Community Energy Project Officer
Fixed Term, Full Time
Up to £42,931 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Anywhere worker
Closing Date: 25th October 2023
This is fixed term opportunity until March 2026
The Team
Essex County Council (ECC) is committed to changing the way we work, produce, consume and travel, to take action on climate change and significantly reduce carbon emissions, air pollution and waste in the County.
The Energy and Low Carbon Team help to develop, scale up and deliver ECC’s Climate Action ambitions, and work across the Environment and Climate Action function, the wider organisation and partner institutions in Essex to achieve shared climate action objectives.
An important part of our work is enabling communities to achieve net zero through local action and ECC is committed to supporting and growing its work on community energy across the county.
The Role
We are now looking to recruit an ambitious, committed and energetic professional to the role of Community Energy Project Officer to lead on work to help inspire and support communities with their own energy projects from start up through to managing a portfolio of renewable energy, energy efficiency and retrofit projects. The role which is funded to 31 March 2026 will take a lead on developing community led energy planning across communities in Essex, working closely with Parish Councils and local residents. The role will also deliver the nationally recognised Pathways programme in Essex, working closely with our partners to build on our growing network of community energy groups.
You must enjoy working in a fast paced environment, thrive on making things happen where the team is often breaking new ground and have the tenacity to work on a what is a complex and challenging issue. You will need to bring knowledge of climate action at a local level and the role local smart energy systems can play. You will be confident in working with elected members, senior managers, communities, the energy network operator and private sector partners to drive forward new projects. You will understand data and finance and be comfortable thinking and working on novel ideas to tackle this exciting challenge.
The Experience You Will Bring
· Experience of supporting residents, community groups and local councils in leading their own projects and campaigns. Knowledge and experience in the community energy sector is preferable.
· A keen interest in local energy and climate action projects in a community-based setting is essential.
· Educated to degree level in a relevant environmental subject or community engagement or equivalent by experience and evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area e.g. membership of IEMA.
· Strong communication skills are essential. An ability to communicate openly and with confidence on complex topics is essential.
· Strong analytical skills are desirable; and being able to contextualize into simple messaging focused on actions is important.
· Knowledge of sustainable finance and how it can benefit communities is desirable.
· Shows persistence and resilience. Confident team player who is also able to work on own initiative – action orientated. Professional with a high level of commitment and enthusiasm.
· Has a good ability to prioritise, plan and manage competing demands.
To read more about us please visit; Climate, Environment and Customer Services
Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
What you should do next
If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk
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