Low Carbon Fuels Technical Manager

We're looking for a Technical Manager to join our team!
We are looking for a highly motivated senior technical expert, with expert knowledge of sustainability, climate change, and renewable fuels, and proven experience of delivery and team management to join the Low Carbon Fuels (LCF) Delivery Unit as a Technical Manager.
This is the perfect opportunity to use your unique knowledge and experience to help deliver the UK’s climate change commitments., In tandem with the existing Low Carbon Fuels Technical Manager, you will provide leadership on technical and sustainability matters within the Unit, driving high standards for industry compliance and ensuring the effective use of evidence and data in the work of the Unit and the wider Low Carbon Fuels division. You will also play a key leadership role in the implementation of new policies such as the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate and the introduction of support for recycled carbon fuels (RCFs).
In this role you will lead and develop the Unit’s position as a centre of sustainability expertise through:
+ Determining fuel eligibility: You will be responsible for assessing applications for support for both new low carbon fuels, and new low carbon fuel production pathways to ensure that support is only provided to those fuels which meet the respective RTFO and SAF eligibility criteria. These determinations are critically important to the integrity of the scheme.
+ Validating carbon intensity claims: Under the SAF Mandate, fuels will receive support proportional to the greenhouse gas savings the fuels receive. You will be responsible for investigating and validating carbon intensity claims. This is critical to ensure that support is provided at a level consistent with the underlying legislation, and that the carbon savings delivered by the policies are accurately calculated.
+ Collaborative working: To ensure high-quality and timely decision-making, you will work flexibly and collaboratively with colleagues in the Delivery Unit. This involves quality-checking the work of technical G7s or SEOs, commissioning and reviewing outputs from technical consultants, and collaborating with compliance and assurance teams to support the Unit's success.
+ Wider engagement: Leading engagement across the Environment Strategy Directorate, government and with external stakeholders, including including low carbon fuel suppliers, international regulators and voluntary certification schemes, to ensure the successful operations of the RTFO and SAF Mandate schemes and promote collaboration on addressing technical and sustainability challenges.
+ Team leadership: As a senior member of the LCF Delivery Unit, you will set a clear direction for the team, empower colleagues to work effectively, and model inclusive behaviour. You will initially manage one SEO, with the potential to manage a second in the future.
+ Capacity building: Enhance the team's knowledge of key low-carbon fuel topics by providing and promoting relevant learning and development opportunities., A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance.
Travel to other DfT offices every 1-2 months, in particular the Hastings office where the majority of the team are based, will be required. There will also be a need for domestic and occasionally international travel for site visits, meetings or conferences up to 3-4 times a year.
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Leadership
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Working Together, We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:
+ An interview.
You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes., Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
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The ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge of renewable fuel feedstocks and production pathways, including biofuels, RFNBOs, power-to-liquid, and Recycled Carbon Fuels, along with a solid understanding of the RTFO and similar international schemes. They will have proven experience in conducting at least two of fuel life cycle assessments, feedstock assessments and carbon accounting. They will also have experience of strategic leadership and team management. Additionally, membership of a professional body, relevant chartership (such as CEnv or CEng), or a postgraduate qualification would be beneficial., Applicants should have an honours degree or equivalent qualification, in one of the following areas:
• Climate Science, Sustainability or Environmental Science.
• Science, engineering or related subject., + Extensive knowledge and professional experience relating to renewable fuel feedstocks, production pathways, including biofuels, RFNBOs power to liquid, and Recycled Carbon Fuels including knowledge of the RTFO and equivalent international schemes.
+ Relevant professional experience of compliance with environmental regulation and/or the operation of environmental/climate-based schemes
+ Experience of undertaking fuel life cycle assessments and/or feedstock assessments and carbon accounting.
+ Experience of making decisions or recommendations based on the best available evidence, even when the evidence is complex, incomplete or contradictory.
+ Experience of strategic leadership and managing teams.

As the UK’s low carbon transport fuels regulator, The LCF Delivery Unit is a world-leading centre of expertise on the environmental sustainability of low carbon fuels. The LCF Delivery Unit oversees the operation of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, (‘The RTFO’), which had a value of £ 2.7bn in 2022 and provided greenhouse gas savings of 7.18 million tonnes CO2e, equivalent to taking over 2.5 million cars off UK roads for the whole of 2022. The Delivery Unit will also deliver the UK’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate, the SAF Mandate which comes into force from 1 January 2025. You will play a critical role in helping to ensure the successful delivery of the ongoing the implementation and delivery of both the RTFO and the SAF Mandate. These flagship policies are two of the Government’s most important routes for reducing emissions from transport.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.
Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport