Futureproof Cumbria

Month: December 2023

  • Job: Events and Training Coordinator

    Job: Events and Training Coordinator

    CAfS is co-chair of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership (ZCCP), which involves more than 80 organisations spanning the public, private and third sectors with the aim of delivering a coordinated emission reduction programme to bring about a zero-carbon Cumbria by 2037.
    CAfS has been awarded £2.5 million from the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund, on behalf of the ZCCP, for a five-year Zero Carbon Cumbria project. Eleven of the organisations in the ZCCP, as well as CAfS, will be involved in delivering elements of the project, to support the goals of the wider partnership.
    The Lottery-funded project will tackle some of the main sources of carbon emissions in Cumbria, with a particular focus on food, energy generation, transport and the goods we buy. Further information about ZCCP can be found on the Zero Carbon Cumbria website.

    We’re looking for an Events and Training Coordinator to coordinate and lead the design, organisation, delivery, reporting and evaluation of the events and training programme. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a thriving and growing organisation of friendly, skilled and highly supportive colleagues, that plays a crucial role in helping Cumbria tackle the climate crisis. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably skilled candidates from all walks of life.

    About the role

    As part of the Lottery-funded project, CAfS leads the development of a programme of climate and emission-reduction related events and training which is delivered jointly by CAfS and a range of partners.
    The programme aims to inspire and enable partners, organisations, communities and individuals to overcome barriers to reducing emissions, such as lack of knowledge, skills and confidence. It is a supportive framework for community and partner engagement, enabling groups and other partners to share campaigns, messaging, action and successes.

    The role will involve:

    • Collaboration with the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, colleagues, communities and other organisations across Cumbria to identify skills and knowledge gaps and the demand for training and events.
    • Coordination and leading the design, organisation, delivery, reporting and evaluation of the events and training programme.
    • Developing and testing an income generating model which will ensure the longer term delivery of an events and training programme after the Lottery funding comes to an end in December 2025.

    To apply, please email your completed application form to us by 9am on Tuesday 23 January 2024.

    Interviews are planned for Wednesday 31 January 2024. 

    The important stuff

    • SALARY SCALE: £26,000 – £34,000 (FTE)

    • LOCATION: Flexible working patterns with blended home, site and office (Penrith) work.

    • HOURS: 22.5 – 30 hours per week, with flexibility to be worked over up to five days per week.

    • START DATE AND DURATION: Fixed-term until December 2025

    You’ll love working at CAfS

    Working at CAfS comes with great benefits. You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive organisation, and your wellbeing and work:life balance are hugely important to us. As well as flexibility around your working hours and location, you’ll have 22 days of paid annual leave pro rata, plus bank/public holidays. We pay an employer pension contribution of 6% from day one of employment.

    What a job at CAfS offers you…

    • The opportunity to be on the frontline driving action on climate change as part of a respected organisation that is making a difference.

    • Collaboration with dedicated colleagues, communities, local authorities and other organisations who are striving towards the same goal.

    • A dynamic working environment in which we continually innovate to achieve the best outcomes for employees, communities and planet.

    • A consultative working culture where staff are encouraged to contribute to new developments.

    Our work culture and benefits…

    • We are a friendly and supportive team of colleagues and board of trustees

    • We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

    • We will provide the equipment you need to do your job.

    • Employee wellbeing is very important to us. We do what we can to help colleagues achieve a great work/life balance.

    • We have a flexible working policy and we use it. Most staff work part time so we are accustomed to managing different work patterns. Staff can also work at home where possible.

    • We invest in learning and development and encourage people to develop their skills and commit time and resources to development.

    Find out even more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

  • Job: Office and People Support Manager

    Job: Office and People Support Manager

    Our mission is to achieve net zero by 2037 or sooner by promoting and facilitating low carbon living and its benefits – inspiring and supporting individuals, communities, and organisations across Cumbria and beyond to decarbonise lives and businesses. We provide practical support for the development of low carbon plans and policies for places, communities, businesses, local authorities, other organisations, and individuals. We inspire behaviour change and seek to deliver sustained shifts from high to low carbon emissions through new social norms and influencing key policies, strategies, and funding streams.  

     We’re looking for an Office and People Support Manager to oversee the provision of professional, friendly and comprehensive administration support to CAfS employees, volunteers and contractors.  The role also includes overseeing the ongoing implementation, review and improvement of CAfS people management and support systems and procedures to help maximise staff wellbeing, efficiency and effectiveness. 

    About you

    You’ll have experience of leading a team and managing staff performance. Managing a diverse workload, and prioritising tasks and time will be strengths. You’ll have practical experience of using an accounting system, and excellent IT skills.

    You’ll also have excellent verbal and written communication skills and an understanding of charity administration.

    To apply, please email your completed application form to us by 9am on Tuesday 16 January

    Interviews will be held on Wednesday 24 January in person at our offices.

    The important stuff

    • SALARY SCALE: £26,000 – £34,000 (FTE)

    • LOCATION: Blended home and office (Penrith) work.

