Energy Learning Network Programme Lead

Location: Hybrid working with the expectation to work in the London office one day per week. 
Contract: Fixed Term Contract until March 2028 working part-time, 0.8 FTE / 4 days per week with flexible working options. 
Report to: Head of Cities. 
Closing date: Midday on 28 August. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications. 

About Ashden  

Ashden boosts climate innovation in the UK and Global South. Our support brings clean energy to villages and refugee camps and fixes up cold and draughty homes.

Ashden’s Sustainable Towns and Cities Team works across the UK, to support local authorities and communities to reduce carbon emission and adapt to the changing climate. We have a strategic focus on energy efficiency and retrofit, local renewable energy systems, citizen engagement and community co-design, skills building and adaptation.

ashden.org/sustainable-towns-cities

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the delivery of a UK-wide Energy Learning Network designed to ensure that learning is shared right across the devolved nations to deliver impact that is greater than the sum of its parts. The aim of the Network is to enable community groups focused on energy to maximise their scale and impact, whilst supporting those new to the sector. The Network is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, delivered in partnership with Community Energy England, Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales, Action Renewables and Centre for Sustainable Energy. 

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a network designed to scale up the role and benefits of community energy across the UK. Do you have exceptional project management skills? Can you support hands-on delivery of the project? Do you have proven experience in managing partnerships?

What you might find yourself doing: 

• Managing the governance structures for the new Energy Learning Network partnership, including a project management group and advisory board. 
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with the programme partners and other stakeholders. 
• Managing the day-to-day governance of the partnership and reporting to the National Lottery Community Fund. 
• Undertaking stakeholder mapping of communities, local authorities or councils wishing to deliver community energy projects. 
• Managing peer mentoring support to help communities go faster. 
• Facilitating workshops and/or online seminars drawing on the experience of the whole network.
• Working with Ashden and network colleagues to promote community energy and signpost to great resources right across the UK. 
• Managing effective monitoring and evaluation to track the programme’s progress against its agreed outcomes.
• Managing the programme budget 
• Speaking at a wide range of events about the multiple benefits of community energy in all its forms.

About You 

You’ll thrive in this role if you: 

• Are a persuasive communicator who can convey complex information effectively to a diverse range of people, organisations, communicates and stakeholders.
• Thrive on managing people and partnerships to deliver outcomes greater than the sum of their parts. 
• Have top-notch project management and financial management skills. 
• Are enthusiastic about the potential role of community energy across the UK to deliver positive local change. 
• Are able to design and deliver a range of knowledge sharing activities such as workshops, seminars or case studies to support others to learn quickly. 
• Are willing to take accountability and work in a self-managed way as well as working and collaborating with team members and partners. 
• Bring passion and enthusiasm to the role.

It is also desirable (but not necessary) for you to have: 

• First-hand experience of working with or in a community energy organisation. 
• A good understanding of national, regional and local government. 
• Specific project management training or qualifications.

Benefits 

You can find a list of our benefits here. 

Application Process 

We use Applied, a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity. You will be asked three work sample questions which will be scored anonymously by the hiring team. Once all the answers are scored, we will look at the CVs of the top scoring candidates and make a shortlist for interview.

First interviews take place online on Monday 8 September. Second interviews take place in person on Thursday 11 September at our office in Victoria. We will reimburse candidates for their travel.

If you need any further information about our recruitment process or need to discuss any support or reasonable adjustments that you may require to make an application, please contact the People team at [email protected]

Adjustments could include (but are not limited to)

• extra time during tasks or video applications
• assistance if the test or assessment is on a computer, such as closed captions 
• option to interview remotely or without the camera on
• hold the interview at a specific time of day
• a British Sign Language interpreter
• offering alternative or less formal methods of assessment, such as allowing candidates to prepare a verbal essay in which they can explain their strengths and suitability for the role.

Questions 

• Why is this a contract role? 

The Energy Network Programme is an initiative funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, delivered in partnership with Community Energy England, Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales, Action Renewables and Centre for Sustainable Energy, which runs until March 2028. Although we hope to extend the project beyond the funded period, this role is on a fixed term contract. 

• Can people outside of the UK apply for this role? 

No. We are unable to apply for visas and can only accept applications from candidates who have the right to live and work in the UK. 

• Can I ask for feedback on my application? 

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we can only provide individual feedback to candidates who are invited to interview. 

Guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability

We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace. As part of the commitment, we offer a guaranteed interview for candidates with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role, as set out in the person specification. If you would like to apply under this scheme, please contact [email protected]