Deputy Director, Energy Infrastructure & Markets Analysis
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 2nd January 2025
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About the job
Job summary
Job description
Decarbonising the power sector, while ensuring a secure electricity supply and keeping costs as low as possible, is a key part of this transformation. Our future electricity system will look and operate very differently in future, and will also play a much bigger role in our economy as other sectors (such as transport or heating) increasingly switch away from fossil fuels. This will require multi-£billions investment to transform how we produce, distribute and consume energy, as well as a strong long-term and system-wide perspective to ensure strategic coherence across multiple policy and infrastructure programmes.
Innovative and influential evidence and analysis is essential to underpin these decisions. You will lead our work to support Ministers and policy makers across three Groups within the Department, championing the role of evidence in decision-making. You will work alongside two other Deputy Directors to jointly lead the multi-disciplinary, 100+ strong Energy Infrastructure & Markets Analysis team. The precise division of responsibilities between the three Deputy Director roles can be flexed depending on your background and working pattern. We therefore welcome applications from colleagues with a range of working patterns and backgrounds.
You will also be part of our wider leadership team within the Directorate and the wider Analysis Function, role-modelling the culture and behaviours we want to see. We want this to be known as a great place to work, where everyone feels that they are treated with respect, trusted to do their job and contribute their ideas, and supported by their team.
Key Responsibilities
- Providing best in class analysis, including driving strategic and analytical thinking across energy infrastructure and markets policy development and delivery, and building analytical capability for the future.
- Planning and delivering a wide portfolio of analysis, supporting strategic and delivery priorities across three DG-led Groups. In the year ahead the team’s priorities will include, for example: economic assessments for multi-£bn projects, including options development and assessment; innovative analysis to inform major system-wide changes to markets, systems and networks, and the role of strategic planning; embedding a new suite of power sector modelling tools across all our work; competition and value-for-money analysis for auctions and other funding allocation programmes; contributing towards analysis of cross-sector delivery risks and mitigation options; and monitoring and evaluating major policy programmes.
- Forging positive relationships with Directors and other senior leaders across the energy infrastructure and markets policy and analytical community, to ensure analysis has most impact, and works seamlessly across other linked technology areas such as hydrogen, energy from waste, and advanced nuclear.
- Developing our applied economics and other analytical capabilities needed to respond effectively to future challenges and opportunities in a way that delivers value-for-money.
- Leading a multidisciplinary team of 120+ and research budget of £2m+ efficiently, with partner Deputy Directors.
Person specification
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:
- Strong leadership and management skills with the ability to motivate and empower the team to perform, with a focus on building the team’s capability, and to innovate and think strategically to develop new policies and programmes.
- A strong track record as an analyst with experience of working in a policy environment, comfortable leading the interface between analysis and policy, and able to draw strategic conclusions from often complex and uncertain data.
- A depth of practical experience of applying economic appraisal techniques, such as to inform complex or contentious business cases for major projects (including experience of drawing insight from complex models) or in market design, and approaches to evaluating the impacts of policies.
- A collaborative approach when working with partners and colleagues from different analytical disciplines to deliver complex programmes across boundaries, and experience of building highly effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders, with an ability to influence and confidently challenge when necessary.
Qualifications
Membership of the relevant analytical profession (Government Economics Service, Government Social Research Service, Government Operational Research Service or Government Statistical Group)
We actively encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds. Direct experience in energy policy is not essential. We would particularly value applications from candidates with a depth of experience in applied economics and/or systems thinking and modelling, to complement the experience we have across the leadership team.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
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.
- 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.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55, Thursday 2nd January 2025. As part of the application process you are asked to complete the following:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
- A Statement of Suitability (max 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.
For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.
Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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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Working for the Civil Service
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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Candidate
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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