Director of Great British Energy Local, DESNZ
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 11th November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
About Great British Energy
Great British Energy will be a publicly owned, operationally independent energy company, designed to drive clean energy
deployment, boost energy independence, create jobs and ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, homegrown energy. Setting up Great British Energy is one of government’s first steps for change and we will do this in a way that means it will have both an early impact and long-term success.
Great British Energy’s mission will be to responsibly accelerate the energy transition - enable and accelerate clean energy deployment, boost energy independence, create jobs and ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure,home-grown energy. Through its five functions (Project development, Project investment and ownership, Local Power Plan, Supply chains and working with Great British Nuclear), Great British Energy will speed
up the deployment of mature and new technologies, as well as local energy projects, to support the government’s aim of decarbonising our electricity system by 2030 whilst also ensuring we can meet future demand as we further decarbonise the economy.
To this end and as an example of what it can achieve, we have already agreed a major partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate to accelerate deployment and support UK supply chains.Great British Energy will work collaboratively with industry, local authorities and communities, and other public sector organisations such as the National Wealth Fund, to spread skilled jobs and investment across the country. Great British Energy will be backed by a capitalisation of £8.3 billion of new money over this Parliament.
In recognition of Scotland’s leading role in the UK’s clean energy revolution, Great British Energy will be headquartered and run from Aberdeen.
More details can be found in the Great British Energy founding statement.
Job description
About the Role
Local power generation is an essential part of the energy mix, ensuring communities own and benefit from clean power projects, and reducing pressures on the transmission grid. Great British Energy will provide support to deliver the Local Power Plan, putting local authorities and communities at the heart of restructuring
our energy economy. The plan will give them a stake in the transition to net zero as owners and important stakeholders in local clean power projects.
Through partnering with and providing funding and support to Local and Combined Authorities and Community Energy Groups, the Local Power Plan, delivered by Great British Energy Local, will roll out small and medium-scale renewable energy projects, using established technologies, to develop up to 8 GW of cheaper,
cleaner power. This will include shared ownership projects in partnership with private developers. This will support a more decentralised and resilient energy system, with more local generation and ownership.
The Local Power Plan will help crowd in investment while ensuring benefits flow directly back into local communities. This increased investment will create thousands of skilled, clean energy jobs across the country and change communities for the better.
To support local and combined authorities, and community energy groups in accessing funding, the Local Power Plan will also provide commercial, technical and project-planning assistance, increasing their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas. The Local Power Plan will ensure
there is coherence with other existing public sector advisory functions, funding and finance organisations operating in the local energy space, such as the UK Infrastructure Bank.
The Director of Great British Energy Local will be a pivotal member of the Great British Energy leadership team. Responsible for shaping and delivering the organisation's local delivery function to enable delivery of Great British Energy’s mission. The successful candidate will have experience of and be credible with the
community energy sector, Local Authorities and Mayoral Combined Authorities. The role also requires someone who understands grants, debt and equity in this space. Equally important is an understanding of what it takes to make projects works on the ground, including developing a successful business case, community and supply chain engagement.
Roles in what will become Great British Energy will initially be undertaken in shadow form within the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. They will then be transferred to Great British Energy when the Great British Energy Bill becomes law and the company has the necessary procedures and systems in place
to employ people directly.
Key Responsibilities
As Director of Great British Energy Local your main responsibilities will include:
- Work with the CEO and DESNZ Deputy Director, Local Power Plan, DESNZ Chief Digital and Information Officer and their teams to establish and lead a customer focused, digital first and high performing local delivery function.
- As part of the Great British Energy leadership team, shape the development of the company’s strategy, culture, values and operating model.
- Build and embed the Great British Energy Local operating model, including creating teams, building capability and developing structures and systems, to provide high quality customer services that are operationally excellent in conjunction with the DESNZ Local Power Plan and Digital teams. This function is likely to include regional hubs to operate close to customers and build good local knowledge.
- Develop a pipeline of credible local power projects in partnership with community energy groups, local authorities and mayoral combined authorities that align with strategic spatial energy plans and local area energy plans which Great British Energy and others could invest in to deliver sustainable decentralised energy generation and community benefits.
- Work with DESNZ to develop a suite of financial instruments (e.g. grants, repayable grants, debt and equity) that can be flexibly and promptly deployed into local projects to unlock barriers to accelerated delivery and drive community ownership.
