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We are looking for a new Programme Manager for ClimateXChange, Scotland’s centre of expertise on climate change.

ClimateXChange delivers timely, rigorous research and analysis to support the Scottish Government in developing and implementing policies in support of securing a zero carbon and climate resilient Scotland.  

The Programme Manager is a critical post, managing the ClimateXChange secretariat and acting as the bridge between the demand for analysis and research on climate issues by policy and analytical staff across the Scottish Government and its supply from research providers.

The post-holder will lead the delivery of a new ClimateXChange programme, scheduled to run until March 2025. We will undergo a review in 2024 resulting in a possible two-year contract extension to 2027. 

Your skills and attributes for success 

  • Extensive experience and a strong track record of working in, or very closely with, Government and of managing research teams and outputs
  • Significant staff and budget management experience 
  • Experience of working in a knowledge brokerage role  
  • Project management skills  
  • Good knowledge of UK and Scottish climate change and related policy frameworks 
  • Excellent communication skills 

Working conditions

  • Salary: £57,696.00 – £64,914.00 per annum – a revised salary range for this grade of £61,198 to £75,498 is planned to take effect from Spring 2024
  • Fixed-term contract: Until March 2025, with a possible two-year contract extension to 2027 
  • Full time: 35 hours per week, however we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns 
  • Hybrid: We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working, on a non-contractual basis, which combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.

Key dates and application

For World Book Day on 7 March, we asked new members of the ClimateXChange team for book suggestions on environmental sustainability. Here are their suggestions.

Hope matters: Why changing the way we think is critical to solving the environmental crisis

Elin Kelsey discusses why hope, not fear, is the most powerful tool for tackling climate change. It reveals the collateral damage of despair and demonstrates how digital conservation is successfully helping scientists target specific problems. It shows how we can build on these positive trends and harness all our emotions about the changing environment into effective personal and political action.

Braiding sweet grass

Robin Wall Kimmerer tells stories of her encounters with nature and teaching students. She does this from the enlightening perspective of being a member of an indigenous community in North America but working as a Botany professor in a mainstream Western university. The book educates about ecosystems, inspires care for nature and addresses the fundamental disconnect between western society and the environment.

What happened when we all stopped

Tom Rivett-Carnac and Bee Rivett-Carnac tell the educational, yet poetic, story of what happened when millions of people around the world sheltered at home during the lockdown periods of the Covid-19 pandemic. Examples include smog melting away, birds singing and waters running clear. It is a relatable children’s and adults’ book, which combines honest sadness about the condition of nature, with brave, gentle hope that human action can help improve it. A narration by Jane Goodall is available as a TED-Ed animation.

Our online lunchtime webinar will equip participants with knowledge and best practice tips to write successful bids tailored to meet the specific requirements of ClimateXChange research projects.

We invite researchers from academia and consultancies interested in conducting our projects to attend. 

Anne Marte Bergseng, Project Manager for climate resilience and social change at ClimateXChange, will guide attendees through the elements of a typical ClimateXChange research call and offer insights on how to submit a successful bid. There will also be an opportunity to ask general questions but please note that questions around specific invitations to quote cannot be discussed, due to public procurement guidelines.

We intend to record the presentation and make it available on YouTube following the event. Questions and answers after the presentation will not be included in the recording.

The event will be held on Thursday 29 February 13:00 to 14:00.

Register on MS Teams

Enhancing proposals for ClimateXChange research projects, Webinar on 29 February 2024 at 1pm

Dr Kate Donovan joins ClimateXChange as our new Director of Policy, taking over from Professor Dave Reay. She brings research expertise in the area of climate risk and adaptation, and policy connections through membership of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, Scotland’s highest level science advisory body.

Dr Donovan is a Senior Lecturer in Climate Risk and Resilience, teaching on the MSc in Carbon Management and Co-Director of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to working at the University of Edinburgh, she was a Hazard and Risk Engineer at the National Water and Atmospheric Research Institute in New Zealand, where she co-managed a national risk tool project and led an international development project on adapting risk assessment tools for the Pacific Island Countries.

"I am excited to be taking on this new role with the CXC team, they are critical in our fight towards climate resilience, spanning science and policy to deliver evidence for key decisions within government." Dr Kate Donovan

To tackle the climate emergency, countries and their people need to transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

While some of the changes necessary to achieve net zero can create jobs and help save money, others might incur costs and lead to job losses. Impacts, both positive and negative, will be different for different people in different geographies across Scotland.

