Head of Energy Networks

ID 3430

The Welsh Government operates name-free recruitment. The recruiting panel will not see personal information such as a candidate’s name and address during the sifting process. This policy is in line with our commitment to end bias and promote equality and diversity.

Vacancy details

Head of Energy Networks 

16/02/2026, 16:00 

Loan, Permanent, Secondment
A starting salary between £61,098 and £73,057 will be offered to the successful candidate based on their skills, knowledge, experience and performance at interview. This range is not negotiable. Candidates who score above a 5 in the “Experience 2” criterion will qualify for the higher salary.
Grade 7 £61,098 to £73,057
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Economy, Energy and Transport
Energy
Energy Delivery
Pan Wales

‘Pan Wales’ means the post holder can be based in any Welsh Government office, subject to business needs.

A list of the Welsh Government’s offices can be found on www.gov.wales/welsh-government-offices. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location.

The post holder’s travel from their home to their assigned Welsh Government office is considered their ‘ordinary commute’ and must be done in their own time and at their own cost.

Shape Wales’s Energy Future
This role sits within the Energy Division, part of the Economy, Energy and Transport Group—a high-profile, fast-moving team at the forefront of delivering Net Zero Wales and driving green growth. Our work is central to reducing emissions from power and heat, securing new renewable generation, and ensuring energy infrastructure supports prosperity and wellbeing across Wales.

Energy underpins economic success, and Welsh Government is leading the way with long-term energy planning to give clarity on future needs. This work helps network companies design and deliver a modern, integrated energy system for Wales.

As Lead for Network Liaison, you’ll represent Wales in UK-wide infrastructure planning, working closely with UK Government, delivery bodies, and partners to ensure Welsh priorities are embedded in national plans. You’ll coordinate across Welsh Government and delivery agents to shape decisions on network investment and design. This is a strategic role requiring strong knowledge of energy networks and how they are planned, designed, delivered and regulated.

If you want to influence major infrastructure decisions, work on high-impact projects, and help Wales transition to a low-carbon future, this is your opportunity to make a real difference.

  • Drive delivery of network plans that enable new demand and renewable generation in Wales, building strong relationships with senior leaders in network companies to keep plans aligned with Welsh Government priorities.
  • Represent Wales in UK-wide forums, working with the National Energy System Operator to embed Welsh requirements and secure innovation funding.
  • Lead the Welsh response to the Independent Advisory Group on Future Electricity Grid, delivering evidence to help people understand and get involved in new network proposals.
  • Champion community engagement in low-carbon network delivery and integrate network plans with statutory planning. Collaborate with partners across Wales and the UK to develop new funding models for integrated energy systems that connect communities with renewables and retain benefits locally.
  • Establish robust governance for projects, ensuring they are well-supported and successfully delivered.
  • Provide trusted advice to Ministers and senior officials, lead external engagement, and share learning to build expertise across the Division.
  • Line manage one person, promoting high performance, organisational values, and team motivation.
  • Contribute to energy resilience planning and support the effective leadership of the energy delivery team.

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape delivery in a dynamic area aligned with key Programme for Government priorities and Net Zero Wales commitments. You’ll help ensure Wales maximises the benefits of moving to a clean energy system—work that has the potential to make a real difference for communities across the country.

 As part of this role you’ll collaborate extensively across Welsh Government and with external partners, UK delivery bodies, and other administrations. You’ll gain valuable insight into energy policy and inter-agency working, experience that will strengthen your profile for future roles. The post also provides exposure to strategy development and policy thinking in emerging areas.

We are committed to supporting your growth.

The Division will help you build on your strengths, broaden your capabilities, and progress your career. If you’re motivated by innovation, impact, and collaboration, this is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to Wales’s sustainable future.

You will be home based and will be expected to travel to a Welsh Government office, most likely Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberystwyth or Llandudno Junction, to attend meetings weekly or fortnightly. Locations will balance minimising travel with effective delivery and quality of life. You will also travel, for example to London or Warwick, as needed to represent Welsh Government. 

A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate, who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.

In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Experience 1 and Technical 1. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

CVs will not be scored but will be used by the panel to gain a fuller understanding of your experience and employment history.

At interview, candidates will be expected to give a five-minute presentation demonstrating their technical expertise in energy network planning. More information will be provided at this stage.

In the case of more than one candidate scoring the same, the panel has decided the following criteria to determining the merit order:

Appoint the applicant with the highest score in the Technical 1 criterion.

If the score is still tied, the process will be repeated for the following criteria in priority order until one candidate’s score is higher. Once one candidate has a higher score than the other, no further criteria will be considered.

