Head of Smart Metering and Retail Codes

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator, protecting consumers — especially those in vulnerable situations — while helping to shape a cleaner, smarter and more affordable energy system.

We are looking for a Head of Smart Metering and Retail Codes to provide strategic leadership across a complex and high-profile portfolio at a pivotal moment for the retail energy market. This is a permanent role with significant influence over an area that directly shapes how consumers use, experience and engage with energy. You’ll lead at a critical point for smart metering and the wider retail market, helping establish clear direction across a complex and high-profile portfolio. With the energy system evolving rapidly, you’ll be positioned to influence change that supports better consumer outcomes and a more flexible energy future.

This is a senior leadership role offering considerable scope to bring pace, clarity and strategic focus to some of the most important challenges facing the retail market. You’ll work across Ofgem and alongside government, industry and consumer stakeholders, combining regulatory judgement with delivery leadership to influence complex change and strengthen how the market works for consumers.

We’re looking for someone with strong strategic and delivery capabilities, backed by experience of leading complex, technical or regulatory portfolios and achieving clear outcomes through competing priorities. You’ll also bring accomplished leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to navigate complexity, lead through others and engage effectively with senior stakeholders.

You’ll have the platform to shape strategic direction, build a high-performing and collaborative culture and make an impact across both Ofgem and the wider sector. Alongside the breadth and visibility of the role, you’ll be contributing to work that strengthens consumer experiences, supports a more flexible energy system and helps deliver a clean, affordable and secure Net Zero future.

This is an opportunity to help shape the next phase of smart metering and strengthen retail systems so they deliver lasting benefits for consumers and the energy system. Join us and help drive change at a pivotal moment for the retail market, ensuring innovation, regulation and industry progress translate into lasting benefits for consumers.

If you are motivated by public purpose, complex systems leadership and delivering better outcomes for consumers, we would like to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the strategy, priorities and delivery plan for the team, focused on three core outcomes: improving consumers’ smart meter experience and use; managing safe transition away from legacy infrastructure; and strengthening metering and retail code governance.
• Set clear direction to industry on smart meter deployment and consumer experience priorities, including prepayment, regional disparities and reliable operations, using regulatory levers to improve supplier performance and consumer outcomes.
• Build collaborative relationships internally and externally to oversee the controlled shutdown of legacy communications infrastructure, minimising consumer detriment and ensuring effective supplier compliance.
• Deliver core metering responsibilities, including the management of emerging issues, such as energy theft and relevant code modifications, in a timely and proportionate way.
• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team, building capability in strategic thinking, regulation, stakeholder management, delivery and leadership.
• Provide visible leadership across the Retail Systems and Processes Directorate, helping shape its strategic direction, culture and performance while improving governance, reporting and ways of working across the portfolio.
• Identify emerging risks, opportunities and strategic choices for Ofgem, providing clear advice and recommendations to senior leaders.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Leadership and management responsibility for the Smart Metering and Retail Codes team.
• A clear regulatory approach for the next phase of smart metering, focused on improving consumers’ experience, increasing active and effective use of smart meters, and supporting the benefits needed for a more flexible energy system.
• Stronger supplier accountability for smart meter deployment, consumer experience and reliable operations, supported by targeted regulatory change where needed.
• Safe, well-governed retirement of legacy systems with minimal consumer detriment, effective supplier compliance and reduced consumer costs from eliminating inefficient duplicate infrastructure.
• Timely and proportionate management of metering issues and code changes that strengthen compliance, support market integrity and protect consumers.
• Clear, evidence-based advice, briefings and recommendations for senior internal and external stakeholders on smart metering, metering, retail codes and related market issues.
• Improved processes, outputs and ways of working that support proportionate, outcome-focused regulation and effective collaboration across Ofgem and the sector.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), 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 are not timed and you can complete it at your own pace. Upon passing the tests, 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 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.

For successful applications from sift, there will be a Leadership Scenario question that will be included in the interview. No prior preparation is required.

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.