Economist (Infrastructure and Price Controls)

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.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Economist (Infrastructure and Price Controls) to join our Office of Research and Economics within the Strategy, Economics, Research and Net Zero (SERN) directorate. This is your chance to play a key role in shaping the UK’s energy future by ensuring that major infrastructure and regulatory decisions are grounded in robust, high quality economic analysis.

You’ll work flexibly across priority projects in Ofgem’s Infrastructure portfolio, contributing to areas such as RIIO price controls, network regulation and the assessment of largescale infrastructure proposals. Your work will help ensure that our decisions are evidence based, deliver value for consumers and support the transition to a fair, affordable and resilient net-zero energy system.

In this role, you will deliver high quality economic analysis and provide clear recommendations to policy teams. You will support impact assessments, appraisals and cost benefit analysis, while reviewing economic models, challenging assumptions and interpreting key outputs. You’ll also collaborate with policy specialists and external partners, including DESNZ, NESO and academic experts to ensure the strongest analytical standards underpin our regulatory decisions.

You’ll contribute to a range of written outputs, from internal briefings to published documents, often communicating complex economic concepts in a clear, engaging and accessible way. You will work closely with colleagues across Ofgem and external stakeholders to provide analytical assurance on major projects and help shape the future direction of price controls and network regulation.

This role offers variety, intellectual challenge and the chance to influence some of the UK’s most significant infrastructure and regulatory decisions. You’ll play a central role in supporting Ofgem to deliver effective, evidence driven regulation that protects consumers and supports the net zero transition.

Join us and help strengthen the economic foundations behind the decisions that shape the future of the UK’s energy system.

Job description

Purpose and key outputs

The aim of this role is to be part of a growing function providing flexible economist resource to priority projects across the infrastructure portfolio of work in Ofgem. It would be an attractive role for those looking to gain experience across different areas of energy economics. You will:

• Assist across different work areas in Ofgem’s Infrastructure directorates in the context of operating in a new and growing team designed to work flexibly.

• Support the delivery of high-quality analytical work packages producing analysis and impact assessments for infrastructure projects, including Ofgem’s RIIO price controls

• Develop effective relationships with team members and infrastructure policy leads and team members, to ensure effective work

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to one of Ofgem’s Principal or Senior Economists, responsibilities will include:

• Undertake, support and collaborate with policy teams in applying economic thinking and producing robust quantitative and qualitative analysis, including to inform policy design.

• Contribute to Ofgem’s work on impact assessments as well as supporting on appraisals, cost-benefit analysis and policy analysis.

• Review and quality assure economic models, challenge input data and assumptions, and interpret output data.

• Contribute to producing both internal and external documents presenting or communicating analysis, often in a non-technical way.

• Assess the reliability and relevance of evidence and give objective advice.

• Collaborate with teams across Ofgem and in some cases with partners (e.g. DESNZ, NESO) to provide assurance on the quality of analytical work on major projects.

Key Stakeholder Relationships

• Chief Economist, Head of Economic Analysis, Principal and Senior Economists in the Office of Research and Economics.

• Policy teams from across the Infrastructure Group, particularly those involved in analytical work underpinning key Ofgem decisions.

• Where appropriate to the work packages, external senior stakeholders including academics, other regulators, government departments etc.

Person specification

ESSENTIAL:

• Degree in Economics/related subject or comparable capability built through relevant professional experience in economic analysis (LEAD CRITERIA).

• Ability to effectively communicate and synthesise analysis, ideas and data for a variety of audiences, both verbally and in writing (LEAD CRITERIA).

• Ability to flexibly and effectively deliver high-quality work in a timely way across a range of different analytical projects.

• Analytical skills using relevant software packages (one or more of R, STATA, Python, or Excel). Ideally experience of applying these tools in a professional context.

DESIRABLE:

• Experience of working on comparable economic issues with an understanding of the principles of economic regulation (e.g. working in the energy sector, consultancy, price controls, regulated companies, regulators or government departments).

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,123, OFGEM contributes £9,885 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; 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 and desirable 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.

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.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 : Lisa Buchanan
• 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

446040 Economist Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 132kB)Analysis Candidate Pack 446040 Opens in new window (pdf, 706kB)Terms and Conditions April 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)