Principal Whole Life Carbon Officer WCC623174 in Westminster

Salary range: £56,436 - £59,574 pro-rata, per annum (actual salary £50,166 - £52,955 per annum). Salary negotiable depending upon experience.

Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6QPHours per week: 32

Contract type: Temporary up to 18 months

Closing date: 20 February 2026

Interview date: Weeks commencing 23 February 2026 and 2 March 2026

As Principal Whole Life Carbon Officer you will contribute to Westminster's success by joining the Town Planning team and supporting our commitment to achieving Net Zero by reducing Scope 3 emissions from construction projects. Working with the Innovate UK fund and in collaboration with Preoptima, we are rolling out the Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction (PACER) digital platform to transform the review of whole life carbon assessments in planning, creating a standardised and transparent process that upskills officers and collects data to inform policy.

Responsibilities include:

• Overseeing the use and integration of PACER, ensuring consistency and accuracy of the review process.
• Liaising with applicants and consultants for efficient use.
• Gathering stakeholder feedback to identify challenges and improve the end-user experience.
• Supporting Policy Officers in implementing policy and guidance to achieve Net Zero and Circular Economy aims.
• Providing advice on whole life carbon requirements.
• Drafting updates to environmental supplementary planning documents.
• Assisting the Principal Sustainability Officer in reviewing major applications and those involving substantial demolition.
• Supporting the review of carbon options appraisals in pre-redevelopment audits.
• Critically analysing Whole Life Carbon Assessments submitted with planning applications.
• Managing budget responsibilities, including applying and allocating funds to different functions and projects.

To be a success in this role you'll have well developed technical knowledge of whole life carbon assessments, datasets and carbon conversion factors, and experience with digital tools for this work. You should be collaborative, with a track record of promoting awareness of climate change and sustainability, and supporting uptake of net zero goals. Knowledge of planning processes, retrofitting existing buildings, carbon options appraisals, stakeholder engagement and research to record intervention impacts is desirable. You will need strong communication skills to interact with diverse stakeholders, present complex information clearly, and produce project plans, progress reports and policy recommendations. You should be a critical and analytical thinker with good problem-solving skills, and be able to plan your time and meet tight deadlines.

Qualifications:

• Degree in a relevant field (e.g., architecture, structural engineering, building services, environmental engineering).
• Post-graduate qualification or chartership in a related area desirable.
• Strong commitment to environmental sustainability and the net zero transition; up-to-date with current research and best practices.
• Knowledge of latest innovations in construction to reduce carbon emissions.

Westminster City Council is committed to an inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from people of diverse backgrounds. The Council is a Disability Confident Employer and offers flexibility in working patterns and Agile working. We encourage candidates from Global Majority backgrounds and will consider positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 where appropriate. The Council reserves the right to extend or close this vacancy early depending on the volume of suitable applicants.