FEL Community Sports Energy Officer

Community Energy Scotland (CES) are partnering with FEL Scotland to recruit a Community Sports Energy Officer covering Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. The successful candidate will be based at FEL’s office’s in Stirling, with potential for home working.

Together we are looking to recruit an energetic, well-organised and self-motivated individual to work as part of both CES’ Team and FEL’s Team. The Community Sports Energy Officer will be in the enviable position of working day-to-day with FEL, a progressive community group delivering change in its community, with the technical training, support and personal development opportunities which Community Energy Scotland provides.

• £25,840 per annum (£32,300 per annum is our Full Time Equivalent)
• Part Time Post of 28 hours per week (full time at CES is 35 hours per week) with potential for job shares and/or flexible working as per the CES Flexible Working Policy.
• Fixed-term appointment to 30th September 2028
• Ideally candidates should be based in Stirling or the surrounding area so they can work from the FEL office a minimum of 2 days a week.
• Some travel to areas in Scotland is likely to be required, while keeping our carbon footprint down following Community Energy Scotland’s Environmental Policy.

Overall Purpose

As the Community Sports Energy Officer, you’ll work with colleagues to help community sports organisations to take part in energy saving activities, your role specifically will be to work with up to 15 clubs to assess renewable energy opportunities and identify projects capable of delivering long-term social benefit. You will provide support to develop feasibility studies, business cases, ownership models, funding applications and implementation plans.

The 15 community sports clubs will be located across Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. These clubs manage community-owned and community-managed assets including clubhouses, pavilions, changing facilities, floodlighting systems and community spaces. Many operate from ageing buildings with high energy costs and limited capacity to explore renewable energy opportunities.

You’ll be responsible for improving energy expertise amongst the clubs, helping them to create create energy saver plans, advise on renewable energy as part of the plans and then gather the evidence and build the networks they need to attract investment and resources to deliver them.

The role is based at FEL’s main Stirling offices but there will be potential for home working and some need to visit FEL hubs across the Forth Valley & The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park area. You’ll also need to be able to work evenings and weekends from time to time.

Main Tasks:

• To deliver energy advice for FEL’s Power Community Sport - Renewable Energy Accelerator for which the post holder has responsibility, achieve outputs and outcomes as agreed with project funder.
• Build on ongoing planning and collaboration between FEL Scotland, Community Energy Scotland and local authority partners to identify, prioritise and develop community-owned renewable energy opportunities within community sports facilities across Forth Valley.
• Assess participating community sports facilities to identify opportunities for community-owned renewable energy generation, with a focus on solar photovoltaic systems and battery storage.
• Undertake renewable energy feasibility studies to determine technical, financial and operational viability.
• Directly responsible for helping communities sports facilities to develop renewable energy for the spaces and/or support development of community renewable generation/storage projects.
• Support clubs to understand community ownership models and the long-term benefits of renewable energy assets.
• Develop business cases and implementation plans for priority renewable energy projects.
• Build the knowledge, skills and confidence of clubs to develop, own and manage renewable energy assets.
• Support clubs to identify investment opportunities and prepare funding applications for project delivery.
• Progress a minimum of five renewable energy projects to investment-ready stage.
• Provide support to the team to establish a pipeline of community-owned renewable energy projects capable of delivering long-term environmental, social and economic benefits.
• Capture and share learning to support replication of the model across Scotland.
• To identify opportunities to deliver renewable energy presentations to community groups and the subsequent delivery of the presentations.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding through a commitment to on‐going development and learning.
• Help to develop package of energy related tools & guides to be shared via FEL’s library, for example Thermal Imaging Camera
• Communicate effectively to a wide range of stakeholders, but in particular communities, on renewable energy.
• Directly responsible for working with community organisations, to improve energy literacy, in emerging or current community leaders.
• Directly responsible for helping communities gather energy data to provide evidence to garner investment, resources, support and collaboration to deliver their climate actions.
• Help to deliver training and capacity building.
• Increase Community led Climate Action in the Forth Valley and National Park region.