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 its impactful. Our DESNZ 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 working 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

Use research and analysis to combat climate change ¦ Up to £6,000 pay enhancement ¦ Flexible working ¦ Amazing learning & development opportunities ¦ Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans ¦

Are you interested in building evaluation and evidence into the heart of innovation and policy making? Are you keen to understand how innovation can help us meet our climate targets?

We are looking for a skilled and dedicated analyst to join the Energy Innovation Evaluation Team. You will design and manage monitoring and evaluation within the 1.5 billion pound Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, as part of a dynamic and vibrant evaluation community. 

We are a team of multi-disciplinary evaluation experts embedded within the Science and Innovation for Climate and Energy (SICE) Directorate who deliver the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. Our team supports SICE, playing a fundamental role in delivering monitoring and evaluation of the varied and exciting energy innovation portfolio.

We pride ourselves on our high quality, innovative and impactful evaluation. Our work enables DESNZ to understand how energy innovation programmes are working, the impact they have and how they can be improved.

Person specification

The role offers the opportunity to lead on key evaluations for the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), scoping, developing and delivering impactful evaluations that provide effective understanding and learning for the following key NZIP themes (amongst others):

• Energy Storage and Flexibility: Enabling a smarter, more efficient energy system through scaling up flexibility and looking for new storage options
  
• Disruptive Technologies: supporting the development and demonstration of state of the art technologies, products and processes in the areas of energy efficiency, power generation and heat and electricity storage, including using innovative finance.

Working to the Grade 7 lead in this area, you will provide technical leadership on the evaluations and advise on M&E plans across the portfolio. You will be responsible for scoping M&E plans and revising existing data collection methods and processes. You will work closely with the programme leads to ensure that monitoring and evaluation is embedded within the programmes and you will lead analytical quality assurance of the reporting instruments, data, and outputs delivered by evaluation contractors. You will also have an opportunity to undertake analysis of the data, ensuring that it provides impactful findings. We are currently scoping plans to bring more evaluation processes in house, which will provide you with the opportunity to conduct primary research and analysis.

You will influence business cases for future programmes, ensuring they are evidence based and establish robust M&E processes.

The main duties of this role are:

• Designing and managing M&E projects, with scope to use innovative approaches.
  
• Being responsible for the management of external contractors delivering research projects.
  
• Providing quality assurance of M&E projects to ensure they deliver robust, impactful findings and achieve value for money.
  
• Building and maintaining collaborative relationships with colleagues in SICE, analysts in DESNZ and Innovate UK working on energy innovation and, where relevant, external specialists and academics.
  
• Promoting and disseminating evaluation findings within SICE and the Department to ensure key learning feeds into ongoing and new policy development and products have maximum impact.
  
• Playing a key part in the team, sharing and disseminating good practice to other evaluators.

Our team and the wider Directorate are committed to supporting personal development. DESNZ has an Evaluation Practitioners Network which meets quarterly and a monthly GSR seminar series to share learning and practice.

Skills and experience

Post holders should have a good grounding in the fundamentals of social research methods but will have the opportunity to develop their skills further and pursue their methodological interests.

We would love to hear from you if you have:

• Experience of designing and leading research or evaluation projects translating stakeholder requirements into robust specifications that will meet customer needs.
• Knowledge of a range of process and impact evaluation methods, and an appetite to work with new methodologies to meet challenges.
  
• Knowledge of a range of research methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative and evaluation methods.
  
• Experience of presenting analytical outputs in a range of formats, tailored to different audiences.
  
• The ability to establish good working relationships with policy and analytical colleagues, scheme delivery partners and relevant external agencies
  

Professional requirements:

Applicants must meet the requirements at SEO grade for Government Social Research, Government Statistical Group or Government Operational Research professions.

Government Social Research Service - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-government-social-research-competency-framework

Government Operational Research Service - http://www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/competencies/

Government Statistical Group - https://gss.civilservice.gov.uk/policy-store/competency-framework-for-the-government-statistician-group-gsg/

If you are not already a member of one of the Government analytical professions above, you may also need to complete a multiple-choice knowledge test before we invite you to an interview. Further details will be provided after the sift.

PLEASE MAKE CLEAR IN YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT WHICH ANALYTICAL PROFESSION YOU ARE APPLYING UNDER

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,470, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £10,116 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.

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 outline how you meet the skills and experience listed in the job description. You should also state the government analytical profession (GSR, GSG or GORS) you are applying under, and either your current status and grade as a badged member of these professions, or else how you meet the professional qualification standards

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 and technical 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 11th March 2024

Interview dates: w/c 25th March 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/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.