Deputy Director, Central Analysis and Green Economy

Job summary

Are you ready to shape the analytical direction of one of the UK’s most ambitious missions — making Britain a clean energy superpower?

We are seeking an inspiring and strategic leader to head up a high-impact analytical team at the heart of DESNZ. The team itself brings together expertise on value for money and cost-benefit analysis, economic growth, industrial policy, private investment and skills.

This is a unique opportunity to influence major government decisions on economic growth, industrial policy, private investment, and skills — all while building a thriving analytical community that drives evidence-based policymaking across the department. You’ll lead a team that sits at the intersection of policy, strategy, and evidence. Your work will directly inform ministerial decisions and help ensure that billions of pounds of public investment deliver maximum value for money.

This is a high-performing cross-cutting analytical team that brings together expertise in economics, economic growth, industrial policy, skills, and the department’s clean energy mission. You will have responsibility for advising on value for money, providing guidance and advice on analysis across DESNZ, supporting core departmental activities such as the Spending Review as part of a strategic partnership with Strategy and Finance, co-ordinating and leading analysis in relation to economic growth, private investment, jobs and skills and supply chains. You will also be expected to play an active role in the department’s analytical leadership team and the analytical community.

Job description

• Advising ministers and senior officials on the value for money of DESNZ’s spending, ensuring a robust, high quality and persuasive evidence base for decision-making
• Providing analytical support and briefing to the Chief Analyst for sign-off on impact assessments, business cases and value for money
• Providing guidance and advice on analysis across all DESNZ policy areas
• Developing and delivering cross-cutting analytical training to all of DESNZ
• Helping set the strategic direction for analysis in DESNZ and across Whitehall
• Co-ordinating and leading analysis in relation to economic growth, private investment, jobs and skills, and supply chains
• Leading analysis to support the department’s mission to make Britain a clean energy super power
• Building an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing analytical community. You’ll play a key role in helping to diversify the profession, embed inclusive analytical practices, and ensure our evidence reflects the experiences of all communities across the UK.

This is an exciting development opportunity for the right person. To support you, you’ll have access to a wide range of learning and development opportunities, mentoring, and support to help you thrive. As part of your application, we want to hear about why this is the right development opportunity for you.

Person specification

Within your CV and Statement of Suitability, it is important that you give evidence and examples of proven experience for each of the following essential criteria:

• An inspiring leader, with experience of building inclusive and collaborative teams
• The ability to persuade and influence others and establish collaborative relationships with a wide range of senior, influential stakeholders across organisational boundaries
• A track record of navigating the political landscape and an ability to present complex information in a clear concise way
• Experience in making difficult judgements on value for money of government schemes, applying Green Book principles, and making clear analytical arguments
• Membership of one of the core analytical professions in government (economics, statistics, social research and operational research) or equivalent experience

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience in energy, Net Zero or climate-related analysis highly desirable

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £23,465 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 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

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.

How to apply

To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55, Wednesday 18th February 2026. As part of the application process you are asked to complete the following:

1. A CVsetting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A Statement of Suitability(no more than 1,000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
3. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to undertake a series of psychometric assessments including a Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) as part of the recruitment process prior to the final interview. This assessment will not result in a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ decision. Rather it is designed to support the panels decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.
4. Final Interview which will include a presentation exercise. Full details will be shared with shortlisted candidates nearer the time.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

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.

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 counter-terrorist 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 : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scsrecruitment.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 desnzresourcing.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 at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/

Attachments

2026.01.21 DESNZ Deputy Director Central Analysis and Green Economy Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1012kB)443769 - DD Central Analysis & Green Economy Accessibility Pack Opens in new window (docx, 215kB)