Cyber Policy Advisor

Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 27th September 2024

 
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Details

Reference number

369298

Salary

£37,000 - £39,955
London: £37,000 - £39,955 (pro-rata for part-time hours)
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Higher Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DESNZ - Energy Markets and Supply - Energy Security & Resilience

Type of role

Policy

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

London

Job summary

Do you want a career where you can make a real difference? Do you want to work at the forefront of current policy making decisions? Do you want to have an impact on the UK and beyond? If yes, then a career at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) could be for you.     

Here at DESNZ we are delivering our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, with clean electricity by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s journey to net zero. Our work is helping ensure clean energy for all, keep bills down and seize the opportunities to lead the world in new green industries, taking back control of our energy with Great British Energy and encouraging greater energy efficiency across the UK. The work of the department has never been more timely or relevant, and by joining us you will be part of making that difference.   

Our work is varied, interesting and most importantly it's impactful. Our DESNZ Values are interwoven into everything we do; we are bold, we are collaborative, we are inclusive, and we learn. As a department we are committed to these values to build a culture where everyone can thrive 

We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.  

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy. 

Find Out More 

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://forms.office.com/e/pqUhdr3L72 

 

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/

Job description

Do you want to work directly with senior officials on live, high-profile national security issues, in a dynamic environment? Do you enjoy working on new and evolving areas of policy with trusted partner organisations? Then a role in the Cyber Policy Team, which coordinates DESNZ' cyber security work could be for you!

We focus on ensuring that risks to critical infrastructure in the gas, electricity and oil sectors are understood and that appropriate mitigations are established by industry and Government. There will be opportunity to use your influencing skills with a range of external and internal partners and across Whitehall, so that critical energy infrastructure is adequately protected.

This role is focused on increasing cyber security in the energy sector supply chain. This is an area that is growing in importance as supply chains become more critical and interlinked. As we increase levels of cyber resilience amongst our key operators, we need to ensure that their suppliers are not the weak link in our defences!

You will be an individual who can demonstrate drive, excellent communication, interpersonal skills and a willingness to learn and grapple with a complex but important policy problems. You will develop new and exciting policy to bring in guidance (and possibly regulatory requirements) for critical suppliers in the energy sector.

You will produce succinct high-quality briefings for ministers and other key senior customers on supply chain policy and ensure it aligns with XWH supply chain policy.

You will also partner with industry via our supply chain industry working group to ensure that policy is developed in an impactful and industry consulted way and helps to mitigate supply chain cyber risks.
This dynamic role also involves close working with partners across Whitehall, including Cabinet Office and the National Cyber Security Centre (part of GCHQ).

Emergencies can occur at any time so you will become a member of the Out of Hours Emergency Rota (roughly 1 week in 6), providing a 24hr/7days a week capability. An additional allowance is provided for this function.

Person specification

Key responsibilities

  • Policy development to improve security of the cyber supply chain.
  • Work with operators of energy critical national infrastructure (CNI) to understand their operations and their cyber vulnerabilities.
  • Lead engagement with partners in DESNZ, across Whitehall and with the NCSC.
  • Support, produce and delivery high quality briefing and key presentations for senior colleagues and Ministers as well as answer parliamentary correspondence and questions.
  • Participate in emergency response training and exercises and assist with DESNZ’s response to emergencies in the energy sector when needed.
  • Support and potentially oversee relationship management with industry on cyber security issues via our industry supply chain forum.

Skills and experience

  • Experience of supporting policy development
  • Strong written and communication skills
  • Organised self-starter with a willingness to learn new skills
  • Stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to forge and maintain good relationships.
  • This is a non-technical role. Background knowledge of energy or cyber security, supply chain or security policy is desirable but not necessary. Full training will be provided.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Changing and Improving
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together
Alongside your salary of £37,000, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £10,718 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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 average employer contribution of 27%.
  • 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.
  • A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

Office attendance

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and a number of behavioural statements.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 250 words) to explain what interests you about working in cyber security and how your skills suit this role

Please note - the CV incorporated into the application form is for information purposes only and will not be scored.

Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements and personal statement. 

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behavioural statement - Changing and Improving.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will consist of behaviour-based questions

Sift and interview dates

Expected Timeline subject to change

Sift dates: w/c 30/09/2024

Interview dates: w/c 07/10/2024

Interview Location: MS Teams.

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

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. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero  from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

DESNZ does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DESNZ cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DESNZ holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Feedback



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name : Annabel Fleming
  • Email : annabel.fleming@energysecurity.gov.uk

Recruitment team

  • Email : desnzresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance DESNZrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints

Attachments

DESNZ TCs v1.2 Opens in new window (doc, 174kB)

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