Economist (Infrastructure and Quality Assurance)

Job summary

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

We have an exciting opportunity for two Economists to join the Quality Assurance team within the Office of Research and Economics, part of the Strategy, Economics, Research and Net Zero directorate. The team plays a critical role in ensuring that the analytical work underpinning Ofgem’s most significant regulatory decisions is robust, proportionate and aligned with best practice.

In this role, you will work across a varied and high‑profile portfolio of projects, contributing to analytical assurance for decisions covering network price controls, system management, retail regulation and wholesale market policy. Your work will help ensure that Ofgem’s impact assessments and economic analysis are consistent, credible and capable of supporting decisions that deliver value for consumers while advancing progress towards net zero.

You will apply strong foundations in applied microeconomics, industrial organisation or regulatory economics to challenge analytical assumptions, interpret complex evidence and advise policy teams on the strengths and limitations of different analytical approaches. You will also use your knowledge of statistics and econometrics to interpret external research and support colleagues in determining the evidence required for robust impact assessments.

Working collaboratively across Ofgem, you will contribute to the development of regulatory models, cost assessment tools and analytical frameworks used to assess the impacts of market interventions. You will help ensure effective application of Ofgem’s Impact Assessment Guidance and alignment with HM Treasury’s Green Book and the wider principles of better regulation. You will also support the development of innovative methods and tools, including the use of AI, to enhance analysis and monitoring.

The role requires strong communication skills and confidence in engaging with senior leaders, external organisations and analytical peers across government, including DESNZ and HM Treasury. You will be proactive, able to work independently where required, and demonstrate excellent attention to detail while managing multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.

This position offers variety, intellectual challenge and the opportunity to influence decisions central to the future of the UK energy system. You will strengthen the analytical foundations behind Ofgem’s most important regulatory choices, ensuring they are grounded in sound evidence and clear economic reasoning.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

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

• Contribute to analytical functions related to energy market policies, including work on retail, networks and the generation side of the supply chain.

• Develop and produce regulatory models such as cost assessment models for price controls, cap & floor models, price caps etc.

• Good data analysis skills and ability to work with large excel models. This includes quality assurance of models produced by analytical colleagues, ensuring analytical robustness while acting as a critical friend.

• Support Ofgem colleagues in the production of robust impact assessments, promoting the use of Ofgem’s Impact Assessment guidance and ensuring Ofgem’s policies are in line with Treasury’s Green Book and wider guidance for better regulation.

• Develop relationships across our organisation and the wider industry sector, including with DESNZ. This includes the ability to interpret and present clear, concise, and actionable information and insight to senior colleagues and decision makers.

• Manage interactions with industry consultants and academics as necessary to progress regulatory and economic issues.

• Undertaking high quality research and proactively identifying applicable evidence and analytical methods that contributes to the development of the evidence base to support policy creation
• Help develop innovative approaches, including the use of AI, to enhance data analysis and monitoring

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).

• Strong analytical skills – both quantitative and qualitative and proven experience in the application of these skills to the key responsibilities of this post. (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.

• Demonstration of meeting challenging deadlines and managing multiple priorities, with ability to take initiative, think creatively and work independently.

• 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).

• Sector knowledge: experience of price controls and knowledge of energy networks and/or electricity distribution.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• 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

Economist_Role Profile (L2a) 446176 Opens in new window (pdf, 137kB)Analysis Candidate Pack 446176 Opens in new window (pdf, 706kB)Terms and Conditions April 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)