Senior Strategy & Assurance Advisor

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, This is an exciting leadership opportunity within the National Security and Response (ESR) team, supporting high profile cross-cutting risk, strategy and assurance work at the forefront of seniors' and ministers' priorities.
You will provide critical expertise and build links between DESNZ and other partners across Government to guarantee the Department has the capabilities to respond to incidents affecting our diverse sectors.

This role leads work to understand and articulate the department's overall capability and level of preparedness to effectively respond to crises, via adherence to a cross-government leading Assurance Framework and Standards.

Working closely with DESNZ sector teams, you will oversee the strategic management and implementation of lessons identified from responses to emergencies, such as Covid-19 or incidents caused by severe weather, as well as exercises such as those to determine government preparedness for catastrophic risks.

You will build confidence and expertise in managing emergencies as and when they occur, leading on the management of the departmental Concept of Operations and contribute to the delivery of crisis management excellence across DESNZ and Government.

If you would like to play a role in shaping the preparedness of both DESNZ and Government, we would love to hear from you!

About the team:

Our friendly, welcoming and supportive team ensures the risks of significant disruption to energy supplies and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) are understood, prepared for and responded to effectively. We work across Whitehall and industry on the mitigation, prevention and reduction of risks, including severe weather (floods, storms, space weather), supply chain issues, cyber-attacks, terrorism, state actors and industrial action. Our team works reciprocally to improve the resilience of sectors, in particular the oil, gas and electricity sectors, leading on the development of contingency plans and mitigation policies.

Our team also provides emergency response coordination across DESNZ's broad portfolio. We bring together the different strands of complex response operations and feed into cross-government COBR response structures and activity. We collaboratively develop and exercise plans and provide bespoke emergency response training to make sure that government is ready to respond effectively to incidents that threaten our areas of interest.

Crisis management might sound complicated, but effective response and preparedness comes down to understanding and communicating the risk and effective training and exercising to build capability. It is also about actively learning from past experiences to know what we need to do to be prepared to respond and working with our key partners to ensure we collectively act at the right time according to the practised and integrated processes we have in place.

We are looking for an outstanding senior executive officer (or someone ready for promotion) to provide leadership and build positive and productive relationships with the full range of partners to deliver our objectives.

Working in our Emergency Response: Capabilities and Operations (ERCO) Team, you will focus on ensuring the continued development and delivery of a government leading Assurance Framework programme across risk owning teams in DESNZ and beyond. This work is vital in assuring our preparedness to deal with incidents and in how we provide assurances to seniors and ministers, industry and across Government., • Positively build and lead a dynamic and diverse team to develop and deliver the strategy for wider DESNZ crisis management activities.
• Support the management and delivery of the DESNZ Assurance Framework and work to develop preparedness to respond to incidents as a Lead Government Department during crises.
• Maintain a network with other DESNZ teams, ensuring advice and support on the Assurance Framework and associated resilience standards.
• Support the management, delivery and promotion of key crisis management strategy policies, including the lessons management policy and the departmental concept of operations.
• Oversee the lessons management strategy, promoting and advocating lessons management best practice in DESNZ and across government.
• Lead lessons identification processes following exercises and responses. Oversee the management and governance of the implementation of recommendations, reporting to seniors on the implementation of recommendations identified.
• Participate in cross-Whitehall crisis management, resilience and assurance meetings as appropriate, representing DESNZ’s position on crisis management
• Provide a key role in the DESNZ emergency response exercising and support other capabilities workstreams and assurance activities where appropriate.
• Support the coordination of the Department's response to emergencies major incidents as and when they occur.

Other key responsibilities will be:
• Lead by example, helping to promote a positive culture of diversity, inclusion and collaboration within NSR
• Drive yours and others personal development, ensuring they are happy, motivated and clear in our/their objectives and priorities.
• Maintain positive relationships with DESNZ teams and wider stakeholders to ensure a multidisciplinary and combined approach and interact with appropriate organisations across HMG and Agencies to work collaboratively on capability development and positively promote DESNZ interests
• Communicate effectively to provide advice, mentorship, We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Delivering at Pace
+ Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Communicating and Influencing, 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 750 words) to provide a brief background about yourself, outlining why you have applied for this role. You should also include evidence of the key requirements listed in the job description.
Please note - the CV incorporated into the application form is for information purposes only and will not be scored.
Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements and personal statement.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the lead behavioural statement - Seeing the Big Picture.
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-based questions.
Sift and interview dates
Expected Timeline subject to change
Sift dates: w/c 21/10/2024
Interview dates: w/c 28/10/2024
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.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DESNZ Candidate Guidance. A DESNZ Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
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 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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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 applicant’s 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.
Vetting
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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.

You do not need to be a crisis management specialist, as we provide on the job training. This role would suit someone who is practically minded and seeking to develop transferable skills, or who may have an interest in moving into crisis management policy. Experience of energy and/or exercising and/or crisis management is desirable but not necessary.

We are looking for someone who is flexible, proactive, enthusiastic and energetic, who can learn quickly and work collaboratively with others across industry and wider government.
You will:
• Be dedicated and have a hardworking, flexible approach to work.
• Enjoy delivering across multiple concurrent workstreams, prioritising when needed.
• A willingness to develop pragmatic solutions to risk and crisis management.
• Have an eye for detail and good analytical and data skills.
• Emergencies can occur at any time so you will become a member of the Out of Hours Emergency Rota (roughly 1 week in 6), providing a 24hr/7days a week capability. An additional allowance is provided for this function.
• Have or be willing to acquire DV security clearance, which is essential for this role. The DV process can be completed in post, and requires you have 10 years residency in the UK and UK National Status.

Do you want a career where you can make a real difference? Do you want to work at the forefront of current policy making decisions? Do you want to have an impact on 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 delivering our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, with clean electricity by 2030 and accelerating the UK’s journey to net zero.
Our work is helping ensure clean energy for all, keep bills down and seize the opportunities to lead the world in new green industries, taking back control of our energy with Great British Energy 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

Alongside your salary of £44,500, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £12,891 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 employer contribution of 28.97%.
+ 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.