Chief Executive Officer

Job summary

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. Our primary responsibility is to protect energy consumers, especially the most vulnerable, while at the same time working with government, industry and consumer groups to deliver a clean, more affordable and secure net-zero energy system at the lowest cost to consumers and drive economic growth.

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

The successful candidate will lead Ofgem through a period of significant system and regulatory evolution, ensuring the organisation is equipped to operate effectively in a more dynamic, investment-driven and consumer-focused energy system. This includes embedding the direction set by the government’s Review of Ofgem whilst strengthening Ofgem’s role as a forward-looking economic regulator.

Working closely with the Board and Executive team, the CEO will ensure Ofgem delivers against its statutory duties, maintains its independence and authority, and builds the capability, credibility and relationships required to support the future energy system.

The successful candidate will lead the evolution of Ofgem’s regulatory approach, ensuring it reflects a high-investment, delivery focused energy system, including the development of more outcome-based and incentivised regulatory frameworks, particularly across network companies. Whilst embedding the direction set by the government’s Review of Ofgem and the three statutory duties – protecting consumers, supporting net zero, and enabling economic growth – ensuring these are balanced effectively in regulatory decision-making.

Ofgem is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment is decided on the basis of open and fair competition, merit and business need.

Job description

As CEO and Board member, the postholder will lead Ofgem through a period of significant transformation, aligning regulatory priorities with government expectations and the evolving energy landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of Ofgem’s strategy, ensuring a clear, credible regulatory approach aligned to a high-investment, delivery-focused energy system.
• Align Ofgem’s strategic direction with the outcomes of the Government’s Review of Ofgem.
• Refocus Ofgem’s remit, concentrating resources and capabilities on core regulatory functions as delivery and schemes responsibilities transition elsewhere.

Regulatory Oversight

• Discharge Ofgem’s statutory duties, including the transition to three equal priorities:
• Ensure effective regulatory compliance across the sector through timely, appropriate interventions.
• Build outcome-focused relationships with network companies and retail market participants to drive investment, innovation, and improved consumer outcomes.

Organisational Leadership

• Provide visible, inspirational leadership, fostering a high-performing, inclusive, and values-driven organisation.
• Lead and develop a strong Executive team, ensuring alignment, capability, and delivery focus.
• Ensure Ofgem invests in its people, skills, and systems, becoming a data-driven organisation and employer of choice.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead Ofgem’s external engagement, building trust and credibility with:
• Maintain Ofgem’s independence and authority, ensuring its voice is influential and respected across all stakeholders.

Key Corporate Responsibilities

• Provide clear strategic direction, ensuring delivery of an effective and credible regulatory framework aligned to the evolving energy system.
• Act as Accounting Officer, ensuring robust governance, financial stewardship, and accountability.
• Oversee the implementation of the Government’s Review of Ofgem, maintaining clarity of purpose and organisational focus.
• Drive an outcomes-based approach, ensuring stakeholder relationships translate into improved sector performance.
• Ensure Ofgem has the capabilities, insights, and systems necessary to operate as a modern, data-driven regulator.

More information on the role is available in the attached candidate pack.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Strategic and system leadership a strong track record of leading large, complex organisations or business units, setting direction and delivering outcomes in dynamic, multi stakeholder environments.
• Commercial and technical judgement professional knowledge and experience that evidence an understanding of regulation and consumer priorities, with the ability to engage credibly with regulated entities on delivery, performance, and risk.
• Intellectual agility – strong analytical capability, comfortable making decisions in complex, data rich environments. Ability to approach regulation from first principles, driving innovation and adapting frameworks to reflect changing market conditions rather than relying on legacy models.
• Stakeholder engagement and influence credibility to influence at Board level and engage senior stakeholders across government, industry, investors and consumer groups. Experience representing an organisation publicly, including in high-profile and scrutinised environments.
• Culture and capability building – proven ability to inspire and empower multi-disciplinary teams, fostering collaborative and high performing environments to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Desirable Criteria

• Energy sector knowledge – experience in the energy sector, infrastructure, or other regulated environments, or the ability to rapidly build sector understanding

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £218,000, OFGEM contributes £63,154 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; SCS holiday entitlement; 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 20% attendance 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

To apply for this post, you will need to follow the link http://www.odgers.com/96158.

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;

A Statement of Suitability (no longer than two pages) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

For further details on the application and selection processes, please see the attached candidate pack.

Holding security clearance up to Developed Vetting (DV) level at the point of application is not required, but successful candidates will need to be willing to obtain DV clearance and will be supported through the process once in post.

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].

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 security check (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.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : thivya.sureshkumar@odgers.com
• Email : thivya.sureshkumar@odgers.com

Recruitment team

• Email : thivya.sureshkumar@odgers.com

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should email Jon Townley, the Head of Talent Acquisition at: Recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website.

Attachments

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