Head of Energy Intensive Industries and Head of Critical Minerals and Mining

The post holder will be responsible for leading economic growth in two of the UK's biggest manufacturing sectors - chemicals and plastics - helping them remain internationally competitive, create jobs, secure investment and boost exports. Specific responsibilities include:

Working closely with the chemicals and plastics industries to understand their priorities, seek their input on Government policy, and influence other Government departments to help to ensure positive outcomes for the sectors.

Supporting the chemicals and plastics sectors' transition to Net Zero and protection from carbon leakage; working with the Industrial Decarbonisation team in DESNZ to navigate the policy landscape for their decarbonisation pathways.

Working with other government departments and overseas Posts to support inward investment and growth opportunities across the sectors, including horizon scanning and agreeing priority markets and supporting individual companies to land investments.

Working to secure the chemical sector and ensure its supply chains remain secure and resilient.

Please note - this post is initially on a 12 month basis with scope to extend.

Post 2 - Head of Energy Intensive Industries

The Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) team is a small policy team dedicated to delivering high quality, well evidenced and impactful change. We are the sector team for industries such as cement, paper, glass and ceramics, and work closely with other teams whose sectors are high energy users, such as steel and chemicals.

EIIs are businesses whose energy and trade intensity leaves them particularly exposed to competition from abroad. We deliver policies to support them with the high cost of energy and ensure they remain internationally competitive, ensuring that UK energy policy does not disincentivise investment and production in the UK.

Given our interest in energy policy, the key government department we engage with is DESNZ, and we expect our work over this parliament to be heavily geared towards the strategic approach to industrial decarbonisation. By ensuring the voice of industry is heard in government we will help deliver policies that are effective, pragmatic, and which do not come at the cost of de-industrialisation.

Specific responsibilities include:

Working closely with the Energy Intensive Users Group and EII trade associations to understand their priorities, seek their input on Government policy, and influence other Government departments to help to ensure positive outcomes for the sectors.

Supporting transition of EIIs to Net Zero whilst ensuring they can remain viable as businesses over the coming years and decades. This will require close working with a range of industrial energy policy teams in DESNZ to create the right balance of nudges and incentives as they make this complex and costly transition

Effectively represent the priorities and concerns of EIIs across a range of cross emerging Government publications - notably the Circular Economy and Industrial Strategies

Post 3 - Head of Critical Minerals and Mining (Strategy and Investment)

The critical minerals team is developing and delivering policy to improve the resilience of critical mineral supply chains, safeguard future manufacturing industries, support the energy transition and protect national security. This area of policy has become increasingly strategically important for Ministers, and the role provides an excellent opportunity to lead on a fast paced and high-profile area of work.

Specific responsibilities include:

Leading the development, delivery and governance of the UK government's approach to critical minerals.

Overseeing projects to monitor and manage critical mineral supply risks faced by UK businesses (for example, the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, and taking forward the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group for Critical Minerals Resilience.