3x Directors General, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in 1 month

Political

Flexible

£150,000 per year

Job summary

DESNZ leads on the government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. We are responsible for UK energy security, protecting billpayers, supporting economic growth and protecting jobs, and reducing the UK’s emissions. We are a ministerial department, supported by 15 agencies and public bodies and employing around 4,500 staff.

We have an ambitious agenda to deliver that our new Secretary of State has set out. Affordability is rightly at the heart of our work, alongside the need to accelerate delivery across the energy system and deliver growth. To do this well, we are transitioning towards operating through seven new director general groups, designed to provide clearer leadership accountabilities, strengthen alignment between policy and delivery and support collaboration across organisational boundaries. Please click here to learn more about us and our priorities.

Job description

We are seeking three exceptional leaders for the following SCS 3 director general level roles:

1. Director General Net Zero, Climate & Energy System Strategy

Accountable for DESNZ's strategic coherence across the energy system, ensuring the department can translate ministerial ambition into a clear, evidence-led and deliverable long-term direction. The postholder provides the strategic grip that connects long-term priorities to real-world delivery, helping ministers to navigate the most material choices, risks and trade-offs involved in securing clean power and the wider Net Zero transition.

2. Director General Energy Market Reform

Accountable for the coordinated transformation of the UK electricity system, ensuring DESNZ can translate its clean energy ambitions into sector-level delivery at the pace and scale required. The postholder leads the five directorates responsible for renewable electricity generation, electricity systems and networks, energy development planning, offshore petroleum regulation, and electricity security, AI and market reform, bringing together responsibility for the full electricity value chain and associated regulatory and planning delivery.

3. Director General Household Consumers & Energy Retail

Accountable for ensuring that households and consumers are at the centre of DESNZ's mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. The role brings together responsibility for household energy affordability, fuel poverty, retail market design, consumer protection, warm homes and building decarbonisation, and the smart metering programme, providing a single senior owner for the household and consumer agenda.

These are nationally significant leadership roles at the heart of one of the most complex and consequential transformations facing the UK today.

Person specification

In addition to role-specific criteria outlined in the candidate brief, the following core criteria are essential for all three roles:

Whole-System Leadership and Judgement - Exceptional strategic leadership in complex, politically sensitive environments, with the ability to set direction, make high-impact decisions, manage competing priorities and navigate complex trade-offs.
Delivery of Complex Outcomes - A proven track record of leading large-scale, high-profile programmes or services, translating strategic ambition into delivery and achieving outcomes at pace in complex organisational environments.
Influencing and Stakeholder Leadership - Outstanding ability to build productive relationships and secure collective action across organisational boundaries, operating credibly with ministers, regulators, delivery partners, industry and wider stakeholders.
People Leadership and Organisational Stewardship - Experience leading large, multi-disciplinary organisations through change, building high-performing and inclusive cultures, strengthening capability and providing visible corporate leadership.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £150,000, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £43,455 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please see candidate brief attached below for more information.

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

Security

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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

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Salary range

£150,000 per year