Energy Services sits within the broader Directorate of Environment and Public Protection and plays a crucial part in delivering the West Sussex Climate Change Strategy to reduce our carbon emissions and invest in significant renewable energy. A key ambition for the County is to be carbon neutral by 2030. Working together we will do everything we can to make that happen.
The context within which West Sussex County Council delivers services is changing. The challenge of climate change and increasing energy costs mean that the Council needs to adapt the way it works to reduce emissions and work in a more sustainable way. This role would be part of delivering a key programme of work within Energy Services to deliver multiple Solar PV and Battery Storage (SPVBS) projects across our schools and corporate estate. This requires strong collaboration with the wider local authority, particularly with colleagues in schools, Facilities Management, Estates and Legal.
The Solar PV and Battery Storage Programme Team sits within Energy Services and is responsible for the organisation, management and delivery of high-profile projects delivering vital energy and carbon savings across the county.
The Opportunity
Salary: £28,624 to £31,067 per annum
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Location: County Hall, Chichester
Contract type: Maternity leave - Fixed term or Secondment opportunity until December 2026
Interview date: County Hall, Chichester 01 and 02 September 2025
As the Programme Officer, you will provide essential support for the delivery of the SPVBS programme of work, with a focus on stakeholder engagement and communications and statutory duties. Your role will include liaising with contractors and stakeholders to deliver excellent projects to time, cost, quality and statutory standards.
You role will develop and maintain positive and collaborative relationships with a range of stakeholders including but not limited to contractors, schools, Planning Authorities, internal departments and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to ensure the smooth running of the programme and adherence to the business case and legal requirements of the programme.
Working across the programme of work – currently 60 projects - you will ensure that all communications activity is planned and delivered in line with the programme, and evaluated to show its impact, managing and monitoring plans to provide quantifiable data to track the success of the programme against the agreed timeline and objectives.
What are we looking for?
- You will be solution-focused and proactively able to provide professional support to the programme.
- The ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks, including needing periods of concentration, will be key to ensuring accuracy and consistency.
- The role will also include making regular phone calls, responding to routine queries, attending Teams meetings and occasionally travelling to sites in the programme.
- You will need to be able to manage your own workload, juggling competing priorities and organising your work to meet deadlines.
- You will be able to use your initiative to respond to unexpected problems or situations, e.g. a change of dates for surveys.
- You will be comfortable leading on activities and supporting others, with guidance and direction from the Programme Manager.
- You will be able to apply focus when preparing, sharing and analysing complex information.
For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Working for us
As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide an great place to work ensuring you can fulfil your full potential, have access to a range of benefits including:
- an excellent local government pension scheme
- generous holiday entitlement of 25 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
- a range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
- maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
- volunteering opportunities
- training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
- a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see our Staff discounts page if you are a business looking to offer a discount)
- health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further information
The reference number for this role is EIE01449.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Rosie Long (Energy Programme Manager) at Rosie.Long@westsussex.gov.uk. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.
Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
CC
Job Reference: EIE01449