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Senior Energy Policy Advisor - Carbon Policy

Salary: £40 - 50k per annum + Benefits

Status: Permanent /Full-time (However we actively welcome applications for part time or flexible working)

Meeting the UK’s 2050 Net Zero emissions target will require a fundamental transformation of our entire energy system, raising huge challenges for policy reform, market design, and the regulatory frameworks across the sector. 

Energy Systems Catapult is an independent research and technology organisation. Our mission is to accelerate Net Zero energy innovation.  

The Markets, Policy & Regulatory team helps innovators make sense of the opportunities and barriers to introducing new services and products, by translating the existing policy and regulations and identifying upcoming reforms. We also draw on our work with innovators to make the case back up to government for policy and regulatory reform. 

As demand for our expertise and services continues to grow, we are recruiting for a Senior Energy Policy Advisor to join the team. We are particularly interested in strengthening our Carbon Policy Practice, which focuses on how the UK can develop an innovation-friendly, economy-wide framework for Net Zero. Some our recent work includes addressing carbon leakage , carbon accounting in industry, and developing the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. 

The Catapult is a place where you can do the best and most impactful work of your career. You will be exposed to a variety of exciting projects, from how we go about decarbonising 26 million homes, how we decarbonise both complex sites and industrial areas, and the role of local areas in decarbonisation. There is also the small question of how the whole transformed system will work together. 

Our HQ is in Birmingham, but our hybrid working arrangements mean that our people are distributed across the country. With a rich mix of disciplines and experiences across the energy system, the Catapult is a highly stimulating environment and was recently awarded a Great Place to Work certification. 

We believe that innovation often stems from connecting different areas and ideas, and that working together in person can be an important enabler for that. We therefore expect people to be in the Birmingham office ~40 days/year (roughly one day per week).

You 

We are looking for a policy expert. It would be great if you demonstrate a successful track record of delivering projects related to carbon policy (e.g. carbon pricing and markets, carbon accounting and regulation, carbon leakage measures, and industrial decarbonisation), perhaps in a consultancy, government, industry, or academia. But this is not a prerequisite if you are genuinely interested in and understand the subject matter and can demonstrate strong capabilities in other areas. 

To that end, you will be able to showcase how you have delivered policy projects that have led to impact and change to the sectors in which you have worked. 

As the Catapult’s policy expert in this space, you will not only be comfortable and effective working collaboratively with your colleagues, but also engaging externally with a variety of stakeholders, as you will be expected to develop strategic relationships on carbon policy and to represent the Catapult at external events.  

You will lead the delivery of carbon policy projects from conception through to final output. With that in mind, you will use your first class analytical, report writing, and presentation skills to ensure that your outputs are engaging and well targeted to the intended recipients. 

In addition, you will be expected to contribute to the Catapult’s bids for projects, as well as helping to shape the Markets, Policy & Regulation team’s strategic direction, operational approach, effectiveness, and growth. 

What you will be doing 

• Delivering policy projects in our Carbon Policy Practice depending on the nature and scale of the project, you could be leading the policy work or supporting a Practice Manager (subject matter lead). There may also be opportunities to be involved in the work of our two other practices: electricity policy and heat & local energy.
• Contributing to the development of the Catapult’s positioning on carbon policy issues relating to the carbon pricing and markets, carbon accounting and regulation, carbon leakage measures, and industrial decarbonisation.
• Supporting the delivery of projects for a wide range of potential commercial clients (including central government, the Climate Change Committee, Innovate UK).
• Production of reports, presentations, blogs, and articles – either as lead author, co-author, or contributor to specific sections.
• Representing the Market, Policy & Regulation team within the Catapult – for example, by presenting on project work at company Show & Tell events.
• Managing interactions with stakeholders such as central government, the Climate Change Committee, private companies, innovators, and academia. This may include attendance at and/or running workshops and delivering high quality presentations and webinars.
• Contributing to the Catapult’s bids for future projects, contributing and scoping relevant Markets, Policy & Regulation expertise and inputs as appropriate.
• Horizon scanning and maintaining the Catapult’s knowledge and insight on carbon and industrial decarbonisation