- Work with DESNZ and other partners to develop a customer focused and efficient, technically expert capability offering for project owners that supports them with addresses barriers to project initiation, development, construction and sustainable operations. Build strong partnerships with other organisations who provide support to local actors for local power projects to provide a coherent and joined up public offering.
- Work with the Director for Policy and External Affairs to design and implement a stakeholder engagement and trusting partnership approach to working with key actors in local power projects in particular community energy groups, local authorities, mayoral combined authorities and the devolved administrations.
- Set up and lead a high performing, digital first and expert operations team for the local function, creating a culture that values efficient delivery which meets customers’ expectations using well designed processes, systems and procedures.
Person specification
Skills, experience and qualifications (Essential) -It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability
that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following
Essential Criteria
- A proven track record of successful senior leadership of a complex local delivery operation, ideally within the energy sector or a related industry. The ability to contribute effectively as part of a senior executive leadership team that provides organisational leadership, direction and strategic focus.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills with evidenced ability to display the requisite gravitas, credibility and commercial intelligence to proactively and constructively engage both internally and externally, across government departments, devolved administrations, local government, community groups and co-investors.
- Strong understanding of UK government policy processes, with good political acumen, and parliamentary engagement.
- Strong understanding of financial instruments including public sector standards governing distribution of government grants as well as debt and equity, and ability and commercial nous to work with project finance experts to deploy the right financial intervention for long term project success.
- Highly skilled in operational excellence, building, leading and motivating teams to provide a digital first, customer focused offering, creating a culture that values efficient delivery that meets customers’ expectations using well designed processes, systems and procedures, with decisions underpinned by data and customer insight.
- Passionate about the Company and its policy objectives to deliver clean energy, drive economic growth, create UK jobs and supply chains and provide value for the UK taxpayer. Whilst demonstrating a passion for creating societal impact and value.
We encourage applications from a diverse (including gender diverse) background. If you have any questions about your suitability or would like further information about the role. Please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
Benefits
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period. Senior Civil Servant (SCS) staff are expected to aim for closer to 60% of the time at an office or non-home based location over the accounting period.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55 on Monday 11th November 2024. As part of the application process you are asked to complete the following:
- A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited to undertake one assessment as part of this recruitment prior to a final interview panel:
A staff engagement exercise: a structured exercise which involves shortlisted candidates facilitating a discussion with a selection of staff from the Department on a given topic.
An Individual Leadership Assessment: a facilitated discussion designed to gauge an idea of your comparative strengths and weaknesses against the requirements of the role. You will be asked to provide specific examples of situations to best understand your style and approach. This will help the assessor put your assessments results into context in terms of your experience and achievements in and out of work.
These assessments will not result in a “pass” or “fail” decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.
More information on assessments can be found by visiting https://scs-assessments.co.uk/
Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder, Emma Floyd – Director, Great British Energy. Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role, and is not part of the assessment process.
4. Final Interview which will include a presentation exercise.
For further information on the application process and an overview on what to expect, please visit the Civil Service Careers website.
Overview of the Process
Government Recruitment Service will acknowledge your application and advise you of the outcome of the sift meeting. Depending on the number of applications
received there may be a second stage sift.
Applications will be sifted to select those demonstrating the best fit with the post against the criteria set out in the person specification. Please ensure you keep this
in mind when writing your CV and supporting statement.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Arrangements for interview
The final selection panel interviews will be held on or close to Monday 9th December 2024.
If candidates are required to prepare a presentation for their interview, they will be given at least one week’s notice of the subject.
Expenses incurred by candidates during the recruitment process will not be reimbursed by the Department except in exceptional circumstances and only
Indicative Timeline
Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. If you are unable to meet these timeframes, please let us know by contacting scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Please ensure you quote the job title and reference number in your email.
Interviews will be held in person in Aberdeen. Candidates are asked to note the timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process. The confirmed timetable is as follows:
Advert Closing Date – 23:55 Monday 11th November 2024
Shortlist Meeting– Week Commencing 18th November 2024
Assessments – Week Commencing 25th November
Interviews – Week Commencing 9th December 2024
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.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DESNZ Candidate Guidance. A DESNZ Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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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).
Diversity and Inclusion
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
