Sustainability and Utilities Officer

The Property Sustainability & Energy team reports to Defra’s Chief Sustainability Officer and is part of the Centre for Environmental Resilience and Efficiency in Government (CEREG). Collectively, we are responsible for driving positive environmental change within Defra, including energy management, decarbonisation, nature recovery and climate change adaptation.

As a key member of the Property Sustainability and Energy team, you will assist in a range of activities to ensure the provision and payment of utilities (inc. gas, electric, water) for Defra Group and Environment Agency Properties.

This is likely to include:

• Collating invoices, arranging payment of c.£3m of energy bills per month
• Updating data sheets to reflect changes in property ownership/ utility meter
• Allocation and distribution of costs between sites
• Driving efficiencies in our processes, including through the use of AI/CoPilot.
• Reporting performance on the Greening Government Commitments (government sustainability targets)
• Assistance in wider sustainability, energy efficiency and resilience projects as required.

You will be part of an immediate team of 7-8 people, working together to deliver our goals. The wider CEREG team has around 35 FTE.

Our team are passionate about our work, investing in our people to increase capability and professionalism in Environmental Sustainability (and related fields).

Experience of data management/ interpretation, Excel, Power-BI, or similar.

Excellent written, IT based professional and verbal communication skills.

Experience with managing large data sets

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Managing a Quality Service

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Making decisions/recommendations using data

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Flexi Time Policy. Our Flexi-time policy allows you to vary your hours from day to day, within the requirements of your role, to suit your needs and to offer a better work/life balance.

  Leave. If you work full time at Defra you are entitled to 25 days’ leave (rising, over 5 years, to 30 days’). If you work part time it will be pro-rated.

  Privilege day. You are also entitled to a privilege day off in May to mark the King’s birthday (date varies), plus time off for the 8 public holidays a year.

  Career breaks. We recognise that your work-life balance can extend beyond the short-term to the longer-term, and to support this you are able to apply for career breaks. These are unpaid extended breaks from work, granted at the discretion of the department.

  Volunteering leave – 3 days paid volunteering leave every year (pro-rata). Once you have passed probation.

  Season ticket loan – for an interest free season ticket loan, if you have worked within the Defra for more than three months. This can be used to purchase train and bus season tickets, as well as station car parking.

  Tenancy deposit loan – for an interest free loan, to assist you in meeting the deposit costs for your privately rented home.

  Salary advances and loans for other circumstances – for salary advances and loans in the following circumstances: for new entrants, for the purchase of bicycles, holidays and religious holidays.

  Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme – Since the closure to new entrants of the employer childcare voucher scheme, the government introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. In this scheme, working parents open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year for each child or £4,000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare.

  Support to buy a bicycle – we run two schemes that can help you buy a bicycle for your commute:

  1. The Cycle to Work Scheme –you can apply for a bicycle for your commute,  up to the value of £6,000, which is recovered from you through salary sacrifice, as a tax-free benefit. At the end of the repayment period, you have the option to buy the bike if you wish, saving around 30% of the original cost.
  2. Bike loan – if you are not eligible to apply for the Cycle to Work Scheme, you can apply for a loan of up to £1,000 towards the cost of a bike using the Bike loan scheme. This however is not a salary sacrifice scheme.

  High-street and online discounts.  Offers through SmartSpending™ which is accessed through the StaR platform.  Accessible 24/7, you can save at hundreds of top retailers.

  Maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave. We offer generous maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave – a total of 52 weeks leave to look after your new baby, regardless of your length of service. Most mothers are entitled to 39 weeks of paid leave, and a further 13 weeks of unpaid leave.  Most partners are entitled to 15 days of paid paternity leave. Shared parental leave arrangements are in place, allowing parents to divide their leave with each other.

  Professional Membership. Defra group will fund one professional membership for each permanent employee which is relevant to their role.

  Eye care scheme. If you use a computer screen in connection with your job, we will pay for a regular eyesight test, and you may also be entitled to help towards purchasing new glasses, if they are needed for computer use.

  The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free 24/7 confidential telephone advice service, available to all of our staff throughout the year.

  Civil Service Sports Council. The opportunity to join the Civil Services Sports Council.

Job contact :

• Name :Tom Norton
• Email :Thomas.Norton@defra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email :defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk