Communications & Customer Liaison Officer

1. Job Purpose

Many homeowners would like to make their homes more efficient, to tackle the climate crisis and
reduce energy bills which are still very high. However, it can be hard to know what to do, and
who to trust for help.

As a well-established, not-for-profit community energy enterprise, Bath & West Community
Energy (BWCE) is well positioned to support people to make their homes more efficient. We have
recently set up a Home Energy Programme that includes a Home Energy Service to provide advice,
specialist support for listed buildings, and events such as Open Homes that inspire people to
take action.

The full time Communications and Customer Liaison Officer will be crucial to the Home Energy
Programme, bringing creativity and drive to our communications to enable us to reach beyond our
current networks to find the people who can benefit most. Having generated interest in the
programme, you would be the first point of contact for potential customers for our Home Energy
Service, working with our expert team to provide an excellent experience throughout their
energy journey. Key tasks are:

• Helping to develop and deliver a communications plan for BWCE’s Home Energy Programme.
• Supporting Home Energy Service customers
• Providing homeowners with basic energy advice to help them decide which service is best for
  them and ensuring they get what they need. Full training can be provided.

2. Terms and Conditions

Hours Full time, 5 days per week. Some evening and weekend work will be
required.
Salary £32,000 per year
Holidays 25 days per calendar year plus Bank Holidays for full time
Pension BWCE offer a workplace pension scheme in line with government
guidelines for minimum contributions. Currently these are 5% employer contribution and 5%
employee contribution, these are subject to change in accordance with the Pensions Act 2008 and
government guidelines. Scheme enrolment will start on satisfactory completion of the
probationary period.
Work Location Working from home, with the post-holder able to join the team
for co-working in central Bath if desired. Able to travel to communities throughout Bath &
North East Somerset
Probation Period 3 months
Contract Length To 30th June 2025
Reporting This post will report to the Community Engagement Manager in close
liaison with the Home Energy Service Manager.
Start Date As soon as possible.

3. About Bath & West Community Energy

Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) is a not-for-profit community business, committed to
putting people and communities at the heart of the energy transition to zero carbon. We are a
member-led organisation and the majority of our members are local people. Our vision is for an
energy system where:

• People are empowered to reduce their carbon emissions and bills by improving the efficiency
  of their homes and using renewable energy at the time it is produced.
• People can buy low-cost, clean energy direct from local energy projects.
• Energy projects are owned and shaped by their communities – giving local people a voice in
  decision-making and a stake in local projects.
• A more flexible grid maximises the use of intermittent renewable energy and removes the
  need for fossil fuels.

Starting in 2010, when we were founded, our first mission was to install community-owned
renewable energy. Through numerous schemes including solar panels on schools and larger solar
fields, we have installed enough renewable energy to meet the equivalent annual electricity
demand of around 4,500 homes. This is rapidly growing with a strong pipeline of future schemes.
BWCE is running innovation projects to explore ways to supply energy from our local projects at
a reduced cost to local people.

As a community benefit society, we distribute excess revenues from our renewable energy to
local projects that tackle the climate crisis and fuel poverty. So far, we have distributed
over £380,000 of surplus income into our independent community fund which has made grants to 91
community projects.

As we take on new projects and new areas of work, BWCE is growing. We currently have 18
employees, and our recent Staff Survey attests that team members find BWCE a supportive,
flexible, empowering and mission-led place to work.

4. .The Home Energy Programme

Building on the success of our renewable energy enterprise, we recently set up a Home Energy
Programme. Our aim is to support residents wherever they might be on their energy efficiency
journey. The Home Energy Programme includes:

• Our new Home Energy Service which offers impartial, expert advice on how to make your home
  more comfortable and sustainable. We offer paid services, with the intention of scaling this
  service up and using any excess revenues to support people who are at risk of fuel poverty.
• Our Green Heritage Homes project to help residents in listed buildings to improve their
  energy efficiency. We provide advice, support and training for homeowners and building
  professionals to show that energy efficiency and conservation of our heritage can go hand in
  hand. We are working in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), Bath &
  North East Somerset Council (B&NES) and Bath Preservation Trust and are funded by the South
  West Net Zero Hub, which is hosted by the West of England Combined Authority, through the
  Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) Programme.
• Our Green Open Homes B&NES project to showcase energy efficient homes. It lets visitors
  see energy measures first-hand and speak to other homeowners about their experience.

