Current Opportunities

Location

Holyrood, 1 Horse Wynd, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP

Role Overview

Role: Carbon Accounting Intern (Scope 3 Emissions)

Placement Length: 12 weeks

Start Date: 15th June 2025

Wage: £13.45 per hour

Working Hours: Flexible

Applications Open: 01st May 2026
Applications Close: 15th May 2026

Interviews: W/C 8th June 2026

Working Pattern: Hybrid working pattern, with 3 days in the office. Initially up to 4–5 days per week onsite for induction and training.

The Organisation

The Scottish Parliament plays a key role in the governance of Scotland. Its main functions are to make laws, hold the Scottish Government to account, and debate issues of national importance.

The Scottish Parliamentary Service (SPS) provides politically impartial support to these functions and delivers the operational services required to run the Parliamentary estate, including facilities management, procurement, and corporate services. Responsibility for accommodation, staff, and services lies with the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB).

The Scottish Parliament campus at Holyrood supports around 1,200 building users, including elected Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), their staff, SPS staff, contractors, and media, and welcomes around 300,000 visitors each year.

The SPCB is committed to operating in a sustainable manner and improving environmental performance year on year. It has set targets to reduce its carbon footprint by 66% by 2026 and to achieve Net Zero by 2038. Since 2020/21, the organisation has calculated its Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, to identify and reduce emissions from its value chain.

Key Tasks

Data collection and surveys

• Analyse a staff, MSP and contractor travel survey, including communications, response tracking, data cleaning, and documentation of assumptions.
• Collect and validate data from internal teams including Procurement, Facilities, Allowances, and contract managers.
• Gather spend, quantity, and activity data required for Scope 3 emissions calculations.

Carbon accounting and analysis

• Calculate emissions associated with commuter travel based on survey outputs and agreed methodologies.
• Calculate Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services for the 2025/26 financial year.
• Calculate emissions associated with MSP constituency offices and document all data sources and assumptions.

Data quality and methodological improvement

• Identify data gaps, duplication, and inconsistencies and implement data‑quality improvements where possible.
• Propose improvements to future data collection processes, naming conventions, and documentation.
• Maintain a clear audit trail of emission factors, assumptions, and calculation methods.

Reporting and outputs

• Analyse results and produce summary tables, charts, and narrative aligned with previous Annual Sustainable Development Reports.
• Update internal procedures and guidance for future Scope 3 data collection and reporting.
• Input final figures and accompanying commentary into relevant sections of the Annual Sustainable Development Report.
• Create communication on sustainability for staff and wider stakeholder engagement.

Learning and Development Opportunities

• Practical application of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol within a large public‑sector organisation
• Experience of real‑world Scope 3 data challenges and audit evidence requirements
• Stakeholder engagement across procurement, finance, estates, and sustainability teams
• Insight into statutory climate reporting and public‑sector governance

The Candidate

Skills required:

• Degree in climate change, environmental science, sustainability, or a related discipline.
• Strong analytical and data management skills.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to analyse datasets and clearly explain findings in written reports.
• Ability to communicate and engage with a range of internal stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently with appropriate supervision and support.
• Knowledge of carbon accounting principles and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
• Experience of working with survey data or procurement/spend datasets.
• Familiarity with sustainability reporting in a public‑sector or large organisational setting.
• Eligibility to work in the U.K. for the full length of the placement and ability to travel to the location.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy, and maternity.