Local Retrofit Support Officer x2

Local Retrofit Support Officer:

• Sheffield Hub – R71

• Blackburn, Burnley or Hyndburn Hub – R75

Location: Sheffield and Blackburn, Burnley or Hyndburn (exact location TBC)
Two-year Fixed Term Contract and Full time – 37 hours per week.

About us

We are National Energy Action (NEA) – and our vision is to end fuel poverty; our work to
improve and promote energy efficiency brings social, environmental, housing and employment
benefits. We believe everyone should be able to afford to keep their homes warm and safe,
however, low incomes, high energy bills and poor energy efficiency currently deny this to
millions of households across the UK. Never has this been more important than
today. 

NEA’s teams are friendly, knowledgeable and are dedicated to what we do. We are proud of our
expertise and proud of the service we deliver to our clients.

We offer colleagues a friendly, rewarding workplace and the chance to build a worthwhile career
with a not-for-profit organisation that is proud to make a genuine difference to people’s lives
each and every day.

The role

National Energy Action (NEA) has recently secured funding to develop a new pilot project that
aims to help local people reduce their heating bills, create healthier homes, and be ready for
the transition to net zero. Over 2 years, a local retrofit hub will be established in 3
different locations, each with 2 members of staff who will help build trust, provide guidance
and support, harness opportunities, and empower local people to achieve and benefit from
change. The key will be to work at the heart of the community to encourage / support / enable
householders to take up existing grants for energy efficiency measures but in addition,
practical (funded) assistance will be available to enable retrofit works and to offer
additional non-funded support as necessary. As well as the important benefits to participating
households, this demonstration project will provide valuable insight into the attitudes of
low-income householders towards energy efficiency improvements, highlighting challenges and
barriers to retrofitting energy efficiency measures into the homes of those who need it most.
NEA intends to utilise the knowledge gained (positives and negatives) to inform and influence
those who make the decisions and design key national energy efficiency campaigns.

The Local Retrofit Support Officers will be one of two new staff based in, and working to
establish, a new local retrofit hub in Sheffield and in Blackburn, Burnley or Hyndburn (exact location TBC). We
are also recruiting for Local Retrofit Co-ordination Officers in the same locations (job ref R70 and R74). The Local Retrofit Support Officers will assist householders to apply for energy
efficiency retrofit measures and support them through the installation process providing
impeccable customer service.

As someone with proven practical technical experience, they will be responsible for monitoring
the quality and standards of energy efficiency retrofit measures installed in our clients’
homes and, on behalf of the client, will manage third party installers working on the property.
In addition, it is expected that the Local Retrofit Support Officers will directly install some
smaller interventions/measures which are yet to be confirmed.

Working closely with the Local Retrofit Co-ordination Officers, they will also co-ordinate
or deliver advice and events in the community to householders and/or others to raise awareness
of retrofit practice and technologies as well as to inform and de-mystify.

NEA’s Local Retrofit Support Officer role sits in the Directorate of Homes and will report to
the Community Retrofit Project Manager.

What you will need to succeed

Local Retrofit Support Officers will have proven technical experience working in energy
retrofit or similar relevant sector. They will have a good understanding of community
development and regeneration or housing sectors. They will also be an excellent communicator
with experience and understanding of how to effectively address the energy needs of low income,
vulnerable or disadvantaged householders – with the desire to make a positive difference to
people’s lives.

The job description provides a list of the duties of the post and the person specification
provides the list of essential and desirable criteria.

Post holders must be resident within the UK and be able to provide their Right to Work
in the UK. 

We are offering:

• £32,641 to £37,304 per annum (Scale SO1 – SO2, Points 23 – 28). New appointments will
  usually begin at the starting point of the scale.
• 11½% non-contributory pension.
• 25 days annual leave plus 3 additional days in between Christmas New Year Period when our
  offices close; plus, all public holidays per annum for full time staff, pro-rata for part time
  staff.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Enhanced family friendly payments.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Employee benefits platform.

For an informal chat about this vacancy please contact NEA’s Director of Homes, Colin Timmins
on 07355 091268 or Lorraine Donaldson on 07714 294025.

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday 22 July
2024. Interviews will be held in the two weeks commencing 29 July
2024. Full details of these posts and an application form are available on our
website.