Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Deputy Director, power sector investment policy
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Location: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Salford, London. Occasional travel to other DESNZ locations will be required.
Working Pattern:
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Flexible working
- Job share
Job Summary: Our power system is transforming as we move towards a renewables-based system, and will need to grow significantly in future years as more of the economy is electrified. This creates several new policy challenges. As part of our response to these challenges, we are moving towards a more strategically planned approach to what investment occurs in new capacity where and when, so that it is better coordinated across our power system.
A new Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) is being developed which will provide a blueprint for what investment we want to see. However, this Plan will not in itself drive action on the ground. To achieve this, we also need to reform the different policy levers which affect these siting and investment decisions across the power system, so that we deliver the new Strategic Spatial Energy Plan efficiently and effectively.
This role leads our work to reform the different policy levers which affect siting and investment decisions across the power system. Our goal is to align these policy and investment levers behind the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and strengthen our ability to strategically plan and coordinate the system we need. By reforming how these decisions on the siting of new investment are made, current estimates are that we could save £10-20bn for consumers over the 2030-50 period, equivalent to around £20-40 off the average annual household electricity bill.
This work is therefore a real opportunity to bear down on the long-term costs of our energy system and help make energy more affordable for all, which is a key Ministerial priority.
Job Description: As Deputy Director, power sector investment policy, you will be responsible for:
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- Leading our work to reform the different policy levers which affect siting and investment decisions across the power system, so that they are aligned with the SSEP. This includes decisions which will affect hundreds of £billions investment support for power generation and on network infrastructure, as well as cross-cutting levers such as spatial planning and locational charging.
- Leading HMG decision-making to shape how these levers need to be reformed to deliver the SSEP, working closely with the relevant policy teams across DESNZ, Ofgem and NESO who own or have an interest in the different levers. You will lead HMG decision-making on the trade-offs this presents across the power system, including how we ensure continued competition to keep costs down for consumers, and how we should take account of uncertainty. You will ensure these decisions are implemented across the different policy teams and organisations involved, including leading on some detailed policy design and implementation from within the Programme.
- The role sits within the Reformed National Pricing Programme and is also responsible for some of our Programme-wide activities, such as stakeholder engagement, comms and briefing. As a senior leader within the Programme and the wider Directorate, you would also be expected to make a full contribution as a member of our senior leadership team, including by working collaboratively across boundaries and flexing resources in line with overall priorities, leading on elements of our local People Plan, and ensuring the Directorate remains a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone to work.
We encourage applications from candidates based in any of DESNZ’s Places for Growth locations as well as London.
Candidates should note that the Directorate has a well-established local L&D programme which receives positive feedback. Other development opportunities will depend on the individual, but the role offers good exposure to a range of policy, delivery and commercial issues.
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Person Specification:
Skills, experience and qualifications (Essential)
Key skills to perform in this role effectively include:
- Team leadership. You will lead a team of 20+ staff, managing resources flexibly across your responsibilities, inspiring and empowering them to perform, providing continued opportunities for them to stretch and develop, and helping ensure a fun and supportive atmosphere;
- Setting strategic policy direction. You will need to exercise good judgement and take confident long-term decisions despite uncertainty or ambiguity, spot connections across different policy levers across the power system and ensure they are joined up, balance different risks and identify robust solutions to emerging market and policy issues, and demonstrate commercial awareness of business and investor incentives and behaviours;
- Working together. Strong collaboration and influencing skills will be essential as our work on Reformed National Pricing cuts across the whole of the power system, engaging many DESNZ policy teams, delivery partners such as Ofgem and NESO, and key external stakeholders;
- Policy delivery leadership. Ensuring that our emerging policy proposals can be implemented successfully by delivery partners, building collaborative relationships with partners while also holding them to account, and the ability to successfully deliver policy projects to timetables and so that they achieve their intended benefits
Desirable
- Prior knowledge of energy markets and/or energy policy would be helpful but is not essential for the role.
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