Policy Officer - Consumer Vulnerability

Energy is an essential service, but consumers in vulnerable circumstances can face additional barriers and pressures. In this role, you will turn evidence and stakeholder insight into practical policy and regulatory solutions that improve outcomes for consumers.

The opportunity

Join Ofgem’s Consumer Vulnerability and Debt team and contribute to high-profile work on our Consumer Vulnerability Strategy, domestic energy debt and prepayment meter rules. You will undertake policy development, respond to queries from MPs, the media and other stakeholders, and influence colleagues across Ofgem to consider vulnerability in their policy work.

This is a permanent opportunity to build experience at the heart of energy regulation while helping to deliver a greener, fairer energy system.

What you will do

• Analyse evidence, identify core issues and assess policy options.
• Draft clear briefings, consultations, impact assessments, guidance, decisions and stakeholder responses.
• Explain policy benefits, challenges and trade-offs to senior colleagues and partners.
• Build constructive relationships with consumer representatives, government and the energy industry.
• Support the prioritisation, scoping and delivery of projects and workstreams.

What you will bring

You may currently work in consumer vulnerability, fuel poverty, debt, welfare, consumer protection, regulation, public policy, research or analysis. We also welcome relevant transferable experience. You will bring:

• Demonstrable interest and experience in energy and consumer vulnerability (lead criterion).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication.
• Experience of engaging with and managing multiple stakeholders.
• The ability to organise activities or workstreams and keep delivery on track.

Our team

We work collaboratively in an agile environment, focus on delivering value and keep user needs at the centre. We value different perspectives and experiences and encourage applications from people who can demonstrate relevant skills and a commitment to public service.

Help us improve outcomes for consumers in vulnerable circumstances.

The Portfolio protects and empowers consumers through policy development, supports new business models and propositions, and engages a wide range of stakeholders to understand industry behaviour and consumers’ needs. The team works collaboratively in an agile delivery environment, focusing on value and keeping user needs at the centre.

The Consumer Vulnerability and Debt team is focused on priority projects that aim to deliver real improvements for consumers in vulnerable circumstances. These include delivering our Consumer Vulnerability Strategy, helping to tackle debt in the domestic energy market and reviewing our rules on prepayment meters. The post holder will undertake policy development, respond to queries from MPs, the media and other stakeholders, and influence colleagues across Ofgem to consider vulnerability in their policy work.

Key Responsibilities and Outputs

Policy Development

• Contributing to and supporting the delivery of high-quality, timely and robust analysis of core issues and policy options, resulting in evidence-based recommendations.
• Drafting clear and concise documents, including briefings, policy documents, consultations, impact assessments, guidance, decision letters and responses to MPs, the media and other stakeholders.
• Supporting key workstreams and projects, including internal and external stakeholder engagement, and contributing to the prioritisation, scoping and delivery of work.

Stakeholder Management

• Communicating the benefits, challenges and trade-offs of policy proposals clearly and effectively to senior colleagues and partners.
• Collaborating effectively across teams, professions and other sources of evidence and expertise to support delivery and manage risks and issues.
• Representing Ofgem externally and building constructive relationships so that challenges and issues are identified and resolved in consumers’ interests.

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 tests 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.

As part of your application, you will be required to answer a separate question of up to 500 words against the lead essential criterion: Demonstrable interest and experience in energy and consumer vulnerability.

Your response should explain your interest in this area and provide evidence of how you have used your experience, insight or understanding to improve outcomes for consumers, customers or communities facing additional challenges or barriers.

You will also 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 750 word ‘supporting statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Failure to fully complete any of the sections of the online application form (your career history (cv) and supporting statement) and the additional lead question will mean that the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the essential criteria listed in the person specification.

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.