Principal Analyst

Job description

Job summary

Join Ofgems Financial Resilience team and play a key role in protecting energy consumers by helping ensure energy suppliers remain financially resilient in a changing and complex market. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced analytical professional to apply their expertise to high-profile regulatory challenges that directly influence market stability and consumer outcomes across Great Britain.

We welcome applications from candidates with a broad range of analytical backgrounds. You may have gained experience in finance, accounting, audit, commercial analysis, risk management, consultancy, economics, data analytics, business intelligence or other evidence-based analytical disciplines. What matters most is your ability to interpret complex information, identify emerging risks, exercise sound judgement and communicate clear, evidence-based recommendations to a range of stakeholders.

Working at the centre of Ofgems financial resilience framework, you will lead detailed analysis of domestic and non-domestic energy suppliers, assessing their financial strength, business models and wider resilience risks. You will evaluate areas such as financial performance, capital adequacy, liquidity, hedging arrangements and commercial sustainability, translating complex evidence into practical insight that supports regulatory decision-making.

As a senior analytical expert, you will provide advice and assurance to colleagues, senior leaders and Government partners, helping to shape policy development, supplier monitoring and regulatory responses. You will also contribute to the continuous improvement of analytical approaches, reporting, data quality and management information, ensuring Ofgem has the insight needed to respond effectively to emerging market risks.

This role offers the opportunity to work across a diverse network of specialists, including colleagues in Financial Supervision, Policy, Regulatory Finance, Market Analysis and Data teams. It would suit a curious, collaborative and influential professional who enjoys tackling complex problems, working with data and evidence, and making a tangible contribution to the resilience of the energy sector and the protection of consumers.

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

Job description

Key Role Responsibilities

• Provide expert financial advice: Advise on supplier hedging, capital structures, financial performance and outlook to support regulatory decisions.
• Shape and evaluate policy considerations: Translate financial evidence into clear options and recommendations to support proportionate policy development, evaluation and regulatory responses.
• Strengthen resilience oversight: viewing the resources and risks within the sector.
• Turn evidence into insight: Produce clear analysis, briefings and advice for senior leaders, governance forums and cross-Ofgem colleagues understand risks and take informed decisions.
• Build analytical capability: Provide expert guidance, coaching and quality assurance to strengthen analytical consistency, confidence and professional
  standards across the team.
• Improve financial monitoring: Enhance analytical methods, reporting, data quality, dashboards and management information to support timely, reliable and actionable insight.
• Collaborate across Ofgem: Work with Financial Supervision, Policy, Regulatory Finance, Market Analysis and Data teams to manage priorities, risks and
  dependencies across the wider financial resilience agenda.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Expert advice and assurance on suppler capital adequacy monitoring, including clear assessment of financial resilience risks and regulatory implications.
• Supplier and market-level financial analysis that identifies resilience risks including on hedging exposures, capital pressures, liquidity concerns and emerging sector trends.
• Evidence-based advice, options and recommendations for senior leaders and governance forums, supporting policy development, evaluation, stocktake reporting,
  risk reporting, thematic reviews and strategic briefings.
• High quality input into supplier engagement, regulatory enquiries, information requests and escalation decisions.
• Coaching, quality assurance and professional oversight that strengthens analytical capability, consistency and confidence across the team.
• Timely delivery of priority workstreams, with clear ownership of outputs, risks, dependencies and stakeholder engagement.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, with experience analysing complex financial, commercial, operational or regulatory data to identify trends, risks and anomalies. (LEAD)
• Experience developing, reviewing or improving analytical frameworks, scenarios, models or risk assessment approaches, including defining outcomes, risks and data requirements to support decision-making.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and constructive challenge when interpreting evidence, assessing regulatory or financial risk and developing advice for senior decision makers.
• Ability to communicate complex analysis clearly, work collaboratively with stakeholders and deliver high-quality outputs at pace.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of the GB energy retail market, including supplier business models, hedging, and capital structures.
  
  

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• You will be asked to complete a technical test at interview

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 63,443, OFGEM contributes 18,379 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; 30 days annual leave after 2 years; Excellent training and development opportunities; The opportunity to join the generous Civil Service pension which also includes a valuable range of benefits; hybrid working (currently 1 day a week in the office but this is kept under review), flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Plus lots of other benefits including clean and bright offices based centrally, engaged networks and teams and an opportunity to contribute to our ambitious and important targets of establishing a Net Zero energy system by 2050. This exciting blend of professional challenge and personal reward identifies career opportunities at Ofgem as something to get excited about.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

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 is not timed and you can complete it at your own pace. Upon passing the test, 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 500 word statement evidencing how you meet the Lead criteria and a 750 word statement evidencing how you meet the remaining essential criteria 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.

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.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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) .

Apply and further information

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 :

• Name : Lucy Dowding
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of these Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website.

Attachments Role Profile_485383 Principal Analyst Opens in new window (pdf, 111kB) Candidate Pack_485383 Principal Analyst Opens in new window (pdf, 754kB) Terms and Conditions Apr25 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)