HR Vetting & Right to Work Lead

Ofgem is Great Britains independent energy regulator. Our primary responsibility is to protect energy consumers, especially the most vulnerable, while at the same time working with government, industry and consumer groups to deliver a clean, more affordable and secure net-zero energy system at the lowest cost to consumers and drive economic growth.

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

Role Purpose

Ofgem is strengthening its workforce assurance and compliance capability as part of its wider organisational transformation, including the modernisation of HR systems and processes. As a regulator operating in a complex and highly scrutinised environment, ensuring that our workforce controls are robust, consistent and aligned to both legal and regulatory expectations is critical to maintaining trust, governance and operational integrity. We are looking for an experienced HR Vetting and Right to Work Lead to play a key role in shaping and embedding these controls across the organisation. This role will lead the development and continuous improvement of our approach to Right to Work checks, vetting processes and employment compliance, ensuring that they are not only legally compliant but also efficient, proportionate and aligned to the needs of a modern, data-led organisation. This is a critical role at the heart of Ofgems People and governance agenda, working across HR, hiring managers and wider government partners to ensure that vetting and Right to Work processes are consistently applied and supported by clear standards, guidance and assurance. The role will also play an important part in ensuring that these processes are effectively integrated into broader transformation initiatives, enabling a seamless and compliant candidate and employee experience. You will be responsible for ensuring that processes are transparent, auditable and resilient, supporting internal governance, audit requirements and external scrutiny. At the same time, you will help ensure that candidate and employee experience is not compromised, balancing compliance with accessibility and efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Manage the delivery of Right to Work checks and visa compliance, ensuring all processes meet UK immigration legislation and Home Office requirements.

Oversee and administer visa and sponsorship activities, including supporting Skilled Worker visa processes, maintaining compliance records and liaising with relevant internal teams and external stakeholders.

Manage and coordinate pre-employment vetting and background screening, ensuring checks are completed accurately, consistently and in line with organisational and government standards.

Provide clear guidance and advice to hiring managers and HR colleagues on visa requirements, sponsorship obligations and vetting processes.

Maintain accurate, compliant and auditable records in line with Home Office audit requirements and internal governance standards.

Identify and manage risks relating to immigration compliance, sponsorship and vetting, escalating issues where appropriate.

Support audits and compliance reviews, ensuring Ofgem meets its obligations as a sponsoring organisation.

Contribute to the continuous improvement of visa, sponsorship and vetting processes, ensuring they are efficient, consistent and aligned to organisational needs.

Ensure all handling of employee and candidate information complies with data protection and confidentiality requirements.

Essential Criteria

Strong working knowledge of UK Right to Work legislation, visa requirements and sponsorship obligations, including Skilled Worker visa processes and Home Office compliance expectations. (Lead Criteria)

Experience administering or managing pre-employment vetting and background checks, with an understanding of compliance, risk and assurance requirements. (Lead Criteria)

Demonstrable ability to review documentation and maintain accurate, auditable records in line with legal and organisational standards.

Ability to identify and manage risks relating to immigration compliance, sponsorship and vetting and take appropriate action or escalate issues.

Experience handling sensitive personal data in line with data protection requirements, ensuring security, confidentiality and integrity.

Ability to provide clear, practical advice to hiring managers and HR colleagues on visa, RTW and vetting processes.

Experience managing end-to-end processes and working within agreed service levels, ensuring consistent and compliant outcomes.