Energy Adviser: Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Positions   1 Band / Grade   B1 Salary   £41,340 - £47,975 per annum Contract Type   Permanent Working Pattern   Full Time Location   Hybrid (on-site and remote) Leave entitlement   Starting at 30 days per annum, pro-rata Closing Date  

21st February 2025 at 23:55

Interview Date(s)   Interviews provisionally scheduled for Friday 28 March 2025. Job Description   Energy Adviser Job Description.docx – 940KB Opens in a new window
Converted File Energy Adviser Job Description.docx.pdf – 430KB Opens in a new window Additional File   House of Commons Benefits and Support.pdf – 581KB Opens in a new window  

UK Parliament

Working at the UK Parliament offers a unique and rewarding career at the heart of the UK’s democratic system.

With a wide range of roles available, our impartial colleagues enable the day to day running of the House of Commons, House of Lords and Joint Departments. Together, we make Parliament happen.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including: 

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year). 
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. 
• Access to training and development. 
• Flexible working. 
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.

Introduction 

This role is based in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). POST is a bicameral research and knowledge exchange service. It works to ensure that the best available research evidence and information feeds into the work of Parliament. POST produces research briefings, provides research support and delivers knowledge exchange and engagement with external researchers.

We are seeking an Energy Adviser to join our team of specialist advisers producing impartial, timely, peer-reviewed briefings that make scientific evidence accessible to Parliamentarians. Key attributes required include in-depth specialist energy knowledge, as well as an understanding of policy and regulation, and the ability to communicate this knowledge effectively with a wide range of people at all levels of understanding.

POST is part of the Research and Information team, also home to the House of Commons Library. Together we make sure that MPs and their staff have accurate, reliable information at their fingertips. Our mission is to keep trusted information and analysis at the heart of Parliamentary democracy. We also publish our impartial research on our websites, which are viewed around 18 million times a year. We are proud to provide an essential service for the UK Parliament, and an invaluable resource for everyone.

The Role 

As our Energy Adviser you will be primarily involved in the provision of impartial, non-partisan, and peer-reviewed briefing for select committees, libraries, parliamentarians and their staff on a wide range of policy topics with a basis in energy and climate change mitigation. Recent energy topics include energy security and AI, demand side response, local area energy planning and heat pumps. You can see examples of our work on our website.

The postholder is required to work widely with colleagues from across Parliament, including from select committees and the libraries, as well as relevant external stakeholders. We are not expecting you to have an in-depth understanding or experience of working in/with Parliamentary procedures, we will support you to develop that knowledge, but having a good awareness of the work of Parliament, as well as energy current affairs is essential to the role.

This role involves the supervision of several POST Fellows each year. Fellowships typically last 13 weeks, and supervisors need to have project, research and people management skills to ensure fellows are able to complete a POST briefing to the required standard within this timeframe. Advisers also have responsibility for administrating fellowship schemes including liaising with the relevant learned societies, professional associations, and funding bodies.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Oversee work related to energy in POST, including helping to form POST’s future work programme, and supervising academic researchers on placements with POST.
• To research and compile briefing material, drawing on external advice and expertise, to support the scrutiny of a wide range of subjects related to energy and climate change mitigation policy. Research projects range from short private briefings and providing advice on other advisers’ projects to more formal peer-reviewed briefings (‘POSTnotes’) that will require an ability to research areas you may not already be familiar with.
• Assist parliamentary select committees, for example by providing written or oral briefings on energy topics. This may include analysis of evidence.

Skills and Experience 

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree (2.2. or higher) AND a postgraduate qualification in a subject related to energy (e.g. MSc, MEng, PhD or EngD) OR relevant work experience.
• You have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of at least one area within energy subjects and its related policy and regulation. You have good awareness of energy current affairs, the work of Parliament and select committees and UK Government public policy.
• You have the ability to rapidly source, critically appraise and impartially synthesise research and data from a range of sources and to distil the key issues and present them accurately, clearly and impartially.
• You have the ability to explain complex and politically sensitive information to diverse and non-specialist audiences using your effective communication skills, both orally and in writing.
• You effectively deliver services through your ability to collaborate and develop good working relationships. You have the ability to coach and develop colleagues, including setting realistic objectives, monitoring performance, giving feedback, and supporting development.
• You deliver a range of projects or tasks using your excellent project management and prioritisation skills. You keep work on track with robust reporting and evaluation.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 2-6 in the Job Description. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

The interview process will include an interview and a written test. Further details will be provided if your application is shortlisted. If you are invited to interview, the interview questions will be shared with you in advance.

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Information Sessions

As part of the process, we will be running virtual information sessions on MS Teams for you to find out more about this role and working at Parliament.

These sessions will be on:

• Thursday 30th January at 15:00 – 16:00
• Friday 7th February at 15:00 – 16:00

Please email pearseg@parliament.uk confirming which slot you would like to attend, and you will be sent the MS Teams invite.

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