Senior Policy Adviser - Energy Market Design

We are looking for people to work on the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) programme. 

This a critical programme for Government, delivering the biggest change to the electricity market since privatisation and is critical to the UK’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. 

The three key aims at the heart of EMR are to: 
• ensure the future security of electricity supplies; 
• drive the decarbonisation of our electricity generation; and 
• minimise cost to the consumer. 

This an excellent opportunity to be involved in a challenging and high profile policy area that attracts significant interest from across Government, industry and with significant stakeholder groups including consumer groups and NGOs. 

The roles are in the Energy Market Design team that has responsibility for the design of the financial mechanism that will drive billions of pounds of investment in new low carbon plant. Each role is likely to include taking responsibility for a range of aspects in the following areas 

1. The design of the new support mechanism (the Contract for Difference) that is the key insutrument to drive low carbon investment over the next decade and beyond. 
2. The design of the tenders, auctions and other allocation mechanisms that will enable investors to secure CfDs while ensuring that the costs of decarbonisation are minimised. 
3. To ensure that the programme provides a full role for smaller and independent market participants in delivering the investment we need including ensuring they can manage key risks and have an effective route to market. 

Role 1 

To develop the CfD contracts so that they support least cost decarbonisation of UK electricity generation. This will include ensuring that the contract has an appropriate balance of risk and reward, and that it is accessible to a broad range of generation. 

The postholder will lead the detailed development of: 
- CfD contracts for different generation types and/or different legislative contexts (e.g. Northern Ireland, International, etc); and 

- Consider how the CfD design could evolve to accommodate flexible generation rather than baseload or intermittent technologies. 


Role 2 
To play a major role in developing the processes and rules by which CfDs are allocated to developers, so that the allocation supports least cost decarbonisation of UK electricity generation. This will include ensuring that the allocation systems promote competition, support effective budgetary control and are accessible to a broad range of generation. 

- defining and managing processes to review and develop the CfD allocation system; and 

- developing allocation processes that support the transition to competitive CfD allocation; 

Role 3 
Leading our work to ensure the EMR Programme supports independent (especially smaller) market participants in playing a full role in delivering essential investment. 

The role will focus on the assessment and delivery of appropriate policy interventions. The postholder will work alongside legal and economist colleagues in developing the evidence base to ensure a full understanding of the issues, identifying possible market failures and suitable means of addressing them and developing detailed proposals to be delivered through secondary legislation. The role will include significant engagement with Ministers, special advisers and stakeholders across industry. 

For all areas, the post holder will need to: 
• handle large volumes of information and quickly extract relevant details; 
• analyse options, seeking specialist input as appropriate; 
• demonstrate leadership in major issues, identifying and promoting effective policy solutions, as well as judging when to rely on upward management or project governance mechanisms; 
• write in a persuasive, concise manner, clearly communicating complex information; 
• confidently engage with stakeholders, both internal and external; 
• use project management techniques to monitor progress against milestones and ensure work is delivered on time; and 
• be flexible as the work is fast-moving and priorities are likely to shift, with work areas changing accordingly