Head of Smart Metering and Retail Codes

Successful candidates may be based in any of our office locations – Cardiff, Glasgow, or London.

Job summary

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator, protecting consumers, especially those in vulnerable situations, while helping to shape a cleaner, smarter and more affordable energy system.

We are looking for a Head of Smart Metering and Retail Codes to provide strategic leadership across a complex and high-profile portfolio at a pivotal moment for the retail energy market. This is a permanent role with significant influence over an area that directly shapes how consumers use, experience and engage with energy. You’ll lead at a critical point for smart metering and the wider retail market, helping establish clear direction across a complex and high-profile portfolio. With the energy system evolving rapidly, you’ll be positioned to influence change that supports better consumer outcomes and a more flexible energy future.

This is a senior leadership role offering considerable scope to bring pace, clarity and strategic focus to some of the most important challenges facing the retail market. You’ll work across Ofgem and alongside government, industry and consumer stakeholders, combining regulatory judgement with delivery leadership to influence complex change and strengthen how the market works for consumers.

We’re looking for someone with strong strategic and delivery capabilities, backed by experience of leading complex, technical or regulatory portfolios and achieving clear outcomes through competing priorities. You’ll also bring accomplished leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to navigate complexity, lead through others and engage effectively with senior stakeholders.

You’ll have the platform to shape strategic direction, build a high-performing and collaborative culture and make an impact across both Ofgem and the wider sector. Alongside the breadth and visibility of the role, you’ll be contributing to work that strengthens consumer experiences, supports a more flexible energy system and helps deliver a clean, affordable and secure Net Zero future.

This is an opportunity to help shape the next phase of smart metering and strengthen retail systems so they deliver lasting benefits for consumers and the energy system. Join us and help drive change at a pivotal moment for the retail market, ensuring innovation, regulation and industry progress translate into lasting benefits for consumers.

If you are motivated by public purpose, complex systems leadership and delivering better outcomes for consumers, we would like to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the strategy, priorities and delivery plan for the team, focused on three core outcomes: improving consumers’ smart meter experience and use; managing safe transition away from legacy infrastructure; and strengthening metering and retail code governance.
• Set clear direction to industry on smart meter deployment and consumer experience priorities, including prepayment, regional disparities and reliable operations, using regulatory levers to improve supplier performance and consumer outcomes.
• Build collaborative relationships internally and externally to oversee the controlled shutdown of legacy communications infrastructure, minimising consumer detriment and ensuring effective supplier compliance.
• Deliver core metering responsibilities, including the management of emerging issues, such as energy theft and relevant code modifications, in a timely and proportionate way.
• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team, building capability in strategic thinking, regulation, stakeholder management, delivery and leadership.
• Provide visible leadership across the Retail Systems and Processes Directorate, helping shape its strategic direction, culture and performance while improving governance, reporting and ways of working across the portfolio.
• Identify emerging risks, opportunities and strategic choices for Ofgem, providing clear advice and recommendations to senior leaders.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Leadership and management responsibility for the Smart Metering and Retail Codes team.
• A clear regulatory approach for the next phase of smart metering, focused on improving consumers’ experience, increasing active and effective use of smart meters, and supporting the benefits needed for a more flexible energy system.
• Strong supplier accountability for smart meter deployment, consumer experience and reliable operations, supported by targeted regulatory change where needed.
• Safe, well-governed retirement of legacy systems with minimal consumer detriment, effective supplier compliance and reduced consumer costs from eliminating inefficient duplicate infrastructure.
• Timely and proportionate management of metering issues and code changes that strengthen compliance, support market integrity and protect consumers.
• Clear, evidence-based advice, briefings and recommendations for senior internal and external stakeholders on smart metering, metering, retail codes and related market issues.
• Improved processes, outputs and ways of working that support proportionate, outcome-focused regulation and effective collaboration across Ofgem and the sector.
• Strong strategic and delivery judgement, with experience of leading complex, technical or regulatory work, managing priorities and risks, and driving work through to clear outcomes. (LEAD)
• Experience of leading, motivating and developing a high-performing team, including setting clear expectations, building capability, managing performance and fostering an inclusive and delivery-focused culture.
• A strong track record of influencing and working collaboratively across organisational boundaries, including where interests are complex and/or contested.
• Excellent communication and engagement skills, including the ability to explain complex, technical and sensitive issues clearly and provide confident advice to senior decision-makers.

Experience of the retail market, smart metering/metering and/or industry code change

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

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.

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

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

At Ofgem, we expect our staff to carry out their roles with honesty, fairness and openness. They should follow the Civil Service code and be free from any influence or bias. We are committed to making sure interests are recognised, declared and managed appropriately so that we can fulfil our duties as an energy regulator. Our Conflicts of Interest policy outlines the types of interests Ofgem staff must declare before onboarding, and the rules they must follow throughout employment so that we can clearly demonstrate that our decisions are not influenced by private interests.