Energy and Carbon Advisor

UKGBC - who we are:

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

We play a leading role in tackling the climate and nature crises to protect communities. Nature is in collapse, and our buildings and communities will not withstand the climate impacts we face without urgent action. We know the places we live, work and play in must, and can, be part of the solution, not the problem.

We are multi-disciplinary team of around 40 passionate, 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 Advisor, with technical and practical knowledge of low-carbon buildings (existing and/or new build) and global green building certification tools, to contribute significantly to the building sector’s net-zero transition.

This role is ideal for a 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.

The successful candidate will help shape the content of nationally applicable outputs while developing their own broad insight and knowledge through working with a diverse and dynamic team of colleagues, and also with businesses across the entire built environment value chain.

Key responsibilities

• Be a subject matter expert 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.)
• Manage the delivery of guidance on performance targets for 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
• Contribute 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 operational 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.
• Write content for and deliver high-quality reports and outputs that account for the diverse viewpoints of stakeholders
• Present at and support advocacy for the UKGBC programmes at external events and meetings
• Input into and support UKGBC’s Solutions and Innovations work
• Support the delivery of learning and leadership activities, including presenting and leading sessions relating to carbon and energy
• Support the recruitment of, management of, and reporting to, partners, funders and other supporters
• Liaise with WorldGBC and other national GBCs involved in relevant global programmes and campaigns
• Contribute to and support work on other UKGBC programmes as required
• Engage in regular organisational-wide meetings related to UKGBC operations and/or other projects and workstreams
• 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 built environment (typically seen via a 3+ years career, although alternative ways of demonstrating equivalent experience will be considered)
• Practical knowledge of the technical aspects of carbon reduction practice, including technical knowledge of implementing energy solutions, and a firm understanding of building, commercial or industrial and manufacturing engineering services
• 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)

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

Terms and conditions

This is a Fixed-term contract aligned with financial years/partner funding cycles (expected end date 31st March 2027)

Please note that we reserve the right to close the advertisement early should we receive a high volume of strong applications; therefore, we encourage early submissions.