About the job

Job summary

Ofgem works on behalf of energy consumers to ensure that every household in the UK can rely on a safe 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.

We offer a diverse range of flexible working career opportunities: roles that are stimulating and rewarding, where you can get involved in ground-breaking work. And it’s important to us that we recruit from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds – bringing different perspectives and experiences to our work.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced engineer to play an involved role in the regulation and development of the energy system and to offer expert technical advice on how effective regulation can support the transition to a net zero supply. You’ll be directly involved in the implementation, planning and regulation of the gas price controls, working closely with our policy teams to identify how we can best influence behaviours and outcomes.

We expect that you’ll hold a degree in a relevant engineering discipline or have developed significant expertise through industry experience. It would be an advantage if this included electricity transmission or distribution, network or system operations or system design and planning. As an alternative, you may have experience in other energy industry asset management, performance and quality of service areas. You should be comfortable working with both quantitative and qualitative analysis, and it’s important that you offer highly developed communication skills, in writing and in person, and that you can bring complex, technical subject matter to life for different audiences.

Ofgem is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment is decided on the basis of open and fair competition, merit and business need.

Job description

Purpose

Our Analysis and Assurance division is seeking an electrical engineer to fulfil a key role in our regulation of the electrical system. The division is responsible for managing over £80bn of investment in gas and electricity networks over the next 10 years. We play a key role in facilitating the move to a net-zero energy sector, whilst continuing to ensure that networks provide safe, secure, high-quality gas and electricity network services at value for money to consumers.  

The role is to provide engineering and policy support across Ofgem. The post holder will have direct engagement in the implementation and planning of the electricity price controls, regulation of networks, electricity network codes, the development of smart grids and system operation. The primary objective is to ensure that Ofgem has the technical capability to effectively regulate the electricity network companies that are helping to deliver a cost-efficient electricity system for a net-zero future.  

 

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for high quality and timely engineering analysis of options and recommendations to policy teams.
• Lead on policy areas directly managed by the Engineer Hub such as technical codes

 

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Providing support in the delivery of the electricity price controls such as reopeners or price controls and network regulation more generally 
• Engaging with the network companies to find better ways of developing our networks e.g., the deployment of smart grid technologies 
• Providing support in the delivery of our network innovation competitions 
• Providing the technical support necessary to consider and decide on changes to or derogations from network codes 
• Assisting in the development of key areas of transmission and distribution policy
• Lead the delivery of key work streams and potentially manage staff input into the relevant areas of work 
• Present policy and recommendations to senior management 
• Act as a representative for Ofgem at external meetings, conferences and events explaining Ofgem’s policy position.  
• Taking responsibility for drafting public documents or parts of documents.

 

Person specification

• Educated to degree level in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent industry experience
• Chartered Engineer (or in the process of gaining registration) 
• Relevant experience in several the following areas of Electrical Transmission, Distribution such as: network or system operations, system design and planning, Off-shore system design and planning, network codes, smart grids and network innovation, asset management, performance and quality of service issues.
• Expertise in both quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Ability to deliver key projects to challenging timescales 
• Excellent communication/interpersonal skills including the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical people and report writing. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,650, OFGEM contributes £11,785 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.