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Climate Science Adviser

  • Public sector
  • Birmingham
  • 22/04/2025
  • £34,815.00 - £41,355.00 /yearly
  • Permanent
Job expired!

Job Overview

Location

Birmingham

Job Type

Permanent

Salary

£34,815 - £41,355 yearly

Date Posted:

22/04/2025

Expiration date:

04/05/2025

Additional Detail

Job ID

24864

Work Location

Remote and/or Onsite

Job Description

Locations: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford
 
Do you want a career where you can make a real difference? Do you want to work at the forefront of current policy making decisions? Do you want to have an impact on the UK and beyond? If yes, then a career at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) could be for you.
 
Here at DESNZ we are delivering our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, with clean electricity by 2030 and accelerating the UK's journey to net zero.
 
Our work is helping ensure clean energy for all, keep bills down and seize the opportunities to lead the world in new green industries, taking back control of our energy with Great British Energy and encouraging greater energy efficiency across the UK. The work of the department has never been more timely or relevant, and by joining us you will be part of making that difference.
 
Our work is varied, interesting and most importantly it's impactful. Our DESNZ Values are interwoven into everything we do; we are bold, we are collaborative, we are inclusive, and we learn. As a department we are committed to these values to build a culture where everyone can thrive.
 
We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
 
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
 
Find Out More 
We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://forms.office.com/e/pqUhdr3L72

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/.

Job overview

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's Climate Science team is looking for an enthusiastic scientist with excellent communication skills and a strong interest in ensuring UK domestic and international policy is informed by the best available climate science.

As a key member of the Climate Science Team, the successful candidate will play a role in crafting and delivering scientific advice and information to support the achievement of DESNZ's climate goals, as well as supporting UK engagement with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UK's IPCC author community.

The Climate Science Team sits within DESNZ's Science and Innovation for Climate and Energy (SICE) Directorate and is responsible for providing scientific advice on issues including the climate system, greenhouse gas emissions and pathways, climate risks, bio-energy and geo-engineering.

It is a friendly, fun and supportive team, with a focus on personal and professional development and well-being. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, where all staff feel valued and supported regardless of their background and personal circumstances.

Key responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for working on key elements of scientific support to UK policy, which could include: 

  • Supporting the UK's input to the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Cycle to help ensure it informs climate action globally, working across DESNZ and with other government departments and international governments
  • Facilitating the participation of UK experts in IPCC activities by engaging academics and managing UK support for experts  
  • Managing the UK's financial contributions to the IPCC including support for the UK-hosted Chair of the IPCC and author participation
  • Developing scientific and technical understanding of climate issues
  • Explaining complex scientific topics to diverse audiences through both oral and written briefings, ensuring high standards of scientific accuracy
  • Contributing to the Climate Science team's broader communications function
  • Developing, commissioning and managing scientific research projects on priority evidence areas
  • Investing in their own professional and personal learning and development
  • Working flexibly on projects across the Climate Science team, reflecting business needs.

Essential criteria

  • A scientific background with a degree in climate or environmental science or other relevant science subject plus some additional work experience in climate change or a related area in environment and sustainability (this may be academic or otherwise).
  • Ability to understand complex and competing strategic priorities, and use them to inform your work
  • Strong scientific skills that enable you to quickly grasp new scientific findings and their implications, and spot emerging topics that have policy relevance at both national and international level
  • Able to communicate complex scientific and technical concepts, both verbally and in writing, to diverse non-expert audiences including senior leaders 
  • Can develop and maintain positive, collaborative working relationships with a diverse range of people and stakeholders
  • Can work in a fast-paced and changing policy environment, and are flexible, proactive and self-motivated 
  • Have strong project and finance management skills that allow you to plan, set milestones, and deliver to tight timescales both independently and through others.

Desirable criteria

  • To be eligible for the Specialist Pay Enhancement, you must be a credible scientist with specific specialist technical knowledge relevant to the role.

Qualifications

Candidates should have a scientific background with a degree in climate or environmental science or other relevant science subject, and experience of working in climate change or a related area in environment and sustainability (this may be academic or otherwise).

Behaviours

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

  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

  • Applying Scientific Knowledge
  • Technical and Commercial Leadership

Alongside your salary of £34,815, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £10,085 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

  • A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
  • Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
  • A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
  • An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
  • Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
  • A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home-based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to set out why you are interested in the role and how you think your skills and experience meet the Essential criteria set out in the job advert .

Applications will be sifted on CV and personal statement.  

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement. 

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will consist of behaviour and technical-based questions. 

Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time. 

Sift and interview dates

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Reasonable Adjustments

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions. 

Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DESNZ Candidate Guidance. A DESNZ Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available. 

We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants' section. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

DESNZ does not normally offer full home working (i.e., working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DESNZ cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DESNZ holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected] 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
 
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
  • individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
  • Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
 
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
 
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
 
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
 
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact

Recruitment team

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance [email protected].
 
If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints

Attachments

DESNZ TCs v1.2 Opens in new window (doc, 174kB)

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