Experience 2

Experience 1

Behaviour 1

Basic
1
YmatebionYnni-EnergyResponses@gov.wales

Welsh language requirements

3 - Welsh language skills are not essential for this post, they are however desirable and will be considered if two or more candidates receive the same score at the application or interview stage.
0 - No skills
0 - No skills
0 - No skills
0 - No skills

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our AI candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process and Stages

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage process
Stage 1Application Form
Stage 2Interview

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these Behaviour criteria during the selection process.

Seeing the Big Picture

Bring together views, perspectives and diverse needs of stakeholders to gain a broader understanding of the issues surrounding policies and activities.
This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Communicating and Influencing 

Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust.
This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Experience

We'll assess you against the following Experience criteria during the assessment process.
CV, Experience questions

Experience working in a network system design role for an electricity or gas network company, either directly or as a consultant.

This will be tested at Stage 1: Application Form
This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Proven ability to deliver effectively in energy network planning.

This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Technical

We'll assess the following Technical skills during the selection process.

Technical understanding of the energy system in Great Britain and how energy networks are designed and developed.

This will be tested at stage 1: Application Form
This will be tested at stage 2: Interview

Eligibility

You will be asked about your nationality and if you are legally allowed to work in the United Kingdom. This is to find out if you are eligible to apply for this vacancy. This is a requirement for working within the Civil Service. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria your application will not progress. If it becomes clear at a later stage in the process that you are not eligible to apply, your application may be withdrawn, or the offer retracted.

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) 
• 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

Social Model of Disability

Welsh Government has adopted the social model of disability, which recognises that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments, or health conditions, who are neurodivergent or who use British Sign Language.

We are committed to removing barriers in the recruitment process so that all (or potential new) staff can perform at their best.

Recruitment adjustments can be made at any part of the recruitment process for candidates with an impairment or health condition, who are neurodivergent or who use British Sign Language. 

Please get in touch with DiversityInRecruitment@gov.wales to discuss adjustments for any part of the process.

Inclusive Interview Schemes

We are committed to inclusive recruitment and offer interviews to eligible candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role through the following schemes:

Disability Confident

The Welsh Government is a Disability Confident Leader. As part of our commitment to this scheme we interview any candidate with an impairment, health condition, who is neurodivergent or who uses British Sign Language if they meet the minimum criteria for the post.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The Welsh Government operates the Great Place to Work for Veterans Initiative. As part of our commitment to this scheme we interview any eligible candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the post.

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service employers can offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of civil servants who are at risk of redundancy and who meet the minimum criteria for the post
By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that candidates must provide us with evidence in their application (and/or test) that they meet the minimum level of competence for the role - usually defined as a minimum score of 4 per criterion.

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
• PCS
• Prospect
• FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
• Pay
• Terms and conditions
• HR Strategy, policies and procedures
• Health, safety and well-being
• Organisational change

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. We encourage you to learn more about our trade unions, partnership working and to get involved in their work.

Benefits

All Welsh Government staff are members of the Civil Service, and as a result are eligible for:

  • Civil Service Pension Scheme
  • 31 days annual leave (pro-rated for part time)
  • training and development opportunities
  • Cycle2Work Scheme
  • Smart Working flexible working arrangement
  • Green Car Scheme (subject to availability)

If you are an active Civil Service Pension member you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us.

Recruitment principles and complaints

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles on the Commission's website.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.

All applications for this vacancy must be made using our online application system.

Unless stated otherwise in the 'Other vacancy-related information for advert', the Welsh Government cannot offer Visa sponsorship. Welsh Government holds a Visa sponsorship licence, but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

Applications are welcomed from people with a diverse range of lived and professional experiences. We are actively committed to becoming an increasingly diverse organisation which represents the diverse communities we serve. There are a number of Diversity networks that staff can participate in, which include the Disability Awareness and Support Staff Network; Minority Ethnic Staff Network; Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (LGBTI+), Women Together and the Neurodivergence Network.

If you have an impairment which prevents you from applying online, please email our recruitment team.You can:

  • request an application pack in an alternative format
  • request a recruitment adjustment to help you submit your application

Use the 'Apply' button to submit your application. You will be asked to register if you don't have an account or sign in if you do. Registration takes a few minutes and you will need an email address.

You should check your Application Centre regularly for updates to your application.  Please also check your spam/junk folder in case any communication regarding your application and/or assessment details finds its way there. 

Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form. You must complete this and submit it before the deadline on the closing date. We will not consider an incomplete application form.

If you would like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the Change Language link on this page.  We welcome applications in Welsh, and applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English.

Please see the candidate guidance for more information on the recruitment process.

For information on Civil Service Success Profiles please click here.

For TS to G6 recruitment schemes: When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role.

This opportunity is closed to applications.