Head of Markets Analysis and Strategy

Details

Reference number

489311

Salary

£63,443 - £86,547 London £67,975 - £86,547
National £63,443 - £80,425
Existing civil servants will be appointed in line with the Civil Service pay rules in place on the date of their appointment. Please ensure that you read the Pay and Reward information for Civil Service and internal colleagues that can be found in the candidate pack. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP

Job grade

Grade 6
Other LEVEL 3

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

OFGEM - Analysis and Assurance

Type of role

Analytical
Economist
Statistics
Strategy

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Successful candidates may be based in any of our office locations – Cardiff, Glasgow, or London. We especially welcome applicants from Cardiff and Glasgow.

About the job

Job summary

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. Our mission is to protect energy consumers, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances, and support the transition to a cleaner, greener and more affordable energy system.

We are looking for a Head of Markets Analysis & Strategy to join our team within the Financial Resilience and Controls directorate. This is a high-profile leadership role at the heart of Ofgem’s financial resilience framework, helping to identify emerging risks, strengthen regulatory decision-making and support the resilience of Great Britain’s energy retail market.

As Head of Markets Analysis & Strategy, you will lead a team responsible for shaping our strategic approach to financial resilience and providing trusted, evidence-based advice to senior leaders, colleagues and government partners. Your work will help ensure regulatory decisions are informed by robust financial and market analysis.

The role involves leading complex analytical work, overseeing the assessment of supplier resilience, monitoring market developments and identifying emerging risks. You will translate financial and market evidence into clear insights, options and recommendations that support policy and regulatory decision-making.

You will also provide expert advice on market structures, financial performance and the impact of regulation, while helping to improve analytical frameworks, financial monitoring and reporting. This work will support timely, reliable and actionable insight across Ofgem. Working closely with colleagues across Ofgem and external stakeholders including government departments, suppliers, industry bodies and regulators, you will build strong relationships and influence decision-making across a range of audiences.

As a people leader, you will set the strategic direction for the team, oversee the quality of analytical outputs and support the development of multidisciplinary colleagues. You will foster an inclusive culture and help build analytical capability across the organisation.

We are looking for someone with strong quantitative and qualitative analytical expertise, together with experience developing or improving analytical frameworks, models or risk assessment approaches. You will be comfortable exercising sound judgement, interpreting complex evidence and presenting clear recommendations to senior decision-makers.

This role would suit an experienced leader with a background in economic, financial or regulatory analysis who enjoys solving complex problems and delivering high-quality outcomes.

Job description

Key Role Responsibilities

• Provide expert financial advice: Advise on market structures, financial performance and responses to regulation to build our strategy regarding the impact of financial regulation with a particular focus on the investability of the sector.
• Shape and evaluate policy considerations: Translate financial evidence into clear options and recommendations.
• Strengthen resilience oversight: Assess sector resources, financial pressures and emerging risks to support a more efficient and effective approach to market oversight.
• Turn evidence into insight: Oversee the production of clear analysis, briefings and advice to help senior leaders, governance forums and colleagues across Ofgem understand risks and make informed decisions.
• Build analytical capability: Provide expert guidance, coaching and quality assurance to strengthen analytical consistency, confidence and professional standards across the team.
• Improve financial monitoring: Enhance analytical methods, reporting, data quality, dashboards and management information to support timely, reliable and actionable insight.
• Collaborate across Ofgem: Work across all Markets teams to manage priorities, risks and dependencies across the wider financial resilience agenda.

Key accountabilities

• Lead analytical and financial workstreams that assess supplier resilience and market developments and identify new areas of focus.
• Set direction for junior and multidisciplinary staff, ensuring analysis draws appropriately on financial, regulatory and market evidence.
• Take ownership of your own continued development and that of your team by supporting the development of the relevant analytical or professional community, including coaching colleagues and supporting professional qualifications.
• Scrutinise analytical findings and recommendations, exercising sound judgement before outcomes are shared or used to inform policy and regulatory decisions.
• Act as a senior escalation point and lead engagement with significant internal and external stakeholders.

Key deliverables

• Expert advice and assurance on supplier related financial matters, including clear assessment of financial resilience risks and regulatory implications.
• Supplier and market level analysis covering matters such as hedging exposures, capital pressures, liquidity concerns and emerging sector trends.
• Evidence-based options and recommendations for senior leaders and governance forums.
• High-quality analytical input into stocktakes, risk reporting, thematic reviews, strategic briefings, supplier engagement, regulatory enquiries and information requests.

Person specification

Role Criteria

Please ensure you demonstrate clearly within your personal statement, how you meet each of the criteria below (not more than 1250 words).

In the event of receiving a large number of applications an initial sift may take place on just the identified lead criteria indicated below:

Essential Criteria:

• Experience developing, reviewing or improving analytical frameworks, scenarios, models or risk assessment approaches, including defining outcomes, risks and data requirements to support decision-making (LEAD)
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, with particular experience in delivering programmes of quantitative and qualitative projects both through others and independently.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and constructive challenge when interpreting evidence, assessing regulatory or financial risk and developing advice for senior decision-makers.
• Ability to communicate complex analysis clearly, work collaboratively with stakeholders and deliver high-quality outputs at pace.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of the GB energy retail market or another regulated sector, including commercial business models, hedging, liquidity, financing and capital structures.
• Recognised finance, economics, accounting, data analysis or related qualification, or equivalent professional experience.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,443, OFGEM contributes £18,379 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , 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 and desirable 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. In the event of receiving a large number of applications, an initial sift may take place on just the lead criteria indicated in the essential criteria.

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].

At Ofgem, we expect our staff to carry out their roles with honesty, fairness and openness. They should follow the Civil Service code and be free from any influence or bias. We are committed to making sure interests are recognised, declared and managed appropriately so that we can fulfil our duties as an energy regulator. Our Conflicts of Interest policy outlines the types of interests Ofgem staff must declare before onboarding, and the rules they must follow throughout employment so that we can clearly demonstrate that our decisions are not influenced by private interests.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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)
• 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 . 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 the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans 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 : Lisa Buchanan
• 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.