Senior Policy Adviser – Energy

About the National Infrastructure Commission

By joining the National Infrastructure Commission, you’ll be playing a key role in delivering independent advice to government on the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs. We do this to help support sustainable economic growth across the whole of the UK, improve competitiveness, support climate resilience and the transition to net zero carbon emissions and ultimately improve the quality of life of UK citizens.
We are a collaborative team, working to support the Commissioners in offering forward-thinking recommendations based on a rigorous approach to evidence and consultation, and to monitor government’s progress in implementing the recommendations made.

The Commission’s core responsibilities include:

• Producing a National Infrastructure Assessment once every five years, setting out the Commission’s assessment of long-term infrastructure needs with recommendations to government on how to meet them;
• Carrying out in-depth studies into the UK’s most pressing infrastructure challenges, making recommendations to government; and
• Monitoring the government’s progress in delivering infrastructure policy and programmes recommended by the Commission.

We are looking for an experienced energy policy professional to join us as a Senior Policy Adviser in the energy policy team. The energy sector is in transition. Moving, at pace, from a system reliant on fossil fuels to one powered by low carbon technologies. Energy policy needs to keep pace so that barriers do not become blockers to the changes needed.

This role will be critical in formulating advice to Commissioners on energy policy. It offers the opportunity to work on setting the Commission’s energy policy agenda as it starts to plan its work for the next National Infrastructure Assessment.

In the near term the work itself will likely include leading workstreams on studies directly commissioned by the Chancellor, including the recently commissioned study on the electricity distribution network, and building relationships with key stakeholders to drive forward the recommendations in the National Infrastructure Assessment. You will need to build productive working relationships with key Whitehall departments and across industry, whilst protecting the Commission’s independence. The role will also require working with colleagues across the energy team, and wider secretariat, to deliver to common goals and may include line management responsibility.

The role demands a good grounding in energy sector knowledge and a desire to keep up to date with the pressing issues for the sector. It will require an analytical and inquisitive mind and someone that is not afraid to challenge the status quo. The successful individual will run robust and broad-ranging policy development programmes and deliver high quality and evidence-based advice to the Commission. The Commission is looking for an individual who enjoys getting into the detail but knows how to distil this down into succinct advice and is comfortable with analysing both quantitative and qualitative information.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

1. Conduct research that identifies, scopes and supports delivery of policy projects that are aligned to the Commission’s objectives and builds the Commission’s reputation.
2. Analyse and summarise numerical and potentially complex data that will support the Commission’s understanding of the energy sector.
3. Provide rigorous assessment of the large volumes of information on energy policy topics and have an eye for what is important to the Commission and what is not.
4. Project manage the delivery of your own work and the work of others on the team and/or external consultants. This will include making use of project management tools such as milestone plans, risk registers and engagement plans.
5. Build and manage relationships with stakeholders so that the Commission keeps on top of the energy policy landscape, and use these relationships to shape and drive forward the Commission’s priorities.
6. Communicate clearly to a range of audiences including presenting your work to Commissioners and seeking opportunities to share the Commission’s work with external audiences at industry meetings and conferences.
7. Produce high-quality written material that succinctly summarises the detailed research conducted. Audiences for such material will include the senior management team, Commissioners and our external stakeholders.

Behaviours

1.Seeing the big picture: identify policy problems and objectives that reflect political and strategic priorities by building an awareness of emerging issues and trends which might impact or benefit own and team’s work, and using this awareness to influence future strategies. (Assessed at application and interview)

2.Making effective decisions: can analyse and accurately interpret data and information from various sources, including grasping technical detail. Uses this information to effectively identify options and drive forward evidence-based decision making. (Assessed at application and interview)

3.Communicating and influencing: builds trust with internal and external stakeholders through clear, confident and enthusiastic communication both written and verbally. Tailor communications to the audience including demonstrating an ability to explain complex issues and analysis in way that are clear and compelling. (Assessed at interview)

4.Delivering at pace: ensures everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and organisational priorities. Uses project management tools to support delivery of timely and quality outcomes from yourself and the wider team. (Assessed at interview)

Experience and Technical Skills

1.Experience of the energy sector: Knowledge of the energy sector and an understanding of the energy transformation needed to get to net zero. (Assessed at application)

2.Technical skills in policy development: A track record of leading on policy or strategy development with evidence of your ability to articulate the objectives of policy programmes, to develop and implement plans to achieve them, to draw conclusions from complex and often conflicting evidence and to win the support of senior stakeholders for your proposed approach. (Assessed at application and interview)

The lead criterion is: Seeing the big picture

If we receive a large number of applications, applications will be sifted against this criterion alone first. They will then be assessed against the other criteria if they have met the minimum score on the lead criterion.

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Technical skills in policy development

• 25 days’ annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King’s birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant)
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
• Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving
• Access to a retail discounts and cashback site
• A Rental Deposit Advance Scheme to help meet the total costs of deposits for privately rented homes

Job contact :

• Name : Margaret Read
• Email : margaret.read@nic.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk