Senior Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme Officer in Slough

The role involves shaping the future of energy efficiency and decarbonisation in Wales. Natural Resources Wales is recruiting for two vacancies within our Carbon Permitting Team, offering a unique opportunity to help shape and deliver climate change regulation across Wales.

These national, high-profile roles support the delivery of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), helping regulated organisations meet their obligations while contributing to environmental protection and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The successful candidate will undertake a range of technical and regulatory responsibilities, including:

• Assessing permit applications
• Reviewing emissions data and compliance returns
• Delivering audits and inspections
• Supporting compliance and enforcement activities where required

Both roles will also involve analysing complex technical information, contributing to management reporting, and identifying opportunities to improve regulatory processes and scheme delivery. One of the vacancies will have a particular focus on leading NRW's delivery of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) across Wales. This role will provide strategic oversight of the scheme, act as NRW's lead specialist for ESOS policy and regulation, and work closely with Welsh Government, the Environment Agency, and other UK regulators to support consistent and effective scheme delivery.

Both positions require strong technical, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to interpret complex information and provide clear, evidence-based advice. You will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry operators, consultants, government bodies, and partner regulators, representing NRW with professionalism and technical credibility.

Driving is essential to this role in order to monitor on-site compliance. You must hold a full and current UK driving license. As an organisation, we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home, and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Wayne Grimstead. Interviews will take place on the week commencing 28th September 2026 through Microsoft Teams.

About us: Our all-Wales Carbon Permitting Team, of which ESOS is a part, sits at the heart of Natural Resources Wales' response to the climate emergency. Aligned to the Operations Directorate and managed by Industry Regulation South East, we play a pivotal role in regulating some of the UK's largest carbon emitters.

Through our work on key schemes such as the Emissions Trading Scheme and ESOS, we directly support the delivery of all four objectives within the NRW Corporate Plan 2030. Our primary focus is reducing emissions and preventing pollution through robust, evidence-based regulation, helping to drive Wales towards a low-carbon future.

This is an exciting time to join a highly skilled, supportive team working on complex, high-impact environmental challenges with national significance.

What you will do:

• Determine a range of applications for UK Emission Trading Scheme permits ensuring that large energy users in sectors such as metals, chemicals, and electricity production operate in such a way as to minimise their impact on climate change.
• Ensure compliance with the UK Emission Trading Scheme permits and ESOS across Wales by a range of site compliance audits, report assessment, and enforcement work as required.
• Prepare annual reports of Greenhouse Gas emissions in Wales to Government and other interested parties.
• Provide advice and guidance on all climate change regulation to other team members, internal and external customers, identifying common customers between the climate change regulations and other environmental legislation, ensuring customers are fully informed of the wider legislative requirements.
• Represent Natural Resources Wales on United Kingdom regulator forums, ensuring that the needs of Welsh industry are taken into consideration in the development of the United Kingdom-wide approach to climate change legislation.
• Coach and mentor others on UK Emission Trading Scheme and Energy Savings Opportunity work.
• Build strong working relationships with customers, partners, and other stakeholders across the UK.
• Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post.
• Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post.
• Be committed to your own development through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

Your qualifications, experience, knowledge, and skills:

In your application and interview, you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method:

• Education to degree level or equivalent in a relevant scientific discipline.
• A detailed understanding of all climate change legislation including UK Emissions Trading Scheme and Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme.
• Strong influencing skills.
• Practical experience of the application of the range of climate change legislation to the regulation or operation of process industry and health sector sites.
• Strong customer-focused approach to delivery.
• Proven effective planning and organisational skills.
• Proven coaching and mentoring skills.

Welsh Language level requirements:

Essential: Level A1 - Entry level Welsh language levels. Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement, i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.

Additional Information:

Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date. This role meets the criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Natural Resources Wales welcomes applications from non-UK citizens who are eligible to apply under this route, subject to confirmation by the Home Office.

Please note that while we may be able to support the Certificate of Sponsorship required for a visa application, the organisation does not cover the cost of the visa itself, including any associated fees for dependants. The applicant must still meet the UK Skilled Worker Visa Eligibility and Requirement.

For further information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Benefits:

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
• Generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
• Commitment to professional development
• Health and wellbeing benefits and support
• Weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose

We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.

We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on a variety of topics, stay current in their field, and continue to learn as their career progresses.

We are a bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop, and use their Welsh language skills.