About the job

Job summary

Shape the policy that delivers a greener, fairer energy system for the UK by joining our Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) team!

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Policy Lead for policy delivery with a finance focus.

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.

The OFTO team is a collection of high performing, collaborative, and flexible staff, working across a number of exciting commercial and policy areas. Responsible for selecting via a competitive tender process the OFTOs who will operate the transmission systems for electricity generated offshore.

In this role you’ll be a reliable source of information and advice on the business models and financial position of relevant industry players, with an eye to influencing policy. You’ll plan, oversea and deliver work on time and to a high standard through effective organisation and prioritisation of requests for analysis.

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 a professional understanding of regulatory finance and accounting models, as well as solid knowledge of the offshore wind industry. You’ll also 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:

• 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

Team role & Description

The Offshore Transmission Owner (OFTO) team is a collection of high performing, collaborative, and flexible staff, working across a number of exciting commercial and policy areas. We are responsible for selecting via a competitive tender process the OFTOs who will operate the transmission systems for electricity generated offshore. We have a key role to play in supporting offshore wind’s development by ensuring that the policy regime around transmission of electricity generated offshore is fit-for-purpose. To that end, our work involves working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and industry stakeholders across OFTOs, generators and beyond.  

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Policy Lead for policy delivery with a finance focus across the OFTO team. The role will include: 

• Being a reliable source of information and advice on the business models and financial position of relevant industry players, with an eye to influencing policy.
• Planning, overseeing and delivering work on time and to a high standard through effective organisation and prioritisation of requests for analysis.
• Using your expertise to provide comprehensive knowledge sharing, support and development that demonstrate commitment to Ofgem values.

Key Responsibilities (Generic)

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

Key Responsibilities (Role Specific)

• Use your expertise to:
  • advise Ofgem and DESNZ on financial matters in relation to offshore wind transmission and the implications for policy decisions, particularly around financeability.
  • offer expert advice on the business models and financial position of industry players, and their implications for consumers, financeability, and our organisation, to the OFTO team and senior executives
  • liaise with internal teams such as regulatory/corporate finance, legal and OFTO policy; and externally with other government departments to advocate for policies and financial designs which support the interests of the consumer and Ofgem.

• Support the development of a high-performing team based on effective resource management, ongoing support and professional development
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across Ofgem and HMG to provide guidance to help team members make evidence based decisions.
• Build supportive, inclusive team environment based on trust-based relationships, transparency and inclusivity
• Assist in strong record keeping to enhance Ofgem’s long-term organisational capacity to regulated these sectors.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• A professional understanding of regulatory finance and accounting models, and experience of analysing the business models and financial resilience of private sector companies (LEAD)
• A solid knowledge of the offshore wind industry (LEAD)
• 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
• Managing delivery: set clear goals and priorities, supports others to solve problems, overcome challenges, seeking feedback and means of continuous improvement.
• 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

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.