Senior Enforcement Investigator - Wholesale Market Conduct

Job summary

This role sits at the centre of Ofgem’s work to promote fair, transparent and well‑functioning wholesale gas and electricity markets for the benefit of GB consumers. Working within the Wholesale Market Conduct team, you will play a leading role in monitoring wholesale energy markets for potential breaches of REMIT and relevant generation licence conditions, including prohibitions on market manipulation and insider trading. The role requires sound, real‑world experience of wholesale energy markets rather than purely academic knowledge, with the ability to understand market fundamentals, trading behaviours and complex commercial strategies as they operate in practice. You will lead and contribute to compliance and enforcement activity, producing robust, timely analysis and clear reports that stand up to scrutiny, and engaging directly with wholesale market participants, exchanges and brokers on conduct issues. A core feature of the role is working with large, complex and often unique datasets covering trading activity and physical asset characteristics, using both qualitative judgement and quantitative analysis to identify risks, investigate issues and support evidence‑based recommendations. You will help strengthen the team’s proactive monitoring capability by improving analytical tools and processes, escalating emerging risks, and supporting effective risk management. Alongside investigative work, you will collaborate closely with policy, legal and international colleagues across Ofgem and work with key external stakeholders including the National Energy System Operator, the FCA, ACER and other European regulators. The role also offers opportunities to mentor colleagues, build team capability and contribute to wider projects across the Wholesale Markets Oversight and International portfolio. This is a demanding and influential position for someone who can work independently, think creatively and communicate complex wholesale market issues clearly to non‑expert audiences, while operating confidently in a data‑rich regulatory environment.

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

The Wholesale Market Conduct team promotes and protects the integrity and transparency of wholesale gas and electricity markets so that they work for GB consumers. The team’s major functions include:

• Monitoring the markets for potential breaches of REMIT (Regulation on Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency), which includes prohibitions on market manipulation and insider trading, and certain generation licence conditions such as Transmission Constraint Licence Condition (TCLC) and Inflexible Offer Licence Condition (IOLC).
• Taking action, including enforcement where necessary, to address breaches. This requires understanding market fundamentals and complex trading strategies, and using qualitative and quantitative analysis to support investigations.

This role covers a variety of issues across wholesale markets, with the opportunity to use unique and complex datasets relating to trading activity and producers’ physical characteristics, in order to make the market work better for consumers.

You will work with colleagues in other parts of Ofgem, including policy and legal teams. You will engage with Ofgem’s stakeholders such as National Energy System Operator, the Financial Conduct Authority, Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) and other national regulatory agencies (NRAs) in Europe, as well as gas and electricity stakeholders.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Leading on compliance or enforcement activity in relation to wholesale market conduct issues by producing high quality, timely, and robust analysis and reports and by engaging with market participants and market operators on conduct issues.
• Build capability in the team by improving the team’s analytical tools and processes for proactive monitoring of large and complex wholesale transaction datasets for potential regulation breaches.
• Making evidence-based recommendations: identifying and escalating key issues as well as assisting in the management of risk.
• Contributing to learning and development of colleagues, by mentoring and developing team learning materials.
• Contribute to the delivery of wider projects in the Wholesale Markets Oversight and International portfolio.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Sector knowledge: An understanding of the operation of wholesale energy markets and/or experience of trading (energy, commodities or equities etc) and/or market surveillance systems. (LEAD CRITERIA)
• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills. Experience in analysing complex quantitative and qualitative data and evidence to arrive at conclusions and recommendations. (LEAD CRITERIA)
• Experience of interpreting and applying complex legislation, regulation, rules and processes to deliver effective compliance or enforcement investigations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills that effectively communicate complex issues to non-expert audiences
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, think creatively and work independently.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience using Python or SQL programming languages to manage large datasets and produce compelling analytical outputs.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• You will be required to prepare a presentation at interview stage

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,452, OFGEM contributes £14,326 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), 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 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_460493 Senior Enforcement Investigator Opens in new window (pdf, 170kB)Candidate Pack_460493 Senior Enforcement Investigator Opens in new window (pdf, 605kB)Terms and Conditions Apr25 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)