Energy and Carbon Manager

University of East London

Founded in 1898, we at the University of East London (UEL) are proud to change lives through education. Our goal is to advance industry 5.0 careers-first education and provide a clear path to the jobs and opportunities of the future. We’re committed to driving diversity in the 5.0 talent pipeline, working in partnership to promote talent wherever it is found and creating a balanced, inclusive, and green future.

But we can't achieve this goal alone. We need forward-thinking, innovative, and curious individuals like you to join our community and help us craft our future. As part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of people who share your passion for creating positive change. We’re an inclusive and welcoming community that is constantly moving forward, never satisfied with the status quo.

About Us

ESTATES AND FACILITIES

The Estates and Facilities Directorate at the University of East London is a strategic enabler of the University’s mission to deliver an inclusive, safe, innovative, and digitally enabled learning environment. The Directorate is responsible for shaping, managing, and transforming UEL’s physical estate as an integrated platform for education, research, innovation, community engagement, and operational excellence. 

Working in close partnership with IT, Strategic Development & Delivery, Finance, Procurement, People & Culture, Health & Safety, and external delivery partners, the Directorate ensures that physical and digital infrastructure are intentionally aligned. Together, these collaborations enable collective decision-making, resilient operations, and the integration of smart technologies into day-to-day campus management.

The Estates and Facilities Directorate plays a critical role in realising UEL’s ambition to be a sector-leading Campus one that supports flexible modes of study, enhances wellbeing and safety, reduces environmental impact, and creates high-quality, future-ready spaces for students, staff, and the wider community.

About the Job: 

• You will take ownership of the day-to-day management of UEL’s Energy and Water Management Systems, projects, and contracts and ultimately, responsibility for the energy and carbon performance of UEL’s multimillion-pound estate.
  
  
• You will monitor usage, identifying and addressing peak and troughs in consumption, delivering impactful projects that reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions across the campus. 
  
  
• You will bring your deep technical expertise and legislative understanding to ensure compliance, continuous improvement, and innovation in energy performance. 
  
  
• You will embed sustainable practices into policies, procedures, and technical specifications, helping to shape and influence a culture of environmental responsibility across the organisation. 
  
  
• Collaboration is key to this role. You will work closely with colleagues from Estates and Facilities including UEL’s maintenance, security and facilities and teams and in particular the Sustainability team where your high-level autonomy and decision-making will deliver strategic improvement
  
  
• You will also work with academic colleagues and external partners and contractors to promote awareness of energy use and carbon reduction, particularly in relation to Scope 1 and 2 emissions. 
  
  
• Your deep technical expertise will be instrumental in identifying opportunities for efficiency, influencing decision-making, and delivering measurable results. 
  
  
• This is a technical-specialist and project-lead role with significant influence on UEL’s sustainability strategy. You will be joining a supportive and dynamic team with a shared commitment to sustainability and positive change. If you are passionate about energy management and want to make a tangible impact within a values-led university, we would love to hear from you. 
  
  
• To review and update the Energy and Carbon Management Policy and its accompanying Management Plan, ensuring it reflects the Environmental Sustainability Policy and accompanying Strategy and Action Plan, UEL’s Vision 2028, is relevant and ‘fit for purpose’. 
   Take responsibility for its implementation ensuring it reduces energy use and carbon emissions across the estate. In short, ensure that each of the energy and carbon documents reflect the University’s wider aims and objectives, its sustainability ambitions, KPI’s, and targets while also addressing the SDGs, and are included of UELs suite of sustainable documents. 
  
  
• Be the lead point of contact for energy and water management across the estate and assist 
  with the commercial aspects of the Energy Performance Contract. Select, appoint, and manage energy and water consultants/ suppliers in line with other E&F managers at UEL where necessary.
  
  
• Manage the energy and utilities contracts, authorising payment of invoices, and chasing rebates, working closely with the UEL Finance Department, Development & Capital Delivery team, maintenance team and campus managers.
  
  
• Identify opportunities for new and innovative technologies that will support energy, carbon and water reduction projects across UEL, and raise the university’s profile as sector leaders in tackling key impact areas.
  
  
• Oversee the management of the existing building metering system (BMS) and its strategy, identifying areas for expansion, and project manage the installation of a comprehensive automated submetering system. Ensure it is fit for purpose, generates reports as required, identifies anomalies and takes any appropriate corrective action where needed. 
  
  
• Work with Senior Mechanical & Engineering Project Managers (internal and external) and UEL’s Development and Capital Delivery colleagues and external teams to develop and implement energy specifications/energy benchmarking criteria to ensure that energy and water saving, and low carbon measures are incorporated in new build and refurbishment projects.
  
  
• Work with the Sustainability Team to develop and manage initiatives to raise and maintain energy and environmental awareness with staff, students and stakeholders.
  
