Director, North Sea Transition

Job summary

This is a high-profile leadership role at the heart of delivering the Government’s energy security and net zero priorities, and specifically, driving forward the Government’s approach to securing a fair, managed and prosperous transition for the North Sea.

The postholder will lead policy and delivery across upstream oil and gas, offshore energy transition and coal legacy, with a strong focus on delivering manifesto commitments, providing effective sponsorship of arm’s-length bodies, and managing significant financial, commercial and delivery risks. The role combines strategic policy leadership, complex stakeholder management and operational delivery in areas of high ministerial, parliamentary and public interest. The postholder will provide strategic advice to Ministers on the future of the UK’s offshore energy sector.

Reporting to Jonathan Mills, Director General for Economy, International and Security, the postholder will lead the North Sea Transition Directorate (currently 36 staff but likely to grow)

Job description

The Director will:

• Lead delivery of ministerial and manifesto commitments across the upstream oil and gas portfolio, including implementation of the Government’s plans for the future of the North Sea and the development of the new oil and gas licensing framework.
• Set the strategic direction for managing the transition of the North Sea as domestic oil and gas production declines, balancing energy security, jobs, investment, communities, supply chains and the transition to clean energy.
• Lead the department’s engagement with the oil and gas industry, offshore workers, trade unions, investors, the Scottish Government, local leaders and other partners, with a particular focus on Aberdeen and the wider North Sea economy.
• Oversee policy on the resilience and orderly evolution of the upstream oil and gas sector, including the management of significant business shocks, insolvencies, changes in ownership and risks to critical infrastructure, workers and supply chains.
• Provide effective sponsorship of the North Sea Transition Authority and support its evolving role in enabling a fair, managed and prosperous transition. The postholder will undertake senior departmental responsibilities in relation to the NSTA’s governance, including serving as Shareholder Director on its Board, subject to confirmation.
• Lead work to support investment, skills, good jobs and UK supply-chain opportunities arising from the transition, working across government and with industry to secure tangible benefits for workers and communities.
• Implement commitments relating to coal and fracking, oversee the management of historic coal liabilities through sponsorship of the Mining Remediation Authority, and ensure effective delivery of coal health and pensions arrangements, with strong governance, commercial control and value for money.
• Provide visible, inclusive leadership to a multidisciplinary directorate and work closely with other DESNZ groups, HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, regulators and delivery partners.

Person specification

Essential kills, experience and qualifications

• Senior leadership: Proven experience leading large, multi-disciplinary teams, and building an inclusive, friendly, high-performing culture
• Strategic delivery: Ability to set clear direction, prioritise, and deliver outcomes in complex, high-profile environments with high ministerial interest.
• Stakeholder management and communication: Excellent policy judgement and strong influencing skills with ministers, Arms-Length Body (ALBs)/regulators and cross-Whitehall partners, and with senior oil and gas industry leaders, and a collegiate and collaborative mindset.
• Change and improvement: Track record of leading transformation and improving productivity, including thoughtful use of evidence and digital tools. Ability to tackle issues with rigour, kindness and empathy.
• Stakeholder management and communication: Excellent policy judgement and strong influencing skills with ministers, ALBs/regulators and cross-Whitehall partners, and with senior oil and gas industry leaders, and a collegiate and collaborative mindset.
• Financial, commercial and governance: Strong Programme and Project Management (PPM) management, contract oversight, risk management and assurance; confidence managing public money, risk and assurance frameworks.

Desirable skills, experience and qualifications

• Policy or operational experience in areas related to oil, gas or coal.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £105,000, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £30,418 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).

Benefits

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead. You’ll benefit from a wide range of training and development opportunities, regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

This includes

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public

holidays and one days leave for the King's birthday;

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire;

Flexible working patterns including part-time or term-time working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours;

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers;

Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle;

Occupational sick pay.

Working Arrangements

This role is available for full-time or job share. However, any specific arrangements should be discussed with the vacancy holder. Some travel around the UK (including specifically to London and Aberdeen) will be required.

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. Senior Civil Servant (SCS) staff are expected to aim for closer to 60% of the time at an office or non-home based location over the accounting period.

Pension

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where the employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension.

Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are