Low Carbon Infrastructure Officer

The core mission is to plan the infrastructure that housing growth and decarbonisation demand across the council's 14,000 social homes, its operational buildings and Norwich as a whole. Day to day that means researching and recommending policies, preparing numerical analysis and business cases, bidding for funding and writing reports for the team and for democratic processes such as FOI requests and councillor questions. The officer leads on the city's Local Area Energy Plan with UK Power Networks, manages consultants who design solar PV, heat pump and EV projects, and supports smart meters, IOT and digital energy management systems to cut energy use and emissions. Longer term, the role is expected to grow EV charging infrastructure for the council's fleet and the wider city, improve or replace community and district heating networks including metering and billing, and take on the Heat Network Zone regulator function as new regulations arrive. Managing climate-related opportunities and risks, and promoting awareness of climate change, fuel poverty and retrofit, are part of the wider brief.

The role exposes you to the full chain of low carbon infrastructure planning, from research and policy development to funding bids, business cases and project delivery, which is unusual breadth for an officer-level post. Working alongside consulting engineers and UK Power Networks on the city's Local Area Energy Plan builds practical knowledge of network capacity, load forecasting and energy system planning. Heat networks bring specific expertise in metering, billing and the incoming regulations that will create Heat Network Zones, and the council expects the post holder to act as its zone regulator. You would also gain exposure to EV charging rollout, smart meters, IOT and digital energy management systems, plus public sector governance such as FOI responses and councillor questions. The job description asks for a self-managed learning programme, so the culture expects you to keep pace with regulatory and technical change, likely with support from a technical team.

The council seeks someone with knowledge of electrical or heat energy systems, or at least strong theoretical or scientific grounding, who can evaluate technical information and turn it into strategic recommendations. Essential experience covers delivering energy efficiency, decarbonisation or energy system projects, building stakeholder relationships across teams and with external partners, and handling complex data with accurate records. Preferred extras include strategic energy infrastructure management, public sector background and a record of working on equality, social change or environmental issues. The person needs to communicate well in writing and in person, present complex data to non-expert audiences, manage tight deadlines and work flexibly in a small team, with spreadsheet and general IT competence. An undergraduate degree in a technical, engineering or environmental subject is essential, a master's is preferred, and enthusiasm for environmental or social change is valued.

Applications are shortlisted on the factual information in the form, so document your experience in detail, including relevant work done outside paid employment. Map your electrical or heat energy knowledge, data analysis and stakeholder work directly to the essential criteria, since the council screens against those specific points. For the cover section, cite concrete examples such as a funding bid you contributed to, a decarbonisation project you helped deliver, or a stakeholder group you coordinated, because this role values evidence of delivery as much as technical knowledge. If you are newly qualified, show your theoretical grounding plus any project, dissertation or volunteering work that involved energy, climate or social change. Mention your right to work in the UK, because the post cannot offer visa sponsorship. Prepare for interview by reading Norwich's climate strategy and Local Area Energy Plan material, and think about how you would approach EV charging and heat network questions for a council with around 14,000 social homes.

The role sits at the intersection of energy decarbonisation and social housing, so the environmental focus is on cutting emissions from buildings and transport through solar PV, heat pumps, electric vehicle charging and low carbon heat networks. The governance angle appears in policy development, heat network regulation and compliance work, and in the council's reporting through democratic channels. Social sustainability is explicit: fuel poverty, retrofit and equality issues are named in the job description, and the council is extending this work across its social housing stock. The citywide dimension comes through the Local Area Energy Plan, where the officer helps shape how Norwich's electricity and heat infrastructure evolves with UK Power Networks. Funding and business case work connects all of this to finance, since public private partnerships and grant bids determine how much of the plan can actually be delivered.

The biggest challenge is that authority over energy infrastructure is split among many parties, so the post holder must influence UK Power Networks, consulting engineers, councillors and other stakeholders without direct control over their decisions or timelines. Funding is another pressure: the role includes bidding for money and building business cases, and public funding competitions are competitive with uncertain outcomes. The estate itself is demanding, with around 14,000 council homes, operational buildings, existing district and community heating networks and ageing fleets, so improvements compete for capital and can disrupt residents. Keeping up with evolving heat network regulations while continuing delivery will test time management, and the job description explicitly expects resilience under tight deadlines. The council also wants complex data explained to non-expert audiences, which requires patience when translating technical findings into political and public settings.

A typical day mixes analysis, meetings and writing. You might spend the morning reviewing energy data from the council's buildings or heat networks, refining a business case or funding bid, or updating a spreadsheet model of EV charging or heat pump rollout. Midday could bring a project team check-in with consulting engineers or colleagues in housing and property, then an external call with UK Power Networks about the Local Area Energy Plan or a network capacity issue. Part of the week goes to stakeholder work: briefing councillors, preparing responses to FOI requests or councillor questions, or coordinating with city partners on fuel poverty and retrofit messaging. Because the team is small, priorities shift with funding deadlines and political timetables, so the role suits someone comfortable moving between detailed technical review and quick strategic summaries.

Because the role spans strategy, funding bids, consultancy management and regulation, the post builds a broad portfolio that supports progression to senior infrastructure or net zero strategy roles in local government or the wider public sector. The council notes the post suits newly qualified candidates up to experienced hires, which suggests room to grow into more autonomous, higher-level work as you prove capability. Taking on the Heat Network Zone regulator function anticipated in upcoming regulations would give you rare regulatory experience that few officers hold. Leading the city's Local Area Energy Plan work with UK Power Networks could raise your profile among regional energy stakeholders, opening lateral moves into network operators, consultancies or combined authorities. Support for the Service's democratic reporting requirements also builds policy and governance skills that transfer to programme and portfolio management.

The post holder sits in a specialist technical team but works across the council, so colleagues in housing, property, finance, legal and communications are everyday contacts. Externally, the key relationship is with UK Power Networks, especially on the Local Area Energy Plan, alongside consulting engineers who develop designs and specifications for energy projects. Councillors and MPs feature in the role through the democratic process, including freedom of information requests and councillor questions, so political awareness matters. Residents and tenant groups are affected by changes to heating networks, metering and billing, and by fuel poverty and retrofit messaging, so communication with them is part of the work. Funding bodies, public private partnership partners and citywide organisations working on climate change, fuel poverty and adaptation round out the stakeholder map.