  
• Support with any training and development programmes in place that develop energy, water and carbon management skillsets of staff across the UEL Estates and Facilities team. Brief the team on new products, initiatives and regulations and make clear their role in achieving cost and carbon savings. 

About You

Essential

• An undergraduate degree or equivalent in Engineering, Energy Management, Building Services, Environmental Management or another related subject. A master’s degree is desirable but not essential for the role.
   
• Experience in working in the energy and water sector in a management role, or for a university as a senior energy manager for an organisation of similar size and operations with high autonomy in decision-making and ability to influence a broad range of stakeholders.
   
• Excellent knowledge of energy and water systems including automatic and sub-metered utilities meters, their integration onto building management systems and their application to cost and carbon reduction measures applicable for a university estate.  
  
  
• Expert knowledge on energy and water related legislation, how and where it affects the University’s operations. Advise on other external standards, requirements, and guidelines relating to energy, water and carbon to ensure compliance with current and forthcoming legislation. 
  
  
•  Knowledge of utility tariff arrangements, consortiums and procurement strategies (including alternative energy sourcing such as self-generation and power purchase agreements) and monitoring of any funding opportunities that may arise from them.
  
  
• Experience managing the utilities budget and contracts including forecasting, setting, and monitoring the budgets for energy and water consumption and ensure the University’s energy procurement process supports the carbon management plan, achieves long term energy and cost security for the University. 
  
  
• Experience working with and influencing the sustainability teams in reducing UEL’s scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions and in the development of a methodology for reviewing and minimising carbon emissions in all UEL refurbishment and new build development projects.
    
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written, including the capacity to engage with, influence, and persuade a wide range of stakeholders particularly the most senior management at UEL, including the Board of Governors and Council, building up strong relationships and networks with internal and external partners.

 Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in a topic that directly relates to the requirements of the role.  
  
  
• Understanding various schemes such as Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), Salix Finance funding schemes, Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) etc as well as the government agencies that sponsor or support these schemes (DEFRA, TEC, CCC, etc). and of energy and environmental management systems such as ISO5000 and 14001.
    
• Experience in conducting energy and utilities related heat mapping exercises, building and writing business cases for energy initiatives for the purpose of building the E&F teams’ confidence and gaining senior management approval. 
  
  
• Recruitment and line management of energy and water officers and coordinators, engagement officers etc. 

Other competencies and requirements 

• Excellent computer skills, including a good understanding of energy efficiency and utilities billing software and the ability to provide reports, produce presentation material and maintain external and internal webpages.
• Excellent communication skills, willing to give presentations to various stakeholders ensuring they are level appropriate for the audience being addressed. 
• Knowledge of broader sustainability issues such as waste, travel and transport and behaviour change theory and its application to carbon reduction in the University.
• Maintain a working knowledge of the energy market and its regulatory framework and provide recommendations on energy procurement options that meet long term cost and carbon reductions and achieves energy supply and cost security.
• Liaise with the Finance Department and the Estates and Facilities Directors to produce energy account statements for monthly and quarterly meetings. Produce detailed analysis of historical data/ usage versus spend/ budget and identify anomalies and errors. Identify and advise via regular meetings, accrual requirements to the Finance Department.
• Proactively contribute to the communications of the Sustainability Team by maintaining related internal and external communications (e.g. web pages, SharePoint, social media channels), responding to queries, presenting to students, writing reports and providing briefings and presentations for relevant committees/groups etc. Champion the energy achievements of the University to staff and students and to outside organisations.
• Support the implementation of the various Environmental and Sustainability related policies and strategies from an energy perspective, including the maintenance of the ISO 5001 and 14001 accredited environmental management system once implemented. 

Benefits Package

Here at UEL we understand it’s about more than just a salary. It’s about the entire package on offer along with our outstanding work environment and inclusive culture. We know the market rates for this vacancy and will offer a genuinely competitive salary DOE.

We care deeply about your wellbeing and our benefits includes: 20% pension (4% from you, 16% from us), 25 days holiday (plus 3 days over Christmas) plus bank holidays, hybrid working for most positions, and we’re always open to consider flexible working arrangements. We have a subsidised gym membership, 3 times base salary life assurance, a cashback healthcare scheme and wide variety of other generous benefits including discounts on: Apple and Samsung products, holidays, clothing, fitness, lifestyle, dining out and weekly shopping.

Equal Opportunities

UEL is an inclusive equal opportunities employer and are proud of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity achievements, including: zero gender pay gap, members of Stonewall and have won Athena Swan awards. We expect all employees of UEL to accept our EDI policy and will not tolerate discrimination in any form.

So, if you’d like to take your career to the next level with us here at the University of East London and are inspired by our environment and committed to success, we want you to apply today!

To contact the recruitment team please phone +44 20 8223 3000 x 4600 or e-mail jobs@uel.ac.uk

CVs without a completed application form will not be accepted.

At UEL we are committed to working together to build a community which values diversity in both our staff and student populations, is representative and inclusive, enabling all to progress and thrive.