Lead Financial Policy Specialist

Job summary

Financial resilience is a critical factor in today’s energy market. At Ofgem, we deliver robust analysis that supports our policies, organisation and the wider industry, and we’re seeking a Lead Financial Policy Specialist to drive this important work.

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. We’re at the forefront of change across the sector, driving toward Net Zero whilst protecting consumers, especially vulnerable people.

We’re offering a permanent opportunity within our Financial Resilience and Controls Policy team, where you’ll contribute to how financial safeguards are designed, assessed and strengthened across our regulatory framework.

This work focuses on areas such as capital adequacy, liquidity, governance and insolvency, helping ensure the companies we regulate remain stable and that risks are effectively managed in the interests of consumers.

You’ll operate in a high-profile and fast-moving area, contributing to how financial resilience is understood and applied in practice. Working with colleagues across Ofgem and with external stakeholders, you’ll help ensure decisions are grounded in strong evidence and reflect wider economic and commercial considerations.

To be considered, you’ll need significant experience of leading analysis to support policy development or evaluation, using both quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform decisions. You’ll be an effective leader with a strong understanding of financial resilience, capital and liquidity, or related prudential frameworks, gained within a regulatory, economic or financial institution setting.

In return, you’ll have the opportunity to work on issues that are central to how the energy sector manages financial risk, applying your expertise to complex and high-impact challenges. You’ll be part of a collaborative and inclusive team environment, with the opportunity to develop your leadership and contribute to work that supports a resilient and secure energy system.

We have a critical purpose to ensure the energy system works in the interests of consumers, now and in the future. Join us and help shape the policies that underpin financial resilience across the energy sector.

Read on and find out more.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

To support the team deliverables, that utilise your expertise to ensure successful outcomes across team members and collaborating teams

• Set clear objectives, milestones and success measures for your workstreams; drive progress, manage risks, and ensure delivery to time and quality.
• Work closely with other teams to manage interdependencies, evidence needs, governance requirements and resourcing, ensuring smooth end-to-end delivery.
• Manage and develop junior colleagues as required, providing hands-on coaching, quality assurance and escalation management so that issues are resolved at the right level.
• Contribute to team wellbeing and a supportive, high-performing culture, including pastoral support in partnership with the PDL where relevant.
• Model inclusive leadership and constructive challenge, addressing poor behaviours promptly and fairly and creating an environment where everyone can do their best work.

Support the development of a high-performing team based on effective resource management, ongoing support and professional development

• Provide expert financial resilience guidance to help team members deliver, by building supportive, inclusive team environment based on trust-based relationships, transparency and inclusivity.
• Take ownership for own continued expert development and other team members’ professional development relating to policy development and evaluation:
  • Identifying your own continued professional development.
  • Providing ongoing coaching and identification of development opportunities.

Professional Development Lead (PDL)

Personal Development Lead, the remit will include but not be limited to:

• Mentors and coaches’ staff on personal and professional development in line with the professional standards and behavioural framework for their profession.
• Undertakes their PDL responsibilities in line with Ofgem’s Diversity and Inclusion commitments, championing inclusivity in their approach.
• Collates 360-degree feedback from staff’s colleagues in a thorough and timely manner holding colleagues to account for providing high quality feedback.
• Assesses feedback against the behavioural framework and recommends overall performance rating to the Head of Profession based on sound, constructive and inclusive evidence.
• Delivers high impact and empathetic performance conversations with staff for effective performance management including poor performers.
• Acts as first point of contact in the event of deployment disputes prior to escalation to the Head of Profession.
• Advises staff on deployment opportunities as needed.
• Supporting deployment choices, as part of flexible resourcing.
• Performance management and assessment.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience leading analysis for policy development or evaluation, using quantitative and qualitative evidence to highlight risks, trade-offs, and wider commercial/economic considerations for decision-makers—ideally including work relating to capital and liquidity, financial resilience or prudential frameworks—gained in a regulatory/economic environment or a financial institution (Lead Criteria).
• Proven leadership, with the ability to build effective working relationships, lead delivery through others, and develop less experienced colleagues in a way that creates space for constructive, open and transparent engagement and supports a culture of inclusion (Lead Criteria).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills: you can distil complex quantitative and qualitative evidence into clear recommendations for non-expert audiences, including senior decision-makers.
• Experience developing and evaluating options, making sound recommendations, and prioritising competing demands to deliver at pace while maintaining quality.

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• You will be asked to complete a technical test/case study at interview. Full details of the test/case study will be provided 30 minutes prior to your interview slot.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,443, OFGEM contributes £18,379 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, Experience and Technical skills.

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel) and upload a copy of your CV anonymising all details where necessary.

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential criteria 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 identified lead criteria indicated in the essential criteria.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview where they will be assessed using behaviours-based questions and a selection of experience-based questions specific to the role. A second-stage interview may also be required when two or more candidates are closely matched.

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.

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 : Lewis Buckley
• 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

Lead Financial Policy Specialist, Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 108kB)Lead Financial Policy Specialist, Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 720kB)Terms and Conditions April 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 366kB)