Closing date: 9am on Tuesday 4 January 2022.

We are looking for a friendly and knowledgeable adviser to help people improve their home energy efficiency, giving advice through in-home visits, by telephone and at events. You will be tasked with help guiding improvements to our service, with a keen focus on quality control and developments affecting our work. You’ll have excellent communication and accurate coordination skills, supporting our pool of contractors and advisers.

Application & Interview Process

Please apply by completing the application form below. Please do not send a CV. Guidance for submitting your application is included in the form.

CAfS Application Form

Closing date for return of applications is 9am on 4 January 2022.

Candidates shortlisted for interview will be informed by 7 January 2022.

Interviews will be held via Zoom on 14 January 2022.

Job description

If you prefer to download the job description and person specification, please use the link below:

Home Energy Adviser – Job Description

BENEFITS: CAfS offers an excellent working environment, with benefits ranging from flexible working to a pension contribution. Find out more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

EMPLOYER: Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS)

LOCATION: Contractually based at our office, Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET, however, homeworking can be agreed.

REPORTS TO: Project Manager – Cold to Cosy Homes

HOURS: 22.5 to 30 hours a week, with flexibility to work across 3, 4 or 5 days. The working times are flexible but must include core office hours of 10am-3pm unless agreed otherwise. There may also be occasional need to work evenings/weekends for event or meeting support.

START/END DATE: Start as soon as possible. Fixed term contract to Dec 2022 (with potential for extension subject to funding)

SALARY RANGE: £21,336 to £25,400 per annum full-time equivalent, (£17,068, to £20,320 for a 30-hour week) depending on skills and experience.

LEGAL RIGHT TO WORK: You must have a legal right to work in the UK as CAfS is not in a position to act as a sponsor. 

APPLICATIONS BY: Apply using the CAfS application form. CVs will not be considered. Application forms must be received by 09:00 on 04 Jan 2022.

INTERVIEWS: Interviews will be held on 14 Jan 2022.

Interviews will be via Zoom. If you are selected for interview, you will be asked to prepare a short presentation, to be delivered during the interview. The interview process will also involve one or more tasks relating to the role. Candidates shortlisted for interview will be contacted by 0900 on 07 Jan 2022.

ABOUT CAFS: 

Our vision is a zero carbon Cumbria, and we strive to bring about a better way of life, in balance with our environment.  

Our mission is to empower and enable people, communities, and businesses to live and work more sustainably by sharing our knowledge, practice, skills, networks, and practical experience. We manage and deliver events, advice, training, and practical projects across the county as well as providing specialist consultancy services to enable individuals, communities, businesses and local authorities to drive a shift towards a Zero Carbon Cumbria. 

We are expanding our Cold to Cosy Homes service to deliver more free home energy advice support across all districts of Cumbria. The service supports vulnerable people who may be living in cold, draughty or damp homes.   

Our Cold to Cosy Homes service includes:  

  • Advice about home energy efficiency by telephone and in-home by trainedCAfSemployees and contractors.   
  • Events and training about home energy efficiency for householders and volunteers. 
  • The installation of energy measures such as draughtproofing, low energy light bulbs and insulation by professional installers. 

We also increasingly offer a range of commercial services to householders for energy audits and advice.   

This job description is not exhaustive but is provided to assist the postholder to know what the main duties are. It may be amended from time to time without change to the levels of responsibility appropriate to the grade of the post and in discussion with the postholder.

MAIN PURPOSE OF ROLE: 

This role is to: 

  • Provide home energy advice in clients’ homes, by telephone and through events to clients across Cumbria. 
  • Ensure all the team are equipped with the most up to date knowledge of grant schemes and support for our clients across Cumbria. 
  • Help deliver a growth in the Cold to Cosy Homes service. 

MAIN TASKS: 

  • Provide a programme of energy advice in clients’ homes, by telephone and through arranging and delivery of advice at events throughout Cumbria. 
  • Provide a high quality of customer service, building a friendly rapport with clients and a strong and credible reputation for the advice service and CAfS. 
  • Ensure a high level of quality control across the delivery of our service.  
  • Ensure the team are up to date with knowledge of grants, technology and energy-saving related measures. 
  • Develop and support our team of professional energy advisers to provide telephone-based advice and visits. 
  • Coordinate installation of energy measures in homes through our trusted contractors.  
  • Expand and implement the Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria project across districts in Cumbria. 
  • Developing new ways to support our clients to gain the information they need to save energy and afford to heat their homes. 
  • Contribute to the ongoing work of CAfS generally, including attending appropriate networking meetings, team meetings and training sessions. 

Person Specification 

Essential skills and attributes: 

  • Knowledge of domestic energy saving, the domestic energy market, tariff comparisons and switching, renewable energy and other schemes to help people save energy and afford their energy bills.  
  • Good knowledge of energy saving in homes, and the issues that vulnerable people can have in heating their homes. 
  • Demonstrable skills and experience of providing high-quality customer service. 
  • Strong team player and capability to work cooperatively as part of a small team as well as on own initiative without day-to-day supervision.  
  • Excellent communication skills, to network and reach out to communities and organisations supporting vulnerable customers and to provide clear energy-efficiency advice. 
  • Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues and an interest in the objectives that CAfS seeks to deliver. 
  • Ability to deliver workshops and speak confidently to small groups.  
  • Good written communication and Microsoft Office skills. 
  • Ability to work to tight deadlines and juggle multiple priorities. 
  • Ability to work flexibly including evening and weekend working by agreement. 
  • Ability to travel independently throughout rural Cumbria.  

Desirable criteria 

The following attributes are desirable but not essential: 

  • Experience providing energy saving advice. 
  • Experience of working in or with local authorities, housing association tenants or organisation supporting households. 
  • Experience providing services to vulnerable households. 
  • Qualification in providing energy advice – City & Guilds Level 3 Energy Awareness. 
  • Experience working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, including vulnerable individuals and community groups. 
  • Experience of working in a dispersed team and using Microsoft Teams or similar.  
  • Practical experience of improving energy efficiency in domestic settings.  
  • An existing network of contacts in Cumbria or demonstrable ability to build networks rapidly. 
  • Additional experience / qualification in energy auditing/thermography. 
  • Budgeting and project management experience. 
  • Experience of securing grant funding and tenders. 

If you would like more information about the role, please email: [email protected]