Description Directorate: The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences Grade: Grade 7 (£37,174 - £46,735) Contract Type: Full Time (1FTE), Fixed Term (Until 31st July 2025) Rewards and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday) for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University. Purpose of Role Decarbonising the UK’s largest industrial clusters will require a shift in education and workforce training to provide the skills needed to power industrial decarbonisation and reach net zero by 2050. The development of skills is not just limited to environmental and low carbon industries; all industry and businesses will have to develop the skills required to manage resources efficiently and reduce carbon emissions. The Skills Research Officer is responsible for leading on skills aspects of IDRIC’s portfolio as well as supporting IDRIC’s wide impact agenda. The post holder will build on outcomes of IDRIC’s skills research projects, engage with the wider skills and training community, and help to provide mechanisms to deliver an optimised and consistent UK-wide skills base for industrial decarbonisation. At this point in the project, much of the activity will focus on deriving additional impact from existing outcomes, through dissemination and engagement activities. The resultant outputs will help IDRIC to be recognised as the go-to centre of excellence on industrial decarbonisation, and position it as reliable source of research evidence needed to deliver the skills needed to support the delivery of four low-carbon clusters by 2030 and at least one fully net zero cluster by 2040. Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities Disseminate information on the UK’s current skills provision and interventions at a national, devolved and local level and create resources to signpost relevant parties to careers, training & skills development courses. Support the delivery of the annual IDRIC conference, ensuring that skills and ECR issues are reflected within the agenda and activities Produce/disseminate evidence-based skills briefings and consultation responses. Engage directly with skills representatives working in the net zero skills space to build and maintain a dynamic community (e.g. operators, manufacturers, contractors, skills boards, policymakers and training providers). Coordinate the ECRA (Early Career Researchers Academy) aimed at supporting IDRIC Early Career Researchers by organising initiatives and activities (e.g. training and networking opportunities) aimed at enhancing leadership, interdisciplinary skill development and professional development. Conceptualisation, planning, delivery and facilitation of meetings, workshops and other outward-facing IDRIC events. Ensure outputs meet requirements and quality standards, including through editing and reformatting of often complex concepts to ensure accessibility and relevance, and the preparation of summary documents and synthesis reports, impact case studies as needed Education, Qualifications & Experience Essential Postgraduate qualification (MSc or PhD) within a relevant field such as social sciences, physical sciences, environmental sciences or engineering or equivalent practical experience within the workplace. The ability to lead on and deliver targeted research and meta-analysis of data/information. Experience of networking with some of the following: industry, NGOs, government bodies, community groups and research institutions. Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to network and build up a solid base of trusted contacts. Excellent IT skills Excellent organisational skills to manage multiple work packages simultaneously. Desirable Experience of delivering the career and skills aims of an organisation through analysis and research. Experience in similar skills roles within Industry or higher education. Experience in decarbonisation or closely related area, particularly in industrial decarbonisation and with publication record. Experience of developing websites, external communications. Experience of writing policy briefs and reports. About IDRIC The decarbonisation of industrial clusters is of critical importance to the UK’s ambitions of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, as published in the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-decarbonisation-strategy). The Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), has been working with over 140 partners across academia, industry, government and other stakeholders to deliver the multidisciplinary research and innovation agenda needed to decarbonise UK industry. IDRIC’s research and innovation programme is delivered through a range of activities that enable industry-led, multidisciplinary research in the technologies needed to meet net zero targets (e.g. CCUS, Hydrogen, low carbon fuels, electrification, resource & energy efficiency, circular economy), as well as cross-cutting areas of systems technology, policy, economics, society and regulation. IDRIC connects and empowers the UK industrial decarbonisation community to deliver an impactful innovation hub for industrial decarbonisation. The establishment of IDRIC as the “one stop shop” for research and innovation, as well as knowledge exchange, regulation, policy and key skills will be beneficial across the industry sectors and clusters. IDRIC has funding from EPSRC to continue to deliver this multidisciplinary research and innovation centre and accelerate the net zero transition for hard to abate industrial sectors through to end July 2025. For more information, please visit www.idric.org About IDRIC’s Team The Skills Research Officer will work within IDRIC led by the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Champion and IDRIC Director Prof. Mercedes Maroto-Valer. The post holder will report to the Centre Manager, within a wider team of about ten, as well as closely working across all IDRIC partner organisations. How to Apply Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV Applications can be submitted until midnight on Tuesday 1st April 2025. We anticipate interviews to begin w/c 7th April 2025. At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community. Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all. Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/. We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.