    • HOURS: 30 hours per week, can be worked flexibly over 5 days

    • START DATE AND DURATION: Start February | Permanent contract

    You’ll love working at CAfS

    Working at CAfS comes with great benefits. You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive organisation, and your wellbeing and work:life balance are hugely important to us. As well as flexibility around your working hours and location, you’ll have 22 days of paid annual leave pro rata, plus bank/public holidays. We pay an employer pension contribution of 6% from day one of employment.

    What a job at CAfS offers you…

    • The opportunity to be on the frontline driving action on climate change as part of a respected organisation that is making a difference.

    • Collaboration with dedicated colleagues, communities, local authorities and other organisations who are striving towards the same goal.

    • A dynamic working environment in which we continually innovate to achieve the best outcomes for employees, communities and planet.

    • A consultative working culture where staff are encouraged to contribute to new developments.

    Our work culture and benefits…

    • We are a friendly and supportive team of colleagues and board of trustees

    • We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

    • We will provide the equipment you need to do your job.

    • Employee wellbeing is very important to us. We do what we can to help colleagues achieve a great work/life balance.

    • We have a flexible working policy and we use it. Most staff work part time so we are accustomed to managing different work patterns. Staff can also work at home where possible.

    • We invest in learning and development and encourage people to develop their skills and commit time and resources to development.

    Find out even more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

  • Launch of the Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub

    Launch of the Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub

    CAfS along with several partners are celebrating a significant funding boost of £571,359 to establish a pioneering business decarbonisation hub. The initiative, set to exclusively support the Westmorland & Furness area, is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and aims to bolster the sustainability efforts of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), charities, community businesses, and social enterprises. 

    Up to 300 local organisations looking to reduce their carbon footprint and save costs will be able to benefit from a range of free and subsidised services, a comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ of carbon reduction support. The services available from the project partners will include expert advice, one-to-one support, training, events and auditing across a wide range of emission sources. The initiative will also distribute £215,000 in grants to support businesses implementing carbon reduction measures. 

    The programme boasts a diverse group of experienced industry partners, including Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Future Fixers, Cumbria Tourism, Lancaster University, Art Gene, Green Small Business, Electricity Northwest, CBEN, Donna Munro, A Muir Surveying, Verday, and Simon Brace EV Consulting, which will collectively contribute to delivering the different elements of the support programme.  

    CAfS Low Carbon Communities Programme Manager, Molly Hogg, said, “For several years, we’ve been working together with our partners to support businesses to cut carbon and reap the benefits of becoming more sustainable. It’s fabulous to receive this funding, which allows us to strengthen that collaboration. The grant programme also means organisations can immediately get financial help to act on that advice.” 

    To find out more you can access the CAfS Westmorland and Furness here.

     

  • Contractor Opportunity: Retrofit Assessors

    Contractor Opportunity: Retrofit Assessors

    As our domestic energy advice service expands, we are looking to grow our team of freelance energy assessors to provide bespoke advice to householders and property owners to enable them to develop strong retrofit plans.

    We are seeking individuals with a holistic approach to retrofit of modern and or historic buildings, considering not only energy reduction, but also implications for heritage, culture, building and human health and building use.

    You will have experience of building energy modelling, be self-motivated and highly organised, with an excellent ability to develop rapport and communicate effectively with clients from a range of backgrounds, including those who are self-funded and those seeking grant support to complete measures.

    About our retrofit service

    Retrofit Assessors will work to deliver home retrofit plans, within the context of our wider energy service. This supports domestic clients with detailed information that identifies areas of thermal weakness in their buildings and retrofit measures that could be most suitable to improve their property’s energy performance. The support includes an initial advice call, home energy audits (using the Home Retrofit Planner (HRP) software), thermal imaging surveys and other subsequent retrofit advice services (including a Bespoke Retrofit Plan (BRP), pre-design, design and specification advice, advice around suitable contractors and on-site retrofit monitoring (NB these latter stages are to be developed).

    CAfS has also recently won funding to provide a new retrofit advice service to householders via our Cold to Cosy Homes service. This will provide clients with retrofit advice visits, HRP audits, and advice around accessing relevant grant funding.

    We also provide support in relation to non-domestic properties. This support is currently subcontracted to a pool of commercial building energy auditors, and the nature of it depends upon the needs of the clients.

    To apply as a contract Retrofit Assessor, complete the application form. This is our preferred application method, but a CV and covering letter would be accepted as an alternative. Please send your application to [email protected] by 9am Tuesday 16th January 2024 (shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Thursday 18th January).

    Short listed candidates will be invited to take part in a group assessment workshop and short individual interview on Tuesday 23rd January 2024 (Successful contractors will be notified on Thursday 25 January 2024.)

    How It Works

    Virtual and onsite appointments are arranged by CAfS for the assessor, for days the assessor chooses and specifies as available (via our online calendar). Assessors should agree with CAfS the days they are normally available, to enable the service to provide sufficient availability to meet demand across the team of assessors. There is some scope for Assessors to negotiate specialist expertise and geographical area they wish to work in – we encourage operating in your local area to limiting travel by car however also need to ensure all property types and areas of the county are covered.

