Awel Aman Tawe (AAT)
Energy Advisor / Manager
About the role
Awel Aman Tawe (AAT) is a leading charity and social enterprise working to create a fair, affordable, and clean energy system. We’re making a better future by tackling fuel poverty, improving cold, damp homes and increasing renewable energy generation in the Upper Swansea and Amman Valley. We need a compassionate, value-led and self-motivated person to work in the following:
· Fuel poverty prevention – supporting local people in, or at risk of, fuel poverty and living in cold, damp homes.
· Energy efficiency, renewables and upgrading homes – enabling the installation of simple measures and major retrofit works to improve energy efficiency in homes and buildings
· Undertake energy surveys in a domestic and non-domestic setting
Depending on experience, this role may include a management responsibility for the other members of our energy advice team.
About you
You need to be a people person. You take pride in the work you do and the quality of the relationships you build. Our service is person-centred, and people accessing it often live in vulnerable circumstances and may have additional needs when engaging. It is important that you have an inclusive outlook and an ability to share your knowledge in an accessible way.
We provide full training, so you do not need to arrive with experience of working in energy-related advice. This role has a broad pay scale and we are open to applications from people with different levels of skills and experience. Experience of casework is helpful for working in the Advice team, as it is a key part of your role. Experience of learning and communicating about technical subjects. An Advisor provides advice face-to-face, over the telephone, in the community and in homes and this should be exciting to you. You should have a passion for partnership working, be curious, have advanced listening skills and thrive in environments where you tackle issues alongside people.
You need to have the ability to record and document, and make applications, in writing and online, on behalf of clients.
Responsibilities:
· Supporting the delivery of telephone and face to face advice to local people, on how to improve their home and increase confidence in managing risk of fuel poverty and its impacts on wellbeing.
· Help organise events and training for householders and volunteers
· Undertake household energy surveys, identifying current insulation levels and the heating system(s)
· Identifying damp and mould issues.
· Referring clients to relevant Heating and insulation schemes to further improve the efficiency of their home.
· Tariff, Fuel debt and Smart meter advice
· Onward referrals to other organisations when required.
· Undertaking or organising installation of simple energy efficiency measures for some local more vulnerable residents such as low energy light bulbs, radiator reflector panels, plugging in emergency heating, under door draught excluders, and so on.
· Work alongside other Retrofit Assessors, Retrofit Coordinators and help develop AAT’s supply chain partners to deliver more complex improvements to the energy performance of residents' homes.
· Supporting the administration of grant awards for physical measures and the associated management of residents’ financial information in a secure and confidential manner.
· Maintaining AAT’s client database, through keeping accurate data records for each case.
· Supporting the implementation and evolution of AAT's organisational systems. E.g., care and support, decision making, IT.
· Acting as an advocate for AAT and contributing to its overall aims.
Person Specification
Attributes and qualities:
· Friendly, with excellent interpersonal skills and a sympathetic manner.
· Empathic with a strong interest in helping people to improve their circumstances
· Able to work well independently and in a team
· Able to remain calm and solution-focused when supporting residents in vulnerable circumstances, who may be distressed.
· Ability to travel independently in our semi-rural area and with a current driving licence.
· Ability to climb a short ladder and undertake ‘head and shoulders’ inspections of loft insulation through the loft hatch (where accessible)
· Willingness to apply for a DBS check.
· A strong administrator; with good attention to detail.
· A clear communicator within the team
· Willingness to undertake City & Guilds Level 3 Energy Awareness training and exam, as prerequisite for giving energy advice as part of the service.
· Interest in undertaken Domestic Energy and Retrofit Assessor training (both courses will be funded by AAT)
· Welsh speaker or willingness to learn Welsh and support the Welsh language
· Management experience or willingness to train and develop into this role??
· An understanding of the Neath Port Talbot and surrounding areas and the fuel poverty issues facing community members
For the potential additional Management role, we will be seeking:
· An excellent written and verbal communicator with ability to represent AAT and its ethos at a local and national level.
· Competent in core project management skills around financial, stakeholder, and risk management.
· Project and/or business development experience involving building concepts, assembling project teams and funding cases
· Develop business relationships with local stakeholders including but not limited to support agencies, building owners and local supply chain
· Carrying out high quality tasks accurately and in a fast-paced environment
· Supporting colleagues and team members to meet agreed deadlines and targets
· The ability to build business relationships in person and while remote working with people from wide a range of backgrounds.
· Degree or equivalent professional experience in a related subject
· Demonstrate substantive experience in one or more of the following technical areas:
o Renewable generation projects including financial modelling
o Building energy efficiency
o Management of resident and/or business facing energy advice services
· Project and/or business development experience involving building concepts, assembling project teams and funding cases
· Budget management
Our employment offer
Contract type: Two years, subject to funding in Year 2
Hours: Full time role but we are open to part time arrangements
Location: Hwb y Gors, Cwmgors, S. Wales SA18 1RF with opportunity for some home working
Salary: £25,000 - £35,000 (dependent on experience/qualifications)
We can offer flexible working to suit individual circumstances and a friendly, supportive and rewarding working environment. This includes:
· 25 days leave per annum plus bank holidays for full-time working.
· Ethical Pension scheme with a 5% salary contribution being matched by AAT.
· Flexible Working practices (full time hours are 37.5 per week, Monday - Friday).
Positions are open to all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
Application process: Applications must comprise a CV and covering letter. AAT is a special place to work and it’s important for us to understand clearly why you want to be part of our team and our charity as well as what you feel you can bring. Please ensure you describe fully your motivations and suitability for the role with reference to the expectations set out in this job description. Please email your application to croeso@awel.coop. Please put Energy Advisor/Manager in the subject heading.
Closing Date: Friday 5th September
Interview Date: Thursday 12th September
Start date: As soon as possible