Programme Assistant – Community Energy

The role

We’re looking for a Programme Assistant – Community Energy to support the delivery of funding programmes that help communities across Scotland take action on climate change and progress towards net zero.

You’ll play a key role in administering grant funding through the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), The National Lottery Community Fund programmes and other community energy initiatives. Working as part of our fund administration team, you’ll process funding applications and grant claims, maintain accurate records, respond to enquiries and help ensure funding is delivered efficiently and accurately.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong administrative and customer service skills who enjoys working with detailed information, supporting customers and contributing to projects that create positive environmental and community benefits across Scotland.

The team

Our renewables team supports communities across Scotland to develop and deliver projects that reduce carbon emissions, improve energy resilience and accelerate the transition to net zero.

You’ll join a friendly, supportive and collaborative team responsible for delivering high-quality funding programmes. Working closely with colleagues across Energy Saving Trust, you’ll help ensure community organisations receive the funding and support they need to make a lasting difference in their local areas.

What you will do

• Process funding applications, including reviewing expressions of interest, checking eligibility and preparing funding offers.
• Review and process grant claims, ensuring payments are accurate and comply with programme requirements.
• Assess project information and financial forecasts, checking for accuracy, completeness and consistency.
• Respond to enquiries from community organisations and stakeholders, providing clear guidance on funding processes and eligibility criteria.
• Maintain accurate records using programme management systems, including the CARES Portal, SharePoint and other databases.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of administrative processes and customer service standards.

What you will bring

• Experience providing high-quality administrative support and/or customer service in a busy environment.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to process information accurately and consistently.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Good numerical skills and confidence working with financial information, spreadsheets and records.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain information clearly and professionally.
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, and other digital systems to manage information and records.
• The ability to work accurately within established procedures while maintaining high standards of quality and compliance.

For more information, please see the job description on our website.

Please submit an anonymised CV and cover letter, removing your name, address, email address, and any other identifying details. Please note, applications submitted without a cover letter may be rejected.

Who we are

Energy Saving Trust is a leading and trusted organisation, dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, low carbon transport and sustainable energy use. We aim to address the climate emergency and deliver the wider benefits of clean energy as we transition to net zero.

At Energy Saving Trust we don’t just offer jobs – we offer careers. For our people, being part of the effort to address the climate emergency makes working for us truly meaningful and rewarding.

Work where you thrive

At Energy Saving Trust, flexibility isn’t just a policy, it’s how we work. Most of our roles can be done remotely, and many of our people choose to work from home full-time. Prefer an office environment? We have welcoming spaces in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and Hadleigh for those who want to connect in person.

We’ll support you with:

• Generous holiday (25 days + bank holidays + extra Christmas leave)
• True flexibility in how and where you work (subject to role requirements)
• Strong pension & life assurance
• Enhanced family leave
• Green travel perks (EV scheme, cycle to work)
• Professional development support
• Yearly wellbeing allowance

These are just some of the benefits we offer.

Want to know more about how we make flexibility real? Check out our Benefits and Culture page

Reasonable adjustments: We want to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive of and accessible for, everyone.

If you think you may need additional support or reasonable adjustments made to any part of the recruitment process, please get in touch with [email protected] or call reception on +44 (0)20 7222 0101. We will do our very best to support you.

Diversity and inclusion

Energy Saving Trust is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can be themselves, with support to be their best.

We strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with Energy Saving Trust.

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and we ringfence a minimum number of interview slots for candidates who apply via the Disability Confident scheme and meet the criteria for a role. Find out more here.

You can find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion here.

To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications

Please note, that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this post. To apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK