Trainee Project Engineer Teddington, London, England
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About the job
Job summary
About OPSS
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of the regulation of construction products planned for 2022.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence
Further information can be found on our website here
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
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 recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
Job description
About the Team
The Energy Supply Team sits within the wider Energy & Product Enforcement Directorate. The Directorate is responsible for a range of environmental regulations, alongside product safety, and are developing a coordinated approach to product compliance. We are working towards providing a regulatory environment in which businesses have the confidence to invest and grow, and citizens and communities are accurately protected. We do this by taking a risk-based and proportionate approach to our activities and by operating under The Regulators’ Code.
Energy Supply has responsibility for legislation covering Gas and Electricity Meters and enforcement of legislation covering Heat Networks, Alternative Fuels Infrastructure, Fuel Labelling and Electric Vehicle Smart Charge Points. Energy Supply work with colleagues across BEIS to enable the infrastructure to reach the UK’s Net Zero targets.
About the Role
We are looking for a Trainee Project Engineer to support our metering work and provide technical support across the Energy Supply team.
Training and development will be provided where required with in the role training, specialised courses where applicable and learning opportunities through external stakeholder meetings and technical committee memberships.
You will support businesses to ensure compliance and consumer confidence in the accuracy of their utility meters. Further information can be found on our website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gas-and-electricity-meter-regulations
The post reports directly to the Senior Metering Engineer who reports to the Utilities Enforcement Manager, Energy Supply.
Some travel throughout the UK may be expected, therefore flexibility in your work patterns will be required.
Person specification
- Assisting the Senior Metering Engineer responsible for the coordination of the teams’ enforcement activities and the statistical sampling of gas and electricity meters, ensuring their continued compliance with legal requirements.
- Working with the team to audit Meter Test Stations and review their quality procedures, ensuring the validity of in-service testing results submitted to the Office.
- Researching new, innovative technologies which require appropriate metering to enable Net Zero targets.
- Provision of Technical, Legislative and Policy support to OPSS/BEIS colleagues, Other Government Departments/organisations, meter manufacturers, various industry groups/trade associations, energy suppliers, the Energy Ombudsman, Citizens Advice and members of the public.
- Liaising with manufacturers and trade organisations to prevent barriers to trade and ensuring UK manufacturers can take advantage of increased market opportunities.
- Working alongside the Assistant Director – Energy Supply and Utilities Enforcement Manager, providing technical and operational support to deliver the teams’ statutory responsibilities under primary legislation
Skills and Experience
- A Degree (or equivalent) in engineering or a related subject area is essential, with a keen interest in developing your metering knowledge and technical capabilities.
- Familiar with measurement techniques including traceability and measurement uncertainty.
- Able to communicate effectively at all levels within both Government and a variety of organisations in the utilities sector, including excellent presentation skills. Able to use standard Microsoft Office packages to produce reports and briefings that communicate sophisticated information clearly and concisely and being able to analyse conflicting technical data and make appropriate decisions and recommendations.
- You will work with colleagues and partners to deliver excellent customer service and will be proactive with the ability to take ownership and work without supervision.
- A willingness to undertake any training which may be vital.
Desirable - Skills, Experience & Qualifications
- Experience or specific knowledge of general utility metering, statistical sampling techniques and acceptability criteria.
- Knowledge of Quality Assurance Auditing and a technical background would be an advantage.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Applying Knowledge - framework here
Benefits
BEIS offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need (from September 2021, depending on how the public health guidance evolves).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to demonstrate how your skills, knowledge and experience match the requirements of the role detailed in the bullet points under the "key responsibilities" and the essential criteria detailed in the" skills and experience" sections of the job description.
Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour, technical and strength-based questions.
Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time.
Expected Timeline subject to change
Sift dates: w/c 6th March 2023
Interview dates: w/c 20th March 2023
Interview Location: MS Teams.
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustment
If a disabled person is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader, more information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that BEIS offers to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our candidate guidance document. A plain text version of the guidance is also available.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
BEIS does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
BEIS cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. BEIS holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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.
BEIS wants to be accessible for all, and this includes offering assistance to attend interviews. The offer is targeted toward those from a lower socio-economic background, or who struggle to cover the cost of attending an interview. Please see the attached guidance document at the bottom of this Civil Service Jobs advert. Embedded in the document on page 5, are 2 documents that must be completed and returned to the email addresses listed on the forms to claim an expenses payment. If you have any issues accessing these documents please contact us at [email protected]
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
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