Do you want a career where you can make a real difference? Do you want to work in a government department that is at the forefront of current policy making decisions that will impact the UK and beyond? If yes then a career at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) could be for you.   

Here at DESNZ we are securing the UKs long-term energy supply, bringing down energy bills and halving inflation. We are seizing the opportunities of Net Zero to lead the world in new green industries and encouraging greater energy efficiency across the UK. The work of the department has never been more timely or relevant, and by joining us you will be part of making that difference. 

Our work is varied, interesting and most importantly it's impactful. Our DESNZ Values are interwoven into everything we do; we are Bold, we are Collaborative, we are Inclusive and we Learn. As a department we are committed to these values to build a culture where everyone can thrive.    

We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.  

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 D&I Strategy. 

Find Out More 

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/  

Join ICS Digital, where innovation meets expertise to create digital solutions. We are a cohesive digital community who work in the open, solving problems together and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration. Our commitment to user-focused design and data-driven decision-making ensures that we deliver accessible services tailored to the needs of our customers.

The Chief of Staff is key in managing and developing strategic relationships between the CDIO, DSIT/DESNZ/IC and wider CDDO colleagues, Cabinet Office and government. Representing the Director, the Chief of Staff drives forward their priorities, working closely with the Senior Management Team to contribute to and help drive successful outcomes. This post holder requires an outward-facing, engaged and authoritative style for the Directors office to support and amplify key messages and priorities.

Objectives of this role

• Oversee strategic business initiatives, from development through successful execution, under the guidance of senior leadership 
• Assist and communicate with executives in decision-making, program management, and initiative implementation
• Review, design, and execute improvements to organisational structure; find knowledge and skills gaps and help address them
• Improve current processes and optimize organizational procedures for efficiency and productivity in Digital

Visit our blog to learn more about us and our work: https://icsdigital.blog.gov.uk/ 

• Work with the Director to maximise value, by ensuring a clear focus on priorities, routing and collating work effectively and using your judgement to support the work of the directorate both within and outside ICS Digital.  
• Act as an informed advisor to the Director, providing clear and rapid analysis of key issues and strategies across the programme and wider stakeholder landscape, providing situationally aware advice and handling plans for emergent issues
• Be responsible for ensuring join up across the Directorate SLT and that wider inputs into the leadership team issues are well considered, joined up and timely 
• Run and participate in the weekly Digital SLT and both curate a thoughtful agenda as well as deliver on cross cutting actions and outcomes decided on by the group, leading on work steams as and when appropriate to deliver initiatives from concept to completion 
• Manage and act as a point of contact for the Digital team, senior stakeholders and Ministers and Permanent Secretaries on behalf of the Director, liaising and sharing information on key priorities and ensuring connections are made as necessary
• Lead a high performing team that can operate at pace within ambiguity, in a high profile, politically sensitive environment
• Be able to shape and influence teams and stakeholders to ensure that organisational priorities are realised, surfacing tensions and resolving conflicts when they occur
• Be able to digest a wide range of information at pace; handling both quantitative and qualitative evidence to provide situationally relevant and appropriately nuanced recommendations for senior stakeholders
• An ability to manage a large number of issues, workstreams and initiatives concurrently and be able to track things over the line to completion in a timely manner, including when they are being delivered through others
• Serve as a subject-matter expert, handling inquiries, developing action plans, and assisting with preparation and dissemination of communications
• Lead the business support team and have responsibility for one HEO and two EOs

Skills and experience

Essential:

• Effective decision-making skills: You have proven experience that you can easily make informed decisions, considering various factors and potential impacts in a complex and technical environment. 
• Strategic vision: You demonstrate a deep understanding of the broader context and strategic goals, effectively aligning your work.
• Communicator: You can articulate ideas clearly, collaborate with a range of audiences, and provide quality advice.
• Agile working: Handle multiple tasks efficiently and adapt to changing priorities.
• Personal Resilience: Manage pressure, maintain focus, and stay composed during challenging situations.
• Excellent stakeholder management experience inside and outside of government
• Experience of working in a digital/tech organisation

Desirable:   

• The above experience in a large and complex organisation

It is unusual that all candidates will meet all the desirable criteria. If your skills and experience look slightly different from what we have identified and you think you can bring value to the Chief of Staff role and the team, we strongly encourage you to apply. We'd love to hear from you! 

Please, no recruitment agencies 

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

Job contact :

• Name : People and Development Team
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]