Climate Intelligence Service Capacity Building Manager

Job Description

The Improvement Service (IS) is a publicly funded company limited by guarantee, with a total annual budget in the region of £8 Million. We exist to support councils and their partners to improve the health, quality of life and opportunities of all Scottish people through community leadership, strong local governance and the delivery of high quality, efficient local services.

Working for the IS means joining a small family of professionals, who work together to strive for continuous improvement in the public sector and ultimately, better outcomes for Scotland’s communities.

Our company headquarters are based in West Lothian, located conveniently for commuters between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Pay is only one of the benefits of working for the IS, our terms and conditions are progressive and flexible and employees are rewarded with a generous annual leave entitlement of forty days per year as well as a flexible working policy.

The IS is committed to promoting equality and diversity in all its activities to promote inclusive processes, practices and culture.

The IS is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to interviewing anyone with a disability who meets the essential criteria.

The Improvement Service is working with the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, the Sustainable Scotland Network, COSLA and Scottish Government to establish a Climate Intelligence Service which will build capacity within Scottish Local Authorities to improve decision making for area-wide emissions reduction by providing the data and tools, and building the skills and confidence in using them, to deliver better climate outcomes and realise the social and economic benefits of a zero carbon Scotland.

The Climate Intelligence Service will be funded by Scottish Government and the 32 local authorities through COSLA.

The proposed activity will support Scottish Government to reach its outcomes and targets for climate change and communities. It will ensure local authorities are on track for the legislated national target of Net Zero by 2045, can target policies and actions towards particular emissions sources, and can embed climate impact into local decision making to deliver their own commitments and co-benefits for health, equality and resilience.

The purpose of the Capacity Building Manager role is to lead on capacity building within Scottish local government on the use of the Climate Intelligence Service (CIS), including the development and delivery of training, workshops and research which supports local authorities to understand the data presented on the data platform and how to use this to help reduce area wide emissions. The role will also lead on the management of regional insight officers who will work closely with groups of local authorities, providing a local assessment service and supporting capability and capacity building. Local authorities will be supported to understand the data from the national emissions dataset and how to use this to take evidence-based decisions on projects to maximise carbon reduction.

The appointment will be for a term of up to 15 months (dependant on when recruitment is completed) with the possibility of re-appointment subject to continuation of funding, a satisfactory performance assessment and the role meeting the continuing requirements of the Scottish Government, COSLA, the Improvement Service, ECCI and SSN.

Requirements

This vacancy is based within the Improvement Service (IS), and the successful candidate will work closely with ECCI, Scottish Government, COSLA, SOLACE, Sustainable Scotland Network, other national partners, such as Public Health Scotland, as well as local partners.

The role will involve working closely with the Programme Director, Programme Co-ordinator and Data Manager to understand the data on the data platform which will underpin the CIS, and how this can be used by Local Authorities.

The Capacity Building Manager will undertake engagement and liaison with local authorities, to identify learning and skills needs in regard to use of the data provided by the CIS. They will be responsible for developing the training programme to be delivered to local authorities and other relevant stakeholders in how to use and analyse the data provided and how to use this to inform decision making and prioritising of projects to tackle carbon emissions in each area. They will co-ordinate a network of local leads and other interested stakeholders, encouraging the identification, dissemination and sharing of good practice.

Working with other Improvement Service Teams, including Business Support, they will be responsible for recruiting and creating a team of regional insights officers who will deliver the support to local authorities to be able to use the data provided by the platform, implementing and overseeing CIS capacity building activities that provide training, technical assistance, networking opportunities and other supports for local authorities.

For more information about what the Climate Intelligence Service will aim to do please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWevj1IdW9I. 

Location: West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6FF, with travel throughout Scotland as required. It is anticipated that the role will involve a blended model of office and home working. This flexible approach will be agreed between employee and line manager.

Duration: To March 2025 (with likely extension beyond this date subject to funding)

Hours: Standard working week is 36 hours Monday to Friday. Hours can be worked flexibly in agreement with the Line Manager.

Advert closing date: 22nd October

Interview information: A competency-based interview will take place in early November.

For more information about competency-based interviews, see our 'Guide to Competency-based Interviews'. You may also find it useful to read our current Business Plan.