Senior Advisor: Energy and Carbon

Join to apply for the Senior Advisor: Energy and Carbon role at UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)

UK Green Building Council is the industry network with a mission to radically transform the built environment in the face of the climate, nature crises. We champion bold government action and convene the ambitious sections of industry to drive progress at pace and scale.

This is an opportunity to play a role at the forefront of tackling the climate and nature crises. Nature is in collapse and our buildings and communities will not withstand the climate impacts we face without urgent action. The places we live, work and play in must, and can be part of the solution and not the problem.

We are a multi-disciplinary team of 35 passionate and skilled people from across the UK with a London office hub. As a green charity, we prize our welcoming and inclusive work culture with wellbeing and professional development at its heart.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Advisor, with technical and practical knowledge of low to net zero carbon buildings (existing and/or new build) and global green building certification tools, and strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, to contribute significantly to the building sectors’ net zero transition.

This role is ideal for a seasoned built-environment professional with demonstrable advisory experience, seeking to build on their knowledge, and further extend their network. The industry-facing position offers the opportunity to rapidly develop and enhance skills in a range of areas, including project management, facilitation, stakeholder engagement, multi-disciplinary research, and presenting at conferences and events.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical and practical application expertise in low to net zero carbon buildings (e.g., operational and embodied carbon, passive and active energy efficiency measures, retrofit, carbon pricing, renewable energy & offsetting etc.)
• Lead the delivery of guidance on low to net zero carbon buildings (and other assets) and their verification, in collaboration with relevant professional institutions, industry bodies, UKGBC members and other groups as required
• Write content for, and deliver high quality reports and outputs that account for, the diverse viewpoints of stakeholders
• Contribute, where required, to the delivery of guidance related to the transition to, and delivery of, sustainable and resilient buildings
• Upskill the wider team by drawing upon previous experience on relevant topics and capabilities – e.g., construction, managing operation buildings, investment appraisals, constructing a business case, running collaborative projects etc.
• Carry out stakeholder engagement that accounts for the diverse viewpoints of stakeholders (industry / UKGBC membership, professional, trade and NGO groups, and local and national government etc.) using methods including facilitation of workshops and small working groups, one-to-one meetings, surveys, email, and good contacts management
• Contribute to and, where agreed, lead work to deliver and strengthen UKGBC members recruitment and relations to ensure that they are deriving significant value from engaging with UKGBC.
• Present at, and advocate for for the UKGBC programmes at, external events and meetings
• Input into and support UKGBC’s Solutions and Innovations work
• Contribute to the delivery of learning and leadership activities, including presenting and leading sessions
• Support the recruitment of, and management and reporting to, partners, funders and other supporters
• Liaise with WorldGBC and other national GBCs involved in relevant global programmes and campaigns as agreed
• Contribute to work on other UKGBC programmes and activities as required
• Engage, and take a leading role when relevant, in regular organisational wide meetings related to UKGBC strategy and operations
• Take accountability for your own contribution towards your personal and professional development; including regular 1-1s, objective setting, performance and development conversations; and soliciting and providing feedback, including for those outside your core work area and upward for managers.

People Requirements

Key qualities, competencies, experience, and qualifications

• Mission: A passion for tackling the climate, nature and cost of living crises, and a commitment to UKGBC’s mission.
• Integrity: An inclusive approach that conveys and embeds honesty and transparency as standard
• Attitude: A positive, proactive, problem-solving approach with demonstrable agility to perform duties that may be outside core accountabilities
• Leadership and Teamwork: Consistent and collaborative communication and engagement to help drive your team’s success; ability to motivate others and create a positive working environment
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills, ability to share complex ideas, thoughts and concepts in a consistently clear manner,
• Project management: Efficient planning, organisational, and time management skills with excellent attention to detail
• Administration: Strong administrative and computer literacy skills (standard software packages, mainly Microsoft Office)
• Critical thinking: supported by good research skills
• Knowledge and expertise: Substantial experience in sustainability within the UK built environment (typically seen via a 6+ years career, although alternative ways of demonstrating equivalent experience will be considered)

Practical knowledge of the technical aspects of energy efficiency and carbon reduction practice including knowledge of implementing energy solutions, and a firm understanding of building, commercial or industrial and manufacturing engineering services

Good understanding of UKGBC\’s Advancing Net Zero programme and Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework Definition, and other relevant industry resources on net zero carbon buildings including the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard

Familiarity with energy and carbon accounting and modelling approaches including whole life carbon assessments (WLCAs) of buildings

Experience with or exposure to global building sustainability rating tools and certifications (e.g. LEED, BREEAM, Living Building Challenge, WELL, GHG Protocol, GRESB, SBTi)

Experience in report writing for industry audience would be ideal

• Stakeholder engagement: Proven experience of client / customer relationship management
• Facilitation: Experience in running workshops and roundtables with external stakeholders
• Critical thinking: supported by good research skills