Head of Energy Portfolio
| Posting date: | 12 June 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £65,430 to £73,308 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Pay award pending. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 July 2025 |
| Location: | Weymouth |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 408789/2 |
Summary
Shape the future of marine energy and drive delivery on nationally significant programmes.
Are you an experienced programme leader with a passion for the marine environment and the transition to clean energy? Do you thrive at the intersection of science, policy and delivery? If so, we’re looking for someone to lead and grow a dynamic and high-profile portfolio to help deliver Cefas strategic priorities.
As the Head of Energy Portfolio, you will oversee a complex and evolving set of programmes and projects within our Energy Portfolio, starting with Cefas’ flagship nuclear programme. Over time, your remit will expand to include projects focused on offshore renewable energy, contributing to the UK’s net zero ambitions and sustainable use of the marine environment.
You’ll be joining a collaborative, multidisciplinary team working at the cutting edge of marine science, regulation and environmental planning. We’re looking for someone with proven experience of managing complex portfolios, ideally in marine science, planning or regulation. You’ll need the confidence to engage with a wide range of stakeholders - from regulators and developers to marine scientists and technical experts – and to build solid, productive relationships across sectors.
In this senior role, you’ll shape the portfolio’s direction, lead business planning and ensure effective prioritisation and allocation of resources. Your work will directly support delivery of Cefas organisation strategy Cefas 2030 and our Science, Evidence and Advice Strategy, helping to deliver trusted evidence that shapes policy and the sustainable use of the marine environment. If you’re motivated by interesting work, enjoy leading diverse teams, and want to make a tangible difference in how the UK manages its marine resources, we’d love to hear from you.
Welcome to Cefas (youtube.com)
We are the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). We advise government and wider society so we can secure a sustainable future for our rivers, seas and the ocean. Our mission is to apply our unique expertise to achieve healthy and productive marine and freshwater ecosystems, both here in the UK and around the world. We’re committed to our science and to our people. To prepare us for the future we have six strategic priorities:
As a trusted global authority, we will embed marine and freshwater science at the heart of decision making. Using excellent science, we will lead transformative change to achieve healthy and productive rivers, seas and the ocean. We will enable individuals to thrive together, delivering safely wherever we work. We will build an inclusive and supportive culture where diversity is truly valued. We will harness the power of data and technology to respond to the world’s pressing problems.We will strengthen partnerships and community engagement to collaborate and build collective understanding.Cefas has world leading expertise in marine and freshwater science that underpins decision-making with local, national and global reach. We help keep rivers, seas and the ocean healthy and productive and seafood safe and sustainable, by providing scientific evidence, data, analysis and advice to government and other partners. We are seeking a highly motivated team player to join our team as the Head of the Energy Portfolio.
The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in overseeing the provision of environmental advice on large engineering projects in the marine sector, and significant experience working at a senior level within the nuclear or wider energy sector.
The main duties and responsibilities of this post include:
Strategic Leadership: Provide overall strategic leadership, decisions, and direction to ensure delivery meets both the needs of Cefas and customers.
- Lead on governance for relevant internal Boards within the Energy Portfolio to provide assurance to S&D Director, Science Directors and the Head of Portfolio Delivery.
- Deliver expert advice and guidance for business case development, ensuring specialist input is collated and submitted.
- Oversee the delivery of project tenders or project renewals in the Energy Portfolio.
Portfolio Vision: Define and communicate the Portfolio direction and business objectives in line with Cefas science, evidence and advice and organisational strategies including Cefas 2030.
- Maintain the portfolio business plan and future pipeline, including identifying new opportunities aligned to our strategy.
- Establish ownership and responsibility for benefit realisation, regularly reviewing business cases to assess progress towards benefits realisation.
Stakeholder Engagement: Influence and manage relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, lawyers, regulators, supply chain partners and subcontractors, ensuring the strategic direction of the Portfolio remains aligned with changes in political, science, or business priorities.
- Engage with internal and external senior/Director level stakeholders, providing updates, challenging assumptions, and resolving issues.
- Building on existing customer relationships to create new networks and heighten Cefas profile. This will include taking ownership and accountability for customer relationship management, ensuring effective relationship management at Director level to meet customer needs.
- Providing support for Developers progressing Development Consent Order (DCO) applications/changes including liaison with Regulators/Stakeholders and managing potential conflicts of interest and organisational reputational risks.
Public Examination Oversight: Lead Cefas participation in any future legal inquiries associated with Cefas’ Energy Portfolio projects, appointing and supporting Cefas expert witnesses, and assuring the quality of impartial scientific evidence and advice that Cefas provides.
Portfolio Oversight: Provide portfolio oversight of project progress to the Cefas Director of Strategy and Delivery, highlighting significant risks, concerns, assumptions, issues, and successes
- Be a visible leader, communicating and building commitment to a shared vision and sense of purpose. Support business areas to take decisions autonomously.
H&S oversight: Ensure the highest standards of safety and accountability for H&S across all relevant projects and programmes in the Energy Portfolio.
Line management: To line manage relevant colleagues within the area of work, noting that this may represent a range of deep specialisms and professions.
In addition, Cefas reserves the right to ask staff to take on additional duties and responsibilities which are commensurate with their grade. Management will have a discussion with staff to explain the changes that are to be made. A new job description will be issued if required.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme