Svitlana

Svitlana's STORY

Senior Analyst, Ofgem, Ofgem

Senior Analyst, Ofgem
Ofgem

Svitlana's role allows her to be at the forefront of recent developments in the energy sector. With a Ph.D. in Economics, she reveals how she continues to develop her skills at Ofgem and what she loves most about her job.

What do you do and where do you do it?

I am a Senior Analyst in the Office for Research and Economics at Ofgem, based in Canary Wharf, London. Ofgem is the independent economic regulator for gas and electricity markets in Great Britain.

My role is based in the Analytical Assurance team. We review analytical reports by other teams at Ofgem, which underpin some of our most significant policy decisions. Our aim is to ensure that the assumptions and analysis are robust and free of error and that the decisions are made on sound evidence.

Tell us about your career journey…

I have a Ph.D. in Economics and experience with econometric analysis using several data and analytics packages, including STATA and EViews. I’ve taken postgraduate courses in data analysis and administration which provided me with skills in SQL (a standard language used in programming to manage data) and VBA (a programming language for Excel). Previously, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in academia and also had a short stint at an econometrics consultancy in London.

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I love working at Ofgem – it’s a very dynamic organisation with a great culture and highly motivated and knowledgeable colleagues.

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What does an average day consist of as a Senior Analyst?

I spend my days working on a variety of projects. This includes analytical quality assurance of models, cost benefit analysis and reports, working on internal research projects, as well as line and project management. A number of my projects are related to our price controls for transmission and distribution networks as well as for interconnectors and offshore power.

What elements of your job do enjoy the most?

There are many parts of my job I enjoy. Making a difference by helping make the analysis more robust as well as engaging with teams across the entire organisation and external stakeholders, such as academics and consultants. My job allows me to be at the forefront of recent developments in the sector and I get to observe the emergence of new policies and structures aimed at improving the way energy markets work.

What attracted you to join the energy and utilities sector?

Energy is an essential service that concerns us all and enables our life as we know it. It is also a sector that sees an unprecedented level of technological and market change, driven by multiple forces including the decarbonisation agenda, such as a rise in renewable energy sources and electric vehicles to name a few. It is a dynamic and exciting sector and there is so much to learn!

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Energy is an essential service that concerns us all and enables our life as we know it. It’s an exciting sector with so much to learn!

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What do you think of the career prospects? Have you had much training and development?

Ofgem provides excellent training opportunities in form of internal training, Civil Service Learning, Government Economic Service training and specialised third-party training. For example, I had a chance to attend a 5-day training course on policy development delivered by the leading regulatory economists at the London School of Economics. I also had a chance to take my analytical skills to the next level related to model quality assurance. Ofgem provides great working experience and training which enable further career growth.

Would you recommend your job to a friend and why?

I would highly recommend this job to anyone who is interested in economic policy making and the energy sector. Ofgem is a very dynamic organisation with great culture and highly motivated and knowledgeable colleagues, who are a pleasure and privilege to work with.