Policy Advisor, Energy and Climate

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

The British Government is seeking an Energy and Climate Policy Advisor Climate Change Policy Advisor in our Houston Consulate. The job holder will be a member of the Energy & Climate Policy Team, led from the Embassy in DC, based in the Consulate in Houston, with colleagues throughout the US network. The jobholder will work across the full range of energy, climate and environmental issues that the team handles. They will provide advice to UK Government departments on US developments in energy and climate policy and promote UK-US engagement around energy security and the transition to a low-carbon global economy. The Policy Advisor will provide policy advice and guidance to the Consul General and will represent the UK Government in meetings and outward-facing events. The role will also be responsible for managing visits from UK stakeholders to the region.

The successful candidate will be a self-starter, and will be required to proactively develop ideas and strategies to foster UK-US collaboration on environmental, energy and climate priorities. They will be a strategic thinker and utilise and build on their understanding of US environmental, energy and climate policy, both at the federal and subnational levels. They will be a credible interlocutor with contacts in the US, specifically senior leaders in major energy corporations, investors, state and local government, and non-governmental organisations. They will also be proactive in expanding their contacts and interactions with relevant interlocutors. They will also have a proven track-record in working collaboratively in a team-setting.

The US Network offers a unique career enhancing opportunity and is committed to supporting its staff through a variety of benefits including generous leave, health insurance packages and a highly competitive 401k programme. It embraces hybrid working, allowing flexibility to work from home when required. We are an organization that also recognises the critical value of teamwork and we embrace and endorse collaboration by ensuring that all staff attend the office flexibly yet regularly.

In this role you would be working in a diverse international environment side-by-side with UK diplomats, armed forces personnel and other country-based staff operating across the British Government’s network of Consulates and Government Offices in the United States. This network provides a platform for approximately 30 Government departments and agencies to conduct their work in the United States and is made up of over 900 staff with a rich and diverse background, skill sets, and experiences.

The jobholder reports to the Senior Policy Advisor, Climate and Energy, in Washington DC. They work closely with the Consul General in Houston and a range of Embassy teams and with other offices in the US Network. The job holder may need to travel a number of times a year across the region, and potentially visit the UK approximately once per year.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Monitor and analyse US domestic environmental, energy, climate change, and low-carbon policies and initiatives, with a particular focus on subnational actors in Southern States and the Federal Government
• Act as the Team Lead on 2-3 priority energy sectors and themes
• Provide regular high-quality reporting (written and oral) on US developments to inform UK policy and contribute proactively to policy discussions, including advising on local sensitivities and priorities, and briefing for ministers and senior officials
• Design and deliver projects and events to support closer UK-US collaboration on clean energy and low-carbon developments
• Advocate British interests with a range of key US interlocutors to promote UK priorities and policy interests
• Take responsibility for structuring and delivering visits to the US by UK ministers and senior officials
• Proactively develop and maintain effective and strategic relationships within leading energy corporations, state and local governments, and non-governmental stakeholders to support all of the above duties and responsibilities
• Horizon scanning to identify longer term energy trends across the southern US patch, working closely with energy colleagues leading on Business and Academia engagement to advise Whitehall on longer term trends
• Work closely with colleagues throughout the US network of Consulates and UK Government Offices to provide clear direction that enables others to monitor environment, energy and climate issues, as well as deliver relevant projects

Resources managed:

This role does not involve direct line management but does require the ability to develop and lead virtual teams in order to deliver your policy priorities. Depending on the local priorities, this role could be responsible for implementing climate and energy projects where you will be responsible for delivery including monitoring spend.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Previous professional experience, preferably focusing on international and/or US climate/energy/environmental policy
• Must be able to represent the UK at external meetings, and win the confidence of senior stakeholders, including US and UK officials and businesspeople.
• Must have an understanding of the requirements of different audiences (Ministers, UK Parliament/US congress, media, UK or foreign officials, etc.) and an ability to flex your style appropriately.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex issues to diverse audiences.
• Must have the capacity to deliver consistently high quality work and pay attention to detail even when delivering to tight deadlines.
• Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US may only employ, as non-diplomatic staff, persons who are US citizens, US Permanent Residents or A visa holders with EAD cards*. If you hold a visa other than an A visa you are not currently eligible to work at our office. Please refer to our website for information on exceptions to this policy at www.gov.uk/government/world/usa. All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work. • A visas are acceptable at the Embassy and Consulates. The UK Mission to the UN (UKMIS) accepts G visas, and British Defence Staff (BDS) outposts accept A or NATO visas

Language requirements:

Language: English

Level of language required: Fluent

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• A background in energy policy and demonstrated knowledge of climate/environmental science
• Experience in project management and delivery
• Interest in or knowledge of UK policy strengths and priorities
• Events management experience

Required behaviours

Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Working Together

Application deadline

27 November 2023

Grade

Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Temporary

Working hours per week

40

Region

Americas, Caribbean & Overseas Territories

Country/Territory

United States

Location (City)

Houston

Type of Post

British Consulate General

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

$73,880.00 annually

Start Date

15 January 2024

End Date

31 March 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

Please note: The British Embassy and its US Network is committed to all employee’s ongoing learning and development needs. We offer a comprehensive platform for personalised learning for everything from soft skill development (communicating with impact, handling difficult conversations, time management) to more technical or professional skills necessary to complete your job (software training, formal qualifications etc.).

Working patterns:

The Consulate supports flexible working arrangements and will discuss any requirements with the successful applicant. The Consulate expects staff to be working from the office for a minimum of three days per week on the basis that we are a people-oriented organisation that believes we do our best work when we are physically co-located. We nevertheless have a robust flexible working policy that offers our staff the ability to work where and when is most effective.

Additional information

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6-12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, eg some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

Internal candidates must inform their supervisor before they apply to a different position.

Only successful candidates will be contacted. Please no phone calls. Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we cannot guarantee consideration of your application if the submission instructions are not properly followed.

The British Embassy is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and to creating a diverse working environment, free from discrimination, where everyone is included and treated fairly, based on merit alone. We are an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions without regard to race, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any other criterion protected by law.