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Senior Policy Adviser - Emissions Trading and Greenhouse Gas Removals

  • 15/05/2024
  • £40,950.00 - £49,795.00 /yearly
  • Part Time & Permanent
Job expired!

Job Overview

Job Type

Part Time & Permanent

Salary

£40,950 - £49,795 yearly

Date Posted:

15/05/2024

Expiration date:

20/05/2024

Additional Detail

Job ID

6847

Job Description

Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

Job summary

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 its 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 

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/departmentforenergysecurityandnetzero?  

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

Please note DESNZ are currently reviewing our terms and conditions and pay arrangements following Machinery of Government changes and as part of the outstanding August 2023 pay award. Please be aware there may be changes to terms and conditions and pay ranges listed in this advert ahead of you starting in post.  

Job description

Would you like to work at the cutting edge of long-term net zero policy?

Are you an outstanding individual who wants to design new, potentially foundational policies that could make a significant contribution to delivering net zero over the coming decades?

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is exploring expansion to Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs), which are the negative emission technologies necessary for us to hit net zero. To help us achieve this ambitious goal, we are looking for two motivated and exceptional individuals to join our friendly and high-performing team.

Person specification

The Emissions Trading team developed and delivers the UK ETS. This is the UK's flagship carbon pricing policy, and is one of the cornerstones of the UKs climate policy. It limits emissions in covered sectors and, by pricing those emissions, incentivises investment in the transition to a net zero economy.

Our team is breaking new ground in climate policy, by exploring integrating both engineered and nature-based GGRs into the ETS. This policy innovation could drive investment in GGRs and support a thriving marketplace for GGRs in the UK out to 2050 and beyond.

Key responsibilities will adapt to emerging business needs, but there are two broad roles we are advertising for:

1. Market integration

 This role will lead on core areas of policy development that we need to get right in order to integrate GGRs into the ETS. This includes: how to set the UK ETS cap when we integrate GGRs, how to design the resulting GGR allowances, and what date we integrate GGRs from.

 These are foundational policy questions, which can only be answered by working with our network of stakeholders, including: external experts, the private sector, the departments other GGR teams, other government departments including Treasury, and the UKs Devolved administrations.

2. Woodland and permanence

 Integrating nature-based GGRs, specifically new UK woodland, into the ETS would require our team to progress fundamental policy development on carbon storage policy. We would need to develop a new and robust policy framework for managing potential differences in the permanence of carbon storage of different GGRs. This is a fascinating but complex area of net zero policy design.

The UK has a high-quality woodland GGR scheme in the form of the Woodland Carbon Code, and one of the responsibilities of this role is to lead on determining what lessons we can learn from this and other similar schemes. This role will require engaging closely with our network of stakeholders, including: external experts, the private sector, stakeholders who work with the woodland carbon code, other government departments including Defra and Treasury, and the UKs Devolved administrations.

Both roles involve leading on high-profile, complex and cross-cutting policy areas. They involve both strategic decision making and getting into the details of innovative policy design. They will be ideally suited to candidates looking for stretching roles and responsibilities, and for experienced candidates (internal or external) they could provide an excellent stepping stone for promotion to Grade 7.

Skills and experience:

We would love to hear from you if you:

Have a track record of success or a strong interest in working on climate policy (internal candidates), or track record of success working in climate-related sectors (external candidates).

Are interested in both strategy and the details of innovative policy design.

Can demonstrate leadership by driving forward activities to meet objectives.

For external candidates, we would be especially interested to hear from applicants with experience in Greenhouse Gas Removals, either engineered or nature-based (desirable, not required).

Behaviours

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

  • Working Together
  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Making Effective Decisions

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

  • Working Together
  • Seeing the Big Picture
Alongside your salary of £40,950, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £11,056 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.
  • A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and a number of behavioural statements

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to explain how you have the skills and experience necessary to thrive in this role

Candidates will be sifted on behavioural statements, CV, and personal statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement. 

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will consist of behaviour and strength-based questions.

Sift and interview dates

Expected Timeline subject to change

Sift dates: w/c 27/05/2024

Interview dates: w/c 10/06/2024

Interview Location: MS Teams.

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further Information

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicant's section.

We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

DESNZ does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DESNZ cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DESNZ holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected] 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback



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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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) (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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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 :

Recruitment team

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints

Attachments

DESNZ TCs v1.2 Opens in new window (doc, 174kB)
 

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