Policy Officer

Job summary

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. We are at the forefront of change in the energy sector, driving progress towards Net Zero while protecting consumers, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances.

We are looking for a Policy Officer to join our Financial Resilience and Controls Policy team. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a high-profile area of work focused on strengthening financial resilience across the energy sector. Your work will play a key role in protecting consumers and minimising disruption caused by companies exiting the market.

As a Policy Officer, you will support the design, development and delivery of policy across a range of complex and impactful workstreams. You will contribute to analysis of policy proposals, assessing their potential impacts and clearly communicating findings to senior colleagues. You will also support the development of key outputs, including briefings, consultations, decision letters and impact assessments.

Working in a fast-paced environment, you will help manage competing priorities and contribute to effective project delivery, including stakeholder engagement and risk management. You will collaborate with colleagues across Ofgem, including legal and senior management teams, as well as engaging with external stakeholders such as energy companies, industry bodies and government departments.

We are looking for candidates with strong analytical skills, sound judgement and the ability to work collaboratively. You should be comfortable working with both qualitative and quantitative data, and confident communicating complex issues clearly and effectively.

In return, you will join a supportive and inclusive team, with opportunities to develop your skills and contribute to work that supports a resilient, secure and sustainable energy system.

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.

Job description

Key responsibilities and outputs

• Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of policy. This will involve working closely with industry and other stakeholders in Ofgem.
• Support analysis on proposals and their impacts and effectively communicating the benefits, challenges and trade-offs to senior colleagues.
• Support the production of key work, such as briefings, consultations, decision letters and impact assessments.
• Supporting the project management of workstreams and stakeholder engagement, prioritising, scoping and delivering work and engaging with key Ofgem functions to manage risks and issues.

Person specification

Role Criteria

Essential

• Ability to analyse, understand and draw robust conclusions from a range of evidence including both quantitative and qualitative data (LEAD)
• Organisational skills with a track record of managing multiple priorities and delivering against deadlines (LEAD)
• An ability to communicate issues clearly and effectively, both in writing (including using Microsoft PowerPoint) and verbally.
• An ability to build and maintain effective relationships and work as part of a team.
• Demonstrable interest and/or experience in working in regulation, the energy sector, or policy development within the public sector

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,694, OFGEM contributes £7,733 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).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, Ability and Experience.

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be directed to a Civil Service test – guidance for this can be found here Civil Service online tests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The test you are due to take is not timed and you can complete it at your own pace. Upon passing the test, 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 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.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview, including your CV and any statements or examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Ofgem takes any incidences of cheating very seriously. Please ensure all examples provided are of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant applications will be withdrawn from the process. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Please refer to Civil Service candidate advice on the acceptable use of artificial intelligence within the recruitment and selection process - Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

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 : Lucy Dowding
• 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

Role Profile_ 468918 Policy Officer Opens in new window (pdf, 164kB)Candidate Pack _ 468918 Policy Officer Opens in new window (pdf, 659kB)Terms and Conditions Apr25 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)