead two teams and manage a team of 6 colleagues (line managing two directly). This team may grow significantly in some areas as we move towards delivery of key areas across e.g. planning. The work will cover key work streams including:

•            Lead the analysis, design and delivery of a suitable market framework for Hydrogen. This includes assessing the key market functions that a hydrogen system requires including system operation, system balancing and the roles and responsibilities of all key market players. You will assess how well the existing Gas Act supports the hydrogen economy, what amendments are required and whether any new primary legislation is needed. This will likely include delivering a call for evidence and/or consultation, secondary legislation and potentially primary legislation.
•            Lead in assessing the application of the current market framework to hydrogen business models.
•            Lead on HMG’s role in ensuring hydrogen networks are operable, for instance through the design of a suitable network code.
•            Lead in assessing policy options for delivering security of supply for the hydrogen economy.
•            Lead in delivering the full suite of non-economic regulation required for the hydrogen economy across licencing, planning, decommissioning, environment and standards. Working very closely with responsible regulators and partners.
•            Work closely with the NSTA, Opred and the EA to deliver critical hydrogen projects including new licencing of offshore hydrogen assets. This includes managing a c.£1m programme budget.
•            Oversee a growing team, currently 6 staff, with the possibility of expansion in key areas over the next year.
•            Work collaboratively with other hydrogen and carbon capture teams, in particular the hydrogen business model teams, as well as the team’s technical and corporate finance experts.
•            Present to and discuss with senior internal and external stakeholders, Ministers, HMT and No.10.

In delivering these responsibilities, you will:

- Work in deep collaboration with policy teams aiming to deliver a successful UK hydrogen economy
- Build strong relationships and collaborate extensively across the energy sector and beyond to identify and implement solutions to any relevant regulatory, political, engineering and economic issues.
- Continue to build the team so that it can take on these challenges - through recruitment, hiring secondees, training courses and shared learning.

The role will involve line management responsibilities, collaboration with regulators, external advisers and close working with corporate advisors and specialists.

Skills and Experience

We would love to hear from you if you:

- are an inclusive leader, who is able to motivate others to deliver in an ambitious environment
- are comfortable operating in a complex and fast-paced environment, adapting as the situation changes and finding ways to make progress despite uncertainty
- excel at policy work, blending the formal requirements such as generating and synthesising evidence with the informal art of getting things done!
- have the experience and behaviours to work collaboratively with internal and external partners to achieve progress even when views differ, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills and respecting difference and external experience.
- have good project management skills, with a track record of delivery against challenging deadlines.
- have experience in economic regulation and/or commercial work (desirable but not essential).
- are an analytical thinker (quantitative and qualitative) who is able to evaluate policy trade-offs.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,580, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £16,615 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 and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 1000 words) to set out your suitability for this role and reasons for applying

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

Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.  

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement. 

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 questions.

Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time. 

Sift and interview dates

Expected Timeline subject to change

Sift dates: w/c 14/04/24

Interview dates: w/c 28/04/24

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 /Disclosure Scotland 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. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

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. 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.