This is a powerful way to learn about the reality of getting solar panels, insulation, triple
glazing, or new heating options without talking to a salesperson. In November 2023, BWCE
managed Green Open Homes events in Bath and the Chew Valley in partnership with Bath &
North East Somerset Council, Buro Happold, Transition Bath and Bath Preservation Trust and with
sponsorship from the University of Bath, Good Energy and Mitchell & Dickenson.

The Open Homes events were highly successful, with 778 visits to 22 Open Homes, supported by 45
volunteers. In the feedback, 98% of visitors reported that they found the visits useful. We are
supported through another LEAD project, which is led by CSE, to deliver 8-10 more Open Homes
events, large and small, in B&NES before March 2025.

5. Principal tasks

The postholder will be responsible for:

Communications:

• Working with the Marketing and Communications Coordinator to develop and deliver
  communications and marketing plans for the Home Energy Programme.
• Creating promotional content, including news releases, social media posts, printed
  publicity materials, website content and videos.
• Building up a social media presence through regular posting and responding to comments as
  appropriate.
• Identifying and establishing contact with relevant organisations / communication channels
  to connect with appropriate target audiences.
• Liaising with the Events & Networking Coordinator to ensure that the Home Energy
  Service is promoted at BWCE events and relevant external events.

Customer liaison:

• Responding to email and telephone queries from householders interested in the Home Energy
  Service.
• Providing an initial phone call to explain the services available, discuss the best
  starting point and signpost them elsewhere if more appropriate.
• Helping customers move smoothly through the customer journey, including dealing with any
  barriers to progress, in liaison with other members of the Home Energy Service team.
• Providing basic energy advice to people as necessary, by phone or face to face. Training to
  provide this energy advice will be provided so detailed prior knowledge of retrofit / energy
  efficiency is not essential.
• Booking surveys for householders.
• Updating the customer database, keeping track of progress, handling invoices and compiling
  monitoring reports as and when required.
• Getting feedback from customers (e.g. through surveys, follow up interviews) and supporting
  the Home Energy Service team to learn from customer experience to improve the quality of the
  service.
• Liaising with customers who have had a positive experience of the service to encourage them
  to contribute a positive news story / testimonial / case study or become a Home Opener as part
  of a Green Open Homes event.

Other:

• Contributing to desk research and written reports, as and when required.
• Complying with BWCE’s agreed policies and practices.
• Carrying out other tasks or duties as agreed with Line Manager.

6. Person specification:

The successful candidate will be able to show that they have the following knowledge, skills,
experience, and attributes.

Note: Knowledge and experience around energy efficiency, although desirable,
is not essential. We will provide the training, knowledge and skills to develop a suitable
level of knowledge once in post.

Essential knowledge, experience, skills & attributes:

• Experience of developing and delivering marketing and communications campaigns.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience of social media platforms, including X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Design skills, using Canva or a similar application.
• Experience of customer liaison or working directly with members of the public to assess
  needs and provide information.
• Proven ability to build positive and constructive relationships with people that motivates
  them to take action.
• Willingness to undertake energy efficiency advice training to be able to have informed
  conversations as part of the customer liaison role.
• Self-starter, able to work independently and remotely as part of a dispersed team.
• Good time management skills, including priority-setting, multi-tasking and problem-solving
  with a flexible attitude to work, including preparedness to work some weekends and/or evenings.
• Strong IT skills with experience of using Microsoft Office programmes (Word, Excel,
  PowerPoint) or similar.
• Commitment to BWCE’s vision of community leadership and a clean energy future.
• Lives in or near the BWCE area (Bath & North East Somerset and surrounding area) to
  minimise travel.

Desirable knowledge, experience & skills:

• Knowledge and experience around energy efficiency.
• Knowledge of the BWCE area and experience of working with local communities.
• Experience of working with Wordpress.
• Relevant degree level or equivalent qualification

7. Application Process

To apply for this role, please complete the application form downloadable from
www.bwce.coop/bwce-jobs. Please respond to the Person Specification criteria using the STAR
method – Situation, Task, Action, Result. CVs and cover letters are not accepted.

Application Deadline: Monday 15th January 2024, 11am. Invitations to interview
will be issued the afternoon/ evening of the 16th January.

Interviews to take place in person in Bath or online on:

• Thursday 18th January
• Tuesday 23rd January
• Wednesday 24th January

If you cannot make any of these dates please do apply and we will do our best to arrange a
mutually convenient interview time with you.

Bath and West Community Energy is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications
from individuals of all backgrounds. We look forward to seeing your application for
this unique and exciting opportunity.