    Technical support, report review and mentoring is provided by CAfS.

    Assessors are responsible for ensuring their own continued professional development to ensure knowledge of building science and retrofit strategies remains current.

    Assessors are responsible for their own tax, national insurance, and public liability and professional indemnity insurance. (In some cases, CAfS may be able to provide Professional Indemnity insurance.)

    Assessors are required to provide all equipment required to deliver assessments, based on a guidance document provided by CAfS.

    Assessors are paid on issue of reports and should invoice to CAfS monthly.

    Key responsibilities and tasks

    Work with clients and the Home Retrofit Planner (HRP) app to identify client aspirations for retrofit, model current building energy demand and its cost and carbon implications, and create a range of suitable scenarios to support the client in the concept stage of their retrofit project.

    This will involve:

    • Completion of Home Retrofit Planner training (provided by CAfS).
    • Leading virtual assessment appointments with clients to understand their ambitions, priorities and budget.
    • Carrying out physical assessments of properties
    • Modelling building energy using the HRP app
    • Creating potential retrofit scenarios for clients using the HRP app
    • Producing written report content, to communicate rationale for the scenarios and highlight any building-specific risks.
    • Conducting follow up meetings with clients to interpret reports, and explain them clearly to clients to ensure they are understood and facilitate their decision making.
    • Make use of intelligence provided by CAfS about grants for means tested and non means tested retrofit work to signpost clients to funding which may extend their retrofit budget.
    • Engage in mentoring from CAfS Technical Lead to support the professional development of this role.
    • Attend monthly Assessor meetings, to receive updates on the service and retrofit developments.

    Person Specification

    We are seeking individuals with the right mix of enthusiasm, ethos and personal attributes. If you feel you are the right person for the job, but do not meet all of the essential criteria, we would be happy to hear from you if you are prepared to undertake additional training to increase your skills.

    Essential Skills
    • Expert knowledge of home energy retrofit and domestic energy saving, the domestic construction sector, fabric-first improvements and renewable energy.
    • A level 3 qualification in a green building or retrofit subject.
    • At least one year’s experience of providing domestic retrofit advice.
    • Experience of building energy modelling.
    • Willingness to undertake HRP training and mentoring.
    • Ability to interpret findings from energy audits and make judgements around suitability of measures for the clients, based upon an understanding of their needs, motivations and budget.
    • 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 and interpersonal skills, to provide clear and robust energy audit advice and assessments to clients via written reports and verbal consultations.
    • The proven ability to adapt language to communicate effectively with clients from a wide range of backgrounds.
    • An interest in the objectives that CAfS seeks to deliver.
    • Ability to use remote working systems such as Teams, SharePoint and Microsoft Outlook.
    • Ability to follow risk assessments and record accidents and near misses.
    • 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.
    • Willingness to apply for a DBS check.

    Desirable skills

    • At least three years’ experience of providing domestic retrofit advice.
    • A level 5 or higher qualification in a green building or retrofit subject.
    • Experience working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
    • Experience of working in a dispersed team and using Microsoft Teams or similar.
    • Additional experience/qualification in energy auditing and/or thermography.

    The important stuff

    • LOCATION: CAfS office is at Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET, however contractors operate from their own premises. Regular travel to client sites throughout Cumbria and occasionally to neighbouring districts to Cumbria.

    • HOURS: A minimum of one Home Retrofit Plan per week comprising: Virtual assessment, onsite assessment and written report per week, 10 months per year, or equivalent time commitment across other areas of our retrofit . Usually achievable in 2 days per completed report.

    • REMUNERATION: A fixed fee is paid per completed report depending on complexity and size of building, normally between £312 and £400.

    • DURATION: Work for self funded clients is ongoing. In addition, grant funding is secured to deliver the service to eligible clients until March 2025.

    • BENEFITS: Working with CAfS comes with some great benefits. You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive organisation, and your wellbeing and work/life balance are hugely important to us. There is also flexibility around your working hours and location.

  • Dream placement – jobs for the future?

    Dream placement – jobs for the future?

    Tuesday saw the selection event for the Centre for Leadership Performance’s ‘Dream Placement’.

    The project places young people in a work based placement for a week, encouraging them through a rigorous application process, attendance to networking events and interviews with a range of businesses and sectors.

    CAfS are very proud to take part this year, adding a ‘green careers’ theme to the scheme by offering an insight at events and leading a  workshop with students about linking their interests to their careers. This week we were interviewing those young people who had got through the application process for their work-based placements later on in the year.

    Nida Batchelder, CAfS Youth Project Coordinator explains our involvement,

    “It has been fantastic to collaborate with CforLP adding a Green Careers theme to their Dream Placement scheme this year. Presenting to host companies about highlighting their environmentally sustainable values and actions as well as boosting the visibility of green role or jobs within placements as well as recruitment was a privilege. The fact that 97% of young people who attended the workshop valued working for an organisations with sustainable values and 97% were also interested in or concerned by climate change. This is useful for organisations to know in order to proudly promote their values, increase the visibility of green jobs and attract talent.”

    The placements take place in February half term, and we’ll be sure to share what we get up to!