NOW HIRING: Project Manager

by Blog

Are you a creative project manager with great communication skills, would you like to join a growing team building innovative, citizen-led solutions to deliver a just energy transition? Then we want to hear from you! Carbon Co-op is looking for a project manager to work on our exciting energy innovation projects, which develop technical solutions to accelerate the transition to a 100% renewables-powered energy grid.

Deadline: 5pm, Monday 7th August 2023

  • Time: 0.8 – 1 FTE (Flexible)
  • Location: Central Manchester, UK
  • FTE: £35,000 – £38,000 (dependant on experience/qualifications)
  • Start date: ASAP
  • Duration: Permanent contract (with a 6 month probationary period)
  • Status: Payroll/PAYE
Apply now:
– Send your CV plus a single page covering letter to info@carbon.coop by 5pm, Monday 7th August 2023
– Put ‘Project Manager (Energy Systems)’ in the email subject
– For questions or queries please contact matt@carbon.coop or call 0161 820 1273
– Interviews will be conducted in person at our Manchester office or by video call (on request)

About Carbon Co-op

Carbon Co-op is an award-winning and fast-growing not-for-profit social enterprise based in Greater Manchester, UK. We pilot innovative low carbon projects and develop energy services for our householder members and the wider community. 

About the role

The role involves project management and/or support of some of our energy innovation projects portfolio currently consisting of a range of related grant-funded innovation projects. The project manager will work closely with Software Engineers, Energy Systems leads and Internet of Things experts, working via agile delivery models to release open source software applications in-line with project deadlines. The role would be ideally suited to a candidate with previous experience of managing technical project, ICT and software development regardless of whether you have previous energy system expertise. You will be working on a variety of projects, the core objectives of which may include:

  • Empowering individuals and communities to make radical reductions to their domestic carbon emissions.
  • Opening up access to green technology and Energy Smart Appliances to more people in Greater Manchester and beyond.
  • Promoting the need for open source software solutions and open standards to enable device interoperability in home energy management.
  • Developing technologies for Smart Home automation to support grid flexibility, and respond to fluctuations in energy supply and demand.
  • Advanced Monitoring and Verification of energy efficiency measures and home retrofit.
  • Supporting a just energy transition to a 100% renewables-powered grid.

You will also have the opportunity to identify and develop project/grant and commercialisation opportunities of your own with support from other staff.

This role will require considerable flexibility and will involve working with staff, partners, and stakeholders with a wide range of technical and commercial experience to ensure successful project delivery. The chosen candidate will demonstrate that they understand that project management is about building relationships and not just artefacts and reporting. 

For the first 2 months you will shadow and be supported by staff currently involved in project management. For the first 6 months you will also report to a senior member of staff as part of your probationary period.

Flexible and remote working

We’re looking for someone who can work between 0.8 and 1 FTE. Carbon Co-op supports flexible working around core office hours. The role is based at our offices in central Manchester but there is scope for remote working.

Outline of the role

i) Skills and experience

Essential

  • 2 years experience as a project manager or someone with a substantive role in delivering non-trivial multi-year projects in a technical area or with technical aspects.
  • Demonstrated experience and competence in core PM competencies of financial, stakeholder, and risk management.
  • Fluent in office, productivity, resource planning, and information management tools and systems.
  • Experience of software development processes and agile delivery practices.

Preferred

  • Experience of working with grant-funded projects (such as Innovate UK, Horizon)
  • A recognised project management qualification (PRINCE2/APM/PMI etc.).
  • Experience in one or more of the following areas: the energy sector, software development, IoT, ICT deployment, energy management, and/or aggregation.
  • Bid/project development experience – building concepts, assembling project teams and building funding cases.
  • Experience of innovation projects in IoT, energy or housing.
  • A degree in a STEM or business discipline or equivalent experience.
  • Experience of commercialisation.
  • Experience of managing project, health and safety, and compliance risk.

Useful

  • Operations and customer service experience 
  • Line management experience.
  • Product/service management experience.
  • A Masters degree in a STEM/business discipline.

ii) Person specification

Essential

  • An excellent written and verbal communicator
  • A team player: able to work effectively with others and be empathetic, compassionate, and understanding.
  • Motivated by environmental and social justice concerns.
  • Ability to organise oneself and others to ensure timely delivery of activities and outputs.
  • Enthusiastic, positive, and a problem solver.
  • Very organised with the ability to quickly and effectively prioritise tasks.

Preferred

  • An interest in energy systems and the collective impact individuals can have on their local grid.

Useful

  • Interest or involvement in the co-operative movement.

Recruitment process

We will produce a shortlist of applicants that we will invite to an online interview (likely be held in mid August 2023) lasting approximately 60 minutes.

We can provide feedback to those invited to interview but who were not successful on request (we do not have resources to provide detailed feedback to applicants who are not shortlisted, sorry).

Values 

We require staff to demonstrate, understand and apply our core organisational values. These are embedded in all our roles and applicants are expected to demonstrate these values as part of the application process:

  • Commitment to collective and community-based approaches to tackling climate change.
  • Commitment to Co-operative Values.
  • Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
  • Commitment to environmental justice and tackling inequalities.

Our organisational culture

We are a small (but growing), multi-disciplinary not-for-profit with a mission built around tackling climate change. Community benefit is hardwired into our organisation’s structure, we are ‘asset locked’ and owned by our 400+ ley members who annually elect a management board. We subscribe to international co-operative principles. Our work culture is open and collaborative and we employ practices such as user-centred design, service design and agile development. We welcome new team members!

Legal right to work

By the time you commence your employment you must have a legal right to work in the UK. We are currently not in a position to act as a sponsor.

Please apply!
We’re an equal opportunity employer, value diversity and have flexible working practices. We acknowledge that people from certain backgrounds are under-represented within our sector and our organisation – and we want to ensure we address this. We encourage applications from anyone with suitable skills, no matter their background or ability. If you don’t feel confident enough to apply, get in touch with us, we’d love to chat! 

For more information

Contact: Matt Fawcett matt@carbon.coop