Key Credentials 

1. Experience of work on policy issues, analysis of problems, and developing strategically sound solutions.
2. Deep understanding of the UK’s carbon and industrial decarbonisation policy and strategic challenges.
3. Evidence of high-quality writing in your area of expertise and the ability to collaborate and contribute to writing research outputs for different audiences (e.g. reports, think-pieces, blogs, briefings).
4. Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) and experience of delivering presentations.
5. Ability to work accurately to tight deadlines, and good planning and organisational skills.
6. Ability to work both independently and closely with a team.
7. Collaborative and confident in developing relationships with a variety of stakeholders with different backgrounds (e.g. government, commercial, academic).
8. Relevant post-graduate qualification. [Desirable]
9.  Quantitative and/or qualitative research skills. [Desirable]

Would you like to Apply?

The closing date for applications is Monday 23rd September 2024 

Please note that at this time we are unable to provide UK visa sponsorship.

We welcome applications from all, including those who may be returning to work, those wishing to work flexibly for any reason, and those who may need additional support.

Energy Systems Catapult undertakes innovative and exciting work that will help shape the future of energy, with this in mind we encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible, as we do reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.

(Strictly No Agencies).

"We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of race, sex, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation, or status regarding gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity."

Privacy Statement

Purpose of the Privacy Statement

The purpose of this Privacy Statement is to make you aware of how and why your personal data will be used during any recruitment process and how long it will usually be retained for.  This statement provides you with certain information that must be provided under the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR).

In the recruitment process we, Energy Systems Catapult Limited, are a “Data Controller”. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal data about you.

The Energy Systems Catapult Limited is located at Cannon House 7th Floor, 18 Priory Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, B4 6BS and can be contacted by email at: dataprotectionoffice@es.catapult.org.uk. 

Data Protection Principles

We will comply with data protection law and principles, which means that your data will be:

Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way;
Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes;
Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes;
Accurate and kept up to date;
Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about;
Kept securely. 

The Kind of Personal Data we hold about you

In connection with your application for work with us, we will collect, store and use the following categories of personal information about you:

The information you have provided in our application form;
The information you have provided to us in your curriculum vitae and covering letter;
Any information you provide to us during an interview;
Any other information provided by you as part of the recruitment process. 
We may ask you for information to allow us to monitor our equal opportunities and diversity performance in recruitment. Also, if you inform us that you have a disability we will keep this information on record to allow us to make reasonable adjustments as needed. 

How we will use your Personal Data

We will use the personal data we collect about you to:

Assess your skills, qualifications and suitability for the role;
Carry out background and reference checks, where applicable;
Communicate with you about the recruitment process;
Keep records relating to our hiring processes;
Manage recruitment related activities, which includes setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes;
Comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
We will also use information about any disability you may have to consider whether we need to provide appropriate adjustments during the recruitment process.

Such processing is lawful as it is necessary for our legitimate purpose in seeking to attract, evaluate, and select applicants for employment. 

Data Sharing: Greenhouse Software Inc

Your personal data will be shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by us to help manage our recruitment and hiring process. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data will be transferred to the United States once you submit it through this site. This transfer will be subject to appropriate additional safeguards under the Privacy Shield so as to comply with EU law. 

Data Retention

We will retain your personal data for a period of 12 months after we have communicated to you our decision about whether to appoint you to the role. We retain your personal data for that period so that we can show, in the event of a legal claim, that we have not discriminated against candidates on prohibited grounds and that we have conducted the recruitment exercise in a fair and transparent way. After this period, we will securely destroy your personal data in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. 

Your Rights in Connection with Personal Data

Under the GDPR you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted or transferred.

When you apply for this role, and tick the confirmation box below, you have provided consent for us to process your personal data for the purpose of the recruitment exercise. You have the right to withdraw your consent for processing for that purpose at any time. Withdrawal of consent to process your data may mean that we cannot continue with your application to us.

If you wish to exercise the rights granted to you under GDPR please contact: dataprotectionoffice@es.catapult.org.uk.