Chair of the Independent Challenge Panel - Policy and Strategy

Job summary

Ofgem is working at the forefront of the fight to secure Britain’s energy future, shaping the regulation of a newly established national system operator at the heart of the Net Zero transition. We’re looking for a Chair to oversee the new Independent Challenge Panel, an industry-led panel that will help drive high performance and ensure accountability of a critical organisation that is driving system-wide change across the energy sector.

We’re offering a fixed-term senior leadership opportunity to oversee and govern the new Independent Challenge Panel (ICP) – a key independent stakeholder group in our regulatory framework for the National Energy System Operator (NESO). This will be an industry-led, self-administered panel, with members from across the GB energy sector who represent the full breadth of NESO’s stakeholders. The ICP will provide comprehensive and co-ordinated feedback on stakeholders’ views of NESO’s performance and will produce an annual public report that will inform Ofgem’s incentives decision-making process.

Job description

The role of Chair of the ICP will be a high-profile role with significant influence in ensuring the overall effective operation of the ICP and ensuring that the ICP delivers its roles and responsibilities. This will include: approving the process for appointing panel members and the initial membership, chairing panel meetings to ensure structured feedback is delivered to NESO and facilitating ongoing dialogue between NESO and stakeholders on NESO’s performance at key points under the performance incentives scheme. The ICP Chair will also communicate the Panel’s key annual messages to senior leadership within both Ofgem and NESO, ensuring that stakeholder perspectives and performance insights are appropriately conveyed.

We have a critical purpose to regulate the National Energy System Operator, ensuring it delivers a secure, efficient and resilient energy system while driving forward the transition to Net Zero. Given the vital service-provision role of NESO to the energy industry, stakeholders play a critical role in NESO’s regulation. You will facilitate and lead a central stakeholder mechanism, shaping how NESO performs and ensuring it delivers for consumers now and in the future.

Person specification

Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential criteria. In the event of receiving a large number of applications, an initial sift may take place on just the lead criteria indicated in the essential criteria.

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of chairing, with leadership skills that promote effective decision making and constructive debate. (LEAD)

• Strong understanding of the GB energy sector and the challenges faced in delivering our net zero goals.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage and collaborate with a wide variety of stakeholders.

• Ability to lead independent challenge with a clear focus on consumer outcomes, ensuring that the interests of consumers are appropriately considered alongside industry and system considerations.

• Senior level energy industry or commercial experience.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £15,000, OFGEM contributes £4,345 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).Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; 30 days annual leave after 2 years; Excellent training and development opportunities; The opportunity to join the generous Civil Service pension which also includes a valuable range of benefits; hybrid working (currently 1 day a week in the office but this is kept under review), flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Plus lots of other benefits including clean and bright offices based centrally, engaged networks and teams and an opportunity to contribute to our ambitious and important targets of establishing a Net Zero energy system by 2050. This exciting blend of professional challenge and personal reward identifies career opportunities at Ofgem as something to get excited about.

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

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

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the criteria listed in the role profile. In the event of receiving a large number of applications, an initial sift may take place on just the lead criteria indicated in the essential criteria.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by [https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn].

At Ofgem, we expect our staff to carry out their roles with honesty, fairness and openness. They should follow the Civil Service code and be free from any influence or bias. We are committed to making sure interests are recognised, declared and managed appropriately so that we can fulfil our duties as an energy regulator. Our Conflicts of Interest policy outlines the types of interests Ofgem staff must declare before onboarding, and the rules they must follow throughout employment so that we can clearly demonstrate that our decisions are not influenced by private interests.

#LI-RW1

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.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 : Rob Wilkins
• Email : recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of these Recruitment Principles.

In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website.

Attachments

470877 - Chair of the Independent Challenge Panel Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 658kB)470877 - Chair of the Independent Challenge Panel - Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 192kB)Terms and Conditions April 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)