Senior Policy Lead (Network Planning)

As Great Britain's regulator for the energy industry, Ofgem exists to ensure a safe, secure and sustainable energy supply to British households and businesses.

In every aspect, energy policy is something that touches all of our lives. As our policy work influences the entire energy industry, it is a rewarding but fundamental aspect of protecting consumer’s needs. We are looking for a candidate who will meet our challenges head-on.

Operating within the System Planning and Connections portfolio of the System Planning, Engineering and Technology (SPEnT) Directorate, and reporting directly to the Head Of Transmission Network Planning, you will be instrumental in developing policies for the GB electricity transmission system that will ensure decarbonisation targets are met, at the lowest possible cost for consumers.

As a key member of our team, you will collaborate closely with colleagues across Ofgem to develop a methodology for the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) network planning process. We're looking for someone with experience in infrastructure planning, preferably of Great Britain’s electricity transmission networks, who can guide our approach through informed analysis, with the ability to lead and provide end-to-end knowledge to wider teams.

You will be a great team player with the ability to collaborate extensively with external stakeholders and transmission network operators. You will develop a guidance framework for the FSO’s CNSP implementation. Through your strong written skills you will draft policy consultations, respond to the FSO’s consultations, and draft other vital documents relating to network planning. You will effectively communicate evidence-based benefits and challenges to key stakeholders and Ofgem Colleagues.

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

Energy policy is something that touches on every aspect of our lives – at home, at work and at play. Energy fuels our society and our economy. That’s why our policy work is so important, and so rewarding. It protects consumers. It enables businesses. It influences the entire energy industry. And it helps to bring about the seismic societal and infrastructure changes that will be the foundations for a Net Zero future.

Rising prices and security of supply are challenging all parts of the energy sector to consider how we can collectively ensure that this crucial foundation for our society remains accessible to all. And as well as the complexity of the here and now, we continue to look to the future – ensuring that energy policies support a shift away from fossil fuels and that new, renewable energy sources are identified and developed into viable alternatives. And we are challenging the wholesale energy market to do more to ensure more efficient pricing and a better deal for consumers.

Such challenging times require bold action. We are looking for people to meet the challenges we face head-on, and help us deliver a greener, fairer energy system.

Our policy practice is founded on three pillars: Strategy - ensuring that sound evidence and analysis informs our approach; Democracy - giving confidence that robust governance and accountability supports effective decision-making; and Delivery – effective implementation and delivery systems that see policy impact on practice.

You will be someone who:

• Thrives in an agile fast-paced environment with a proven background of delivering benefits for consumers, communities, or society. We value diversity of experience and you may bring this from a range of places including (but not limited to): strategy development, policy development and regulation analysis, commercial analysis, compliance, financial management, operational delivery and/or risk management
• Is interested in the energy sector, including Ofgem’s role in protecting consumers, controlling prices and stabilizing the energy market
• Champions our culture of inclusion and encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues, fuelling our innovation and ensuring we best represent the consumers and the communities we serve

Person specification

Key Responsibilities (Generic)

Policy Development & Delivery

• Proactively leads a policy area and provides the end-to-end knowledge and strategic oversight to support effective decision making and continuous improvement
• Proactively leads continuous development of their domain knowledge, policy proposals, research, technology, consumer needs and stakeholder perspectives in their policy/strategy area
• Works flexibly across Ofgem to ensure delivery of organisation priorities in line with business planning, guiding, supporting, and collaborating with colleagues to respond effectively to change
• Leads on the delivery of high quality, timely, and robust analysis of core issue/s and policy options resulting in evidence-based and deliverable recommendations.
• Leads key projects, including responsibility for internal and external stakeholder engagement, prioritising, planning and delivering work.
• Ensures decision makers consider relevant legislation and regulation and any specific case issues and escalates critical issues as needed to ensue delivery for consumers.

Stakeholder Management

• Effectively communicating the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs from policy proposals to Ofgem colleagues and sectoral stakeholders, effectively using evidence to build understanding and commitment to action.
• Ensures effective delivery by working collaboratively across team boundaries and engaging with key Ofgem functions and relevant government departments - developing close links to manage and mitigate risks
• Representing Ofgem externally and building constructive stakeholder relationships to ensure challenges and issues are identified and resolved in consumers’ interests
• Is demonstrably accessible and identifiable to all who operate in their policy/strategy area as and Ofgem lead/expert and in turn knows who to engage to improve policy design and delivery

Key Responsibilities (Role Specific)

• Support the Future System Operator (FSO) in developing the Methodology for the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) network planning process.
• Support the FSO in the development of the scope of CSNP and consider interactions with other processes.
• Support the FSO in the development of the analysis and decision-making approach for electricity transmission network planning.
• Support the FSO in the development of the development of the approach to considering environmental and community impacts of new networks.
• Support in the review and modification of industry codes, as required to develop and implement the CSNP methodology.
• Collaborate with external stakeholders, including with leading industry experts, the FSO and transmission network owners.
• Collaborate with other teams within Ofgem and other government departments, who are also working on related and interdependent workstreams to achieve common goals.
• Develop the guidance framework for the FSO's CSNP implementation and outputs.
• Draft policy consultations and decision documents relating to network planning policy.
• Develop the governance framework for CSNP, and lead Ofgem’s governance of FSO's CSNP outputs. This will include checking if the Methodology has been followed and assessing the 'needs case' for projects that form part of the CSNP to consider if they represent good value for GB consumers.
• Build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, particularly Government, FSO, regulated network companies, third parties interested in the development of electricity networks, power station developers, potential bidders and investors.

The post holder can also expect to support other activities carried out by the Strategic Planning and Connections portfolio in line with priorities and workloads at the time

Essential Criteria

• (LEAD) Experience in infrastructure planning, preferably in Great Britain’s electricity transmission networks.
• Policy Skills: identifying, analysing, and articulating complex problems; working with other professionals (for example analytical, technical, and legal) to develop solutions and options, and presenting policy recommendations that consider the trade-offs, risks, and dependencies to aid effective decision making.
• Managing delivery: set clear goals and priorities, supports others to solve problems, overcome challenges, seeking feedback and means of continuous improvement.
• Clearly identifies and communicates the relevance, interdependencies and strategic fit of their work to organisational priorities both internally and externally
• Demonstrably identifies and understands the value/contribution of internal and external partners and effectively creates open, creative, constructive, timely and inclusive engagement.

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• Please refer to the Candidate Pack and Role Profile attached for full details.