About the job

Job summary

Shape the policy that delivers a greener, fairer energy system for the UK 

Ofgem as the industry regulator exists to ensure prices are fair, build resilience across the energy sector, facilitate infrastructure investment, and develop and deliver effective market reforms and governance arrangements.  

We work for consumers and with many industry partners. Energy fuels our society and our economy. That’s why our policy work is so important, and so rewarding. It protects consumers. It enables businesses. It influences the entire energy industry. And it helps to bring about the seismic societal and infrastructure changes that will be the foundations for a Net Zero future.  

In these roles you’ll proactively lead a policy area to provide end-to-end knowledge and strategic oversight to support effective decision making and continuous improvement. You’ll lead continuous development on your domain knowledge and work flexibly across Ofgem to ensure the delivery of organisational priorities. You’ll  effectively communicating benefits, challenges, and trade-offs from policy proposals to Ofgem colleagues and sectoral stakeholders. Some (but not all) posts at this level act as Professional Development Leads, coaching and developing colleagues.  

We operate a Flexible Resourcing model where you will have the opportunity to work across Ofgem supporting on a range of projects or may have a longer deployment within a team where you have and build specialist skills, knowledge, and expertise.  We will support you to learn and develop the Policy & Strategy skills and knowledge you need to build your career. 

To join us, you’ll need policy skills, able to identify, analyse and articulate complex problems. You’ll be able to work with others to develop solutions and present policy recommendations that consider trade-offs. You will also be able to manage delivery, setting clear priorities, supporting others to solve problems and to seek continuous improvement. You’ll be able to clearly demonstrate the relevance of your work internally and externally. As well as being able to create open and inclusive engagement.  

The ongoing professional development, training and support of all our dedicated colleagues is at the core of our way of working. You can also expect an excellent benefits package, a great working environment sounded by professional expertise to learn from and with, hybrid working, and a shared sense of purpose. 

We welcome candidates from all backgrounds, and especially welcome individuals from underrepresented groups. While this is a full-time role, flexible working patterns and job shares are welcome. 

Job description

Energy policy is something that touches on every aspect of our lives – at home, at work and at play. Energy fuels our society and our economy. That’s why our policy work is so important, and so rewarding. It protects consumers. It enables businesses. It influences the entire energy industry. And it helps to bring about the seismic societal and infrastructure changes that will be the foundations for a Net Zero future.

Rising prices and security of supply are challenging all parts of the energy sector to consider how we can collectively ensure that this crucial foundation for our society remains accessible to all. And as well as the complexity of the here and now, we continue to look to the future – ensuring that energy policies support a shift away from fossil fuels and that new, renewable energy sources are identified and developed into viable alternatives. And we are challenging the wholesale energy market to do more to ensure more efficient pricing and a better deal for consumers.

Such challenging times require bold action. We are looking for people to meet the challenges we face head-on, and help us deliver a greener, fairer energy system.

Our policy practice is founded on three pillars: Strategy - ensuring that sound evidence and analysis informs our approach; Democracy - giving confidence that robust governance and accountability supports effective decision-making; and Delivery – effective implementation and delivery systems that see policy impact on practice.

You will be someone who:

• Has substantive energy experience and in particular, cost allocation policy, energy markets & policy development, financial trading, and / or gas sector experience
• Thrives in an agile fast-paced environment with a proven background of delivering benefits for consumers, communities, or society. We value diversity of experience and you may bring this from a range of places including (but not limited to): strategy development, policy development and regulation analysis, commercial analysis, compliance, financial management, operational delivery and/or risk management
• Is interested in the energy sector, including Ofgem’s role in protecting consumers, controlling prices and stabilizing the energy market
• 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

 

Key Responsibilities 

Policy Development & Delivery  

• Proactively leads a policy area and provides the end-to-end knowledge and strategic oversight to support effective decision making and continuous improvement  
• Proactively leads continuous development of their domain knowledge, policy proposals, research, technology, consumer needs and stakeholder perspectives in their policy/strategy area  
• Works flexibly across Ofgem to ensure delivery of organisation priorities in line with business planning, guiding, supporting, and collaborating with colleagues to respond effectively to change 
• Leads on the delivery of high quality, timely, and robust analysis of core issue/s and policy options resulting in evidence-based and deliverable recommendations. 
• Leads key projects, including responsibility for internal and external stakeholder engagement, prioritising, planning and delivering work.  
• Ensures decision makers consider relevant legislation and regulation and any specific case issues and escalates critical issues as needed to ensue delivery for consumers.

Stakeholder Management 

• Effectively communicating the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs from policy proposals to Ofgem colleagues and sectoral stakeholders, effectively using evidence to build understanding and commitment to action. 
• Ensures effective delivery by working collaboratively across team boundaries and engaging with key Ofgem functions and relevant government departments - developing close links to manage and mitigate risks  
• Representing Ofgem externally and building constructive stakeholder relationships to ensure challenges and issues are identified and resolved in consumers’ interests 
• Is demonstrably accessible and identifiable to all who operate in their policy/strategy area as and Ofgem lead/expert and in turn knows who to engage to improve policy design and delivery  

People Management 

• Ability and willingness to take on task management responsibilities e.g. setting and reviewing work, providing constructive feedback and liaising with Professional Development Leads (see below) to help assess performance.  (This is common to all posts at this level).  
• Some (but not all) posts at this level act as Professional Development Lead – coach and develop colleagues – including annual performance reviews and supporting their flexible deployment and career development.  This includes helping develop the Policy & Strategy Profession across Ofgem. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• Policy Skills: identifying, analysing, and articulating complex problems; working with other professionals (for example analytical, technical, and legal) to develop solutions and options, and presenting policy recommendations that consider the trade-offs, risks, and dependencies to aid effective decision making (LEAD) 
• Managing delivery: set clear goals and priorities, supports others to solve problems, overcome challenges, seeking feedback and means of continuous improvement. (LEAD) 
• Clearly identifies and communicates the relevance, interdependencies and strategic fit of their work to organisational priorities both internally and externally  
• Demonstrably identifies and understands the value/contribution of internal and external partners and effectively creates open, creative, constructive, timely and inclusive engagement   

Desirable Criteria 

• Experience of the energy sector, and preferably in the key policy areas listed in Annex A. 

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.