About the job

Job summary

As Great Britain's regulator for the energy industry, Ofgem exists to ensure a safe, secure and sustainable energy supply to British households.

As the Head of Policy at Ofgem, you will be a pivotal figure in leading a multi-disciplinary team within the Policy department. Your main responsibility will be to oversee and drive the development of policy initiatives and strategies that support Ofgem’s goals. In this role, you will collaborate closely with other teams, industry experts, and stakeholders to ensure the effective execution of policy recommendations. Additionally, you will provide inclusive team leadership, supporting and guiding team members towards successful outcomes while embodying Ofgem's core values. This role sits within the Delivery and Schemes directorate and will be responsible for overseeing the ongoing development and delivery of high-profile policy interventions alongside the government and on the front line for Net Zero. 

We are looking for an individual who not only has significant experience in leading the policy development process, managing input from analytical, technical, and legal experts, and presenting well-rounded policy recommendations addressing risks, trade-offs, and economic considerations, but also someone who is genuinely interested in the energy sector and passionate about ensuring positive outcomes for both current and future consumers.  

Your proven leadership skills will play a vital role in building effective relationships with teams and stakeholders, fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues, fuelling innovation, and ensuring that we best represent the consumers and communities we serve. Your exceptional communication skills will enable you to effectively communicate complex policy issues to non-expert audiences, translating them into accessible messages.  

Ofgem offers incredibly flexible working practices, enabling you to manage your work/life balance successfully. There is also a great culture, with an approachable and friendly senior leadership team who are there to support you in your role.  

If you are a visionary leader with a passion for driving impactful policy initiatives, and a dedication to a sustainable energy future, then we want to hear from you.  

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work. 

Job description

Ofgem works on behalf of energy consumers to ensure that every household and business in the UK can rely on a safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy supply.  We are playing a vital part in accelerating the transition to Net Zero and a carbon neutral energy system – a goal that everyone wants to achieve.  Whatever your role, you’ll be playing your part in creating new energy solutions that are great for customers, and great for the environment. 

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.  

Ofgem operates a Flexible Resourcing model. You may have the opportunity to work flexibly across Ofgem supporting on a range of projects or may have a longer deployment within a team where you have in-demand specialist skills, knowledge, and expertise. This role sits within the Delivery and Schemes directorate and will be responsible for overseeing the ongoing development and delivery of high-profile policy interventions alongside the government and on the front line for Net Zero. 

Purpose 

• Lead multi-disciplinary teams in a specific work area in the context of operating in a Professions and Flexible Resourcing model. 
• Plan, oversee and deliver a set of work deliverables on time and to a high standard through effective project management and support of multidisciplinary team members. 
• Provide inclusive team leadership by supporting and developing team members and demonstrating commitment to Ofgem values. 

You will be someone who:  

• Has a proven background of delivering positive change for consumers, communities, or society in a role across regulation, strategy or policy development and implementation.  
• Enjoys developing new skills, capabilities and expertise in self and others, and being engaged across a broad range of diverse activities, including stakeholder engagement, analysis, policy development and project management. 
• Is interested in the energy sector in the broad sense, passionate about ensuring good outcomes for current and future consumers, protecting consumers, and eager to help drive Ofgem’s contribution to delivering Net Zero. 
• Champions our culture of inclusion and encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues, fuelling our innovation and ensuring we best represent the consumers and the communities we serve.  

Person specification

Key Responsibilities:  

Delivery of set of team deliverables, and managing and coordinating successful outcomes across team members and collaborating teams:

• Sets clear and transparent work objectives, milestones and success metrics at team and individual level to oversee and co-ordinate successful team outcomes. 
• Collaborates closely with other teams to manage interdependencies, risks and resourcing to support portfolio delivery. 
• Jointly responsible with the PDL on welfare and pastoral care of all colleagues. 
• Demonstrates effective diversity and inclusive team management within their team and the wider organisation. 

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience of leading the policy development process, and managing the input of relevant analytical, technical, and legal experts to appraise policy proposals and present recommendations that highlight the risks, trade-offs, and wider commercial and economic considerations to decision makers (LEAD)
• Proven aptitude for leadership, with an ability to build effective working relationships with teams and a wide range of stakeholders that creates space for constructive, open, and transparent engagement contributing to a culture of inclusion (LEAD)
• Develops, plans and delivers work outcomes, including clear and transparent work objectives, milestones and success metrics. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills that effectively communicate complex issues to non-expert audiences, distilling complex subject matter into relevant messages for internal/ external stakeholders at a range of levels. 
• Excellent negotiation, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to represent Ofgem effectively at external and senior levels. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,000, OFGEM contributes £15,120 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, Experience and Technical skills.

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.  

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities. 

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.