Deputy Director, Heat Networks Policy (Job Share)

This is a part‑time role, of c.0.6 FTE. You’ll share leadership of the Heat Networks Policy team with the existing Deputy Director, in a job‑share arrangement. Together, you’ll co‑lead the wider heat networks unit with the Deputy Director for Heat Networks Delivery.

Heat networks are place‑based solutions which can provide the lowest cost, low‑carbon heat for consumers in the right settings. By linking densely populated areas to shared sources of heat, they can save significant costs for those in larger buildings, compared to an individual option. Many buildings such as apartment blocks, hospitals, and university campuses already share heat in this way, and they are a proven scalable technology, capable of supplying whole streets or – as demonstrated in Europe – even entire cities. They are well suited for multi‑occupancy buildings which tend to be lower‑income on average, and our support now ensures that these households will have a cheaper clean heat option in the future. The Warm Homes Plan will set an ambitious trajectory of growth for low carbon heat networks. To achieve this the public and private sector will need to work together to overcome barriers to building more heat networks, faster and at greater scale. This requires building high public trust in heat networks, ensuring there is competitive pricing, growing the supply chain, ensuring heat networks have access to clean and flexible sources of heat, and building local certainty of demand through heat network zoning policy.

Lead a team of just over 30 staff, building and diversifying its capabilities, creating a positive culture, maintaining morale, and driving performance as we deliver an ambitious programme of work. Oversee a programme to implement the market framework for heat networks, so that low‑carbon heat networks can achieve their potential, and so domestic consumers on heat networks are protected. An optimal allocation of heat networks will contribute to lowering both the overall emissions and costs of the energy system, contributing to net zero, lower bills and energy security.

This will involve:

• Communicate and implement the Department’s heat networks growth strategy, which is articulated in the Warm Homes Plan, giving confidence to the market to invest and ensuring the range of Government support is clear, compelling and sufficient to unlock growth.
• Responsibility for zoning policy implementation, particularly delivering the required legislation and guidance, to support heat network growth, working closely with other government departments.
• Assessing further interventions to lower the cost of low carbon heat networks, so that they are the go‑to solution in dense urban areas.
• Overall responsibility for policy implementation of the heat networks market framework, working closely with Ofgem as it starts to regulate the heat networks sector.
• You’ll proactively deal with emerging issues in early days of regulation, and work with MHCLG to ensure alignment across heat network and housing regulation.
• Extensive stakeholder engagement and consultation on heat network technical standards, as we design a mandatory regime for these.
• This includes overseeing the overall technical standards programme which includes a range of contracts, and engaging with HMT, DBT, and MHCLG to design the best regime.
• Oversee a skills programme which addresses the future demand for a range of specialist skills in the low carbon economy and supports growth and diversity of the sector.
• This will form part of work to review and oversee work with supply chains, understanding and addressing barriers to entry to increase the capacity and capability of the UK market to deliver at pace.
• Establish and nurture relationships with key stakeholders, including major trade and members organisations, investors, industry, Ofgem, and across Government.
• Take pride in ensuring excellence in the core work of Government, leading the team in response to correspondence, submissions to Ministers, responding to Parliamentary Questions and other aspects which serve as the backbone of the Department’s day to day activity.
• Make a full contribution as a member of the Directorate's senior leadership team. This includes working collaboratively across boundaries and flexing resources in line with overall priorities, leading on elements of our local People Plan, and ensuring the Directorate remains a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone to work.

Essential skills and experience:

• Outstanding leadership skills with the ability to recruit, inspire, empower and motivate staff; build genuinely diverse and inclusive teams; and grow capability and resilience to deliver outcomes even when working under scrutiny and at a high pace.
• Experience of influencing and building effective and trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, acting as a thought‑leader and source of expertise in your field.
• You will have demonstrable experience of policy design and implementation and be able to bring experience of where policy has supported growth, shaped markets and provided investor confidence.
• You will have sound analytical skills, and an ability to think strategically, to ensure policy delivery thinking is robust.
• You will be able to spot connections across different workstreams and ensure they are joined up and that interventions are aligned.
• You will have excellent judgement and political acumen with the ability to understand the changing context, to manage risk and to reach sound judgements on a range of strategic and reputational issues.
• Experience and familiarity with policy related to energy and climate change mitigation, or monopoly regulation would be desirable but are not essential.