Shape the policy that delivers a greener, fairer energy system for the UK. Join Ofgem’s Low Carbon Regulated Asset Base (RAB) team and be at the forefront of the drive to deliver Net Zero!
We are currently recruiting two Senior Policy Managers to join the new LDES team. These new roles will work closely with DESNZ as it further develops policy for a new model of investment support to help drive deployment of more LDES.
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.
The purpose of these roles is to lead policy projects and workstreams, using your analytical and communication skills to solve complex problems and deliver significant pieces of work.
To join us, you’ll need extensive experience in a policy development role showing a history of managing the input of relevant analytical, technical, and legal experts to present policy recommendations that highlight the risks, trade-offs, and wider commercial and economic considerations to decision makers. You’ll also need to have evidence in particular capability in the fields of regulation, economics, finance, legal, or engineering. You will also be able to manage delivery, setting clear priorities, supporting others to solve problems and to seek continuous improvement. You will 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.
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.
Team Purpose: Long Duration Electricity Storage
The Low Carbon Regulated Asset Base (RAB) team is a collection of high performing, collaborative and flexible staff, working across a number of new and exciting policy areas. Our work is highly varied, from advising the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and His Majesty's Treasury (HMT) on regulatory and strategic issues, developing new approaches to financing large scale energy investment, regulating new energy technologies and services, to developing policy crucial for meeting our decarbonisation goals.
Some of the team’s remit currently includes Long Duration Electricity Storage (LDES), which includes a range of established and more recent technologies such as pumped hydro and liquid air storage. DESNZ has identified that LDES will be pivotal in delivering a smart and flexible energy system, and has the potential to realise significant consumer benefits by enabling the storage of excess energy for times of high demand. This will be crucial as more and more energy is supplied by intermittent renewables. Earlier this year DESNZ consulted on plans to use a cap and floor model, similar to the one Ofgem uses for electricity interconnectors, to help provide more certainty to LDES project developers and unlock new investment in this important technology. Ofgem expects to play an important role in helping DESNZ deliver this new regulatory model, and in particular to play a significant role in regulating any projects that receive cap and floor support.
Senior Policy Manager (Level 2b / Grade 7): We are currently recruiting two Senior Policy Managers to join the new LDES team. These new roles will work closely with DESNZ as it further develops policy for a new model of investment support to help drive deployment of more LDES. As part of a cooperative and interdependent team of policy, finance, engineering, legal and regulatory experts, new joiners to the team will have the opportunity to take responsibility for managing aspects of the programme and undertaking detailed development of core components of the regulatory regime.
While this is expected to be an enduring Ofgem function, we operate a flexible resourcing model and staff may be re-deployed across the organisation to meet business priorities.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities
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.
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.
Essential Criteria:
- Extensive experience in a policy development role, showing a history of managing the input of relevant analytical, technical, and legal experts to present policy recommendations that highlight the risks, trade-offs, and wider commercial and economic considerations to decision makers (LEAD).
- Extensive experience in the fields of regulation, economics, finance, legal, or engineering (LEAD).
- 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.
- 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.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience in wholesale electricity markets, electricity trading and/or a cap and floor regulatory regime (e.g. Ofgem’s electricity interconnector model)
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Technical Skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
