Sustainability Specialist

Job summary

Can you support delivery of flagship low carbon fuel policies through technical analysis, coordination, and stakeholder engagement?

Do you have a passion for sustainable fuels and the skills to help regulate complex, high-impact schemes?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

We are looking for a highly motivated sustainability specialist, with knowledge of sustainability, climate change, and renewable fuels, to join the Low Carbon Fuels (LCF) Delivery Unit as a Sustainability Specialist.

Climate change is one of the biggest and most pressing challenges facing Governments across the world. In this role you will be at the heart of the Department’s strategy to accelerate the shift to greener transport, and drive more sustainable travel behaviours, to ensure that transport plays its part in meeting this challenge. The Environment Strategy directorate leads on policy to move the nation’s transport onto a more sustainable footing while maximising the economic opportunities for the UK.

The Directorate's teams direct and deliver UK-wide policies and programmes, of which low carbon fuels – such as those for road vehicles and aircraft – are a core part of the department's strategic approach to decarbonising transport.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensionshere

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday

• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As the UK’s renewable 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 (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 also delivers the UK’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate, which came into force in 1 January 2025.

You will play a critical role in helping to ensure the successful 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.

This is a challenging and exciting area of work, combining technical knowledge associated with low carbon fuels and controversy with a strong international dimension. Biofuels and other low carbon alternatives to petrol, diesel, and kerosene are key technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport.

Key responsibilities of this role include:

• Support in the delivery of technical projects. Work collaboratively with colleagues in the Low Carbon Fuels policy teams supporting delivery by taking on defined tasks such as research, reviewing life cycle assessments, or drafting technical content, helping to keep the project moving forward.
• Support the effective operation of the RTFO and SAF Mandate schemes. Assist in managing team inboxes, triaging queries from industry, and ensuring that stakeholder questions are allocated and resolved efficiently.
• Contribute to technical Support colleagues in reviewing standard low carbon fuel pathways and sustainability evidence, developing your understanding of lifecycle assessment (LCA) and scheme requirements.
• Assist in stakeholder communication. Provide accurate information and process advice to fuel suppliers and other external stakeholders including international regulators, technical support partners and other relevant organisations, helping them to understand the application and verification processes and addressing emerging challenges to the sustainability and integrity of the scheme, ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of low carbon fuels regulation.
• Coordinate administrative processes. Maintain records of queries and feedstock assessments, ensuring documentation is up to date and accessible to the team.
• Develop knowledge and Work closely with technical managers to build understanding of low carbon fuel feedstocks, production processes and eligibility criteria.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

You will need to be able to demonstrate the following:

• Degree in Engineering, Science or Environmental Science, and/or relevant professional experience.
• Knowledge of sustainable aviation fuels/biofuels/low carbon fuels and/or life cycle analysis/carbon accounting.
• Experience of supporting technical projects or workstreams, including coordinating tasks, tracking progress, or maintaining records to help ensure timely delivery.
• Experience of communicating information clearly and professionally to a range of stakeholders.
• Experience of gathering and organising evidence to inform recommendations or decisions, demonstrating attention to detail when interpreting technical information.

Additional Information

There may also be some other travel involved to attend meetings across the UK including at our Hastings office where a significant proportion of the team are based this could occur 4-5 times a year and may include overnight stays.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 22 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Visa Sponsorship

DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Science and Engineering Framework - Applying Knowledge
• Science and Engineering Framework - Engagement with others
• Science and Engineering Framework - Technical Adaptability

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,663, Department for Transport contributes £10,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

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.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement.

Stage 2: Interview and presentation.

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited word count) and personal statement (1000 words). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:

• Degree in Engineering, Science or Environmental Science, and/or relevant professional experience.
• Knowledge of sustainable aviation fuels/biofuels/low carbon fuels and/or life cycle analysis/carbon accounting.
• Experience of supporting technical projects or workstreams, including coordinating tasks, tracking progress, or maintaining records to help ensure timely delivery.
• Experience of communicating information clearly and professionally to a range of stakeholders.

The sift will take place from the 09th February 2026.

Stage 2: Interview and presentation.

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

1. Behaviours - Communicating and Influencing, Working Together.
2. Experience
3. Technical - Science and EngineeringCareer Framework

You will also be required to deliver a presentation that assess your technical capability. Further details will be provided if successful at sift.

The interviews will take online via MS Teams from the 02nd March 2026. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a 12 month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.

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.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public.

Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture.

If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 theCivil 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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Elliot Morgan
• Email : elliot.morgan@dft.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 184kB)