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 UK’s 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

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/

The Emissions Trading team delivers the UK ETS, which launched on 1st January 2021.This is the UK’s cap and trade policy, which limits emissions in covered sectors and, through pricing those emissions, incentivises planning for and investment in decarbonisation and the transition to a net zero economy. It is an exciting opportunity to play a meaningful role in the development, implementation and evolution of this flagship scheme, supporting delivery of net zero. We are working at pace to expand the UK ETS to cover more sectors of the economy, increasing the ambition and effectiveness of the scheme.

The UK ETS Priority Projects Team are a new team being created to reflect the ambition and scale of the programme, and will be responsible for emerging priority projects and workstreams and identifying, scoping and resolving issues as they arise. Each SEO will shape and lead their own portfolio of work, whilst receiving support from experienced policy officials, and be empowered to seek out areas where they can add the most value. Candidates will have to be quick learners and delivery focussed, building relationships with teams and stakeholders quickly and effectively.

UK ETS is a high-profile net zero policy area, which attracts significant interest from external stakeholders, ministers across government and SCS within DESNZ. The priority projects team help us to respond quickly and flexibly to upcoming priorities and deliver on our commitments for the scheme.

Priority Projects team members are generalists. We will take ownership of various projects across the ETS and we aim to match projects to individual team members’ interests and abilities. Projects may include but are not limited to:

• Leading on policy development for a discrete policy area or as part of wider policy packages
• Working closely with the UK ETS Delivery team to effectively implement policy decisions
• Strategic asks and crisis response action within the UK ETS Policy team
• Supporting Devolved Government partners in Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Governments to deliver their objectives
• Collaborating with other teams within DESNZ on cross-cutting issues arising as a result of policy development or political changes.

Skills and Experience

• Have a passion for action on climate change and a keen interest to work in a detailed area of climate policy.
• Be a fast learner, processing complex information into actionable recommendations. This will be required as you may be dropped into a team and expected to adding value quickly.
• Comfortable managing different priorities in parallel, as you may be working on multiple projects concurrently.
• Can quickly form excellent working relationships with others, including seniors.
• Have experience of finding solutions to complex problems whilst maintaining the capacity to think and act creatively.
• Have excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Can demonstrate leadership, setting project objectives and driving progress.
• Be comfortable and able to work successfully in an uncertain and changing environment.
• Have the ability to prioritise your time efficiently and ensure a supportive and collaborative working environment.
• Be comfortable working with technical detail, as the UK ETS is a complex policy area

Ideally candidates would also:

• Have experience in climate, energy or industrial policy.
• Have experience working with Ministers.

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

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.

Job contact :

Recruitment team