So, it is important to ensure that the country transitions to net zero in a way that is fair to everyone: a just transition to net zero.

Through ClimateXChange, researchers are working with policy teams from the Scottish Government to look into these issues and make sure that the best evidence informs policymaking for a just transition.

Earlier this month, nearly 150 people from government, academia and consultancies attended our event ‘ClimateXChange showcase: Evidence for a just transition’ to hear about findings from our recent projects in areas such as energy, agriculture and transport.

The presentations and honest conversations highlighted the complexity of the issue and all the challenges that we are facing in Scotland, and explored ways to achieve it.

Evidence for a just transition

We had presentations on a range of topics and from key Scottish Government stakeholders, our research community and the ClimateXChange secretariat.

The research we discussed included:

  • deliberative work with the public on perceptions around who should pay for a just transition
  • placemaking and a just transition
  • lessons from the Scottish islands on zero direct emissions heating
  • the importance of an integrated approach across institutions land uses and the rural economy in agriculture and land use
  • developing an understanding of the net zero and climate adaptation economy of Scotland to inform policy impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation.

Links to the slides are available at the bottom of this page.

The value of collaboration

The event highlighted that achieving a just transition will require more interdisciplinary research, with for instance economists, social scientists and climate scientists working together, and we need to take in diverse perspectives from communities and businesses. 

We need people working together across boundaries that are now silos, to identify a way through the complexity of achieving a just transition.

The level of engagement at the event demonstrated that there is a community ready to work together and discuss how to come towards a solution and enable rapid decision making.

Next steps

The Scottish Government have described the outcomes they want to achieve with regard to a just transition to net zero and are continuing to develop their understanding of the complexity of the challenge.

The next step is to further develop our understanding of the pathways to achieving these outcomes; describing what all the different stakeholders need to do, so that we can start to understand and monitor where we are on that journey. 

I’m hugely excited that ClimateXChange will keep bringing experts together with policymakers through networking, dialogue and relationships, so that we can help the Scottish Government to identify solutions and make decisions. This also involves supporting government in identifying the right policy questions, the right researchers to conduct the work and getting the right research done.

The outcomes Scotland set itself of achieving a just transition to net zero are big, bold and brave. If, by this time next year, we achieve more certainty about the pathway to these outcomes, then we will have had a success, and that’s what we need to focus on.

The work that we showcased at the event gave a great insight to the challenge that lies ahead, and it is a journey that we need to continue. 

Related links

Just transition: A fairer, greener Scotland – Scottish Government response

Final report executive summary from the 1st Just Transition Commission

ClimateXChange projects

Working with ClimateXChange

Slides

Context and overview, Pete Smith

Scotland’s just transition agenda, Colin Seditas, Scottish Government

Who pays for a just transition?, Nathalie Lodhi, Scottish Government and Ciaran Mulholland, IPSOS

Placemaking and a just transition, Anne Marte Bergseng, ClimateXChange; Kathryn Colley, James Hutton Institute and James Burns; Ansons 

Zero emissions heating in new buildings across Scottish islands, Freya Burns, Changeworks 

Skills and a just transition, Dave Reay, ClimateXChange 

Land use and a just transition, Sarah Govan, ClimateXChange 

Evidence for opportunities in Scotland’s net zero and adaptation economy, Stefanie O’Gorman, Ramboll and Lucy Geoghegan, Scottish Government

In this video, our Policy Director, Professor Dave Reay, gives context about why it is important to tackle methane emissions and what might be discussed at COP28 with regard to outcomes and actions in relation to the gas.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide for the warming it has caused, contributing both to global warming and poor air quality, and subsequently impacting human health.

There are several challenges to reduce its emissions though, as explained by Professor Reay in the video.

In this video, Professor Dave Reay talks about what he expects from COP28 with regard to commitments from countries around the world that may keep the hope of limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. This would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change, as stated in the Paris Agreement.

Professor Reay considers this to be the most important COP since Paris because it is the first global stocktake on what nations need to do to reach the Paris climate goals.

He speaks about the goals countries should be aiming for:

  • Tripling renewable energy capacity
  • Doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements
  • A substantive loss and damage fund
  • A global methane pledge

Related links

The Paris Agreement 

COP28 

Professor Dave Reay to co-lead just transition body

Successes and failures of COP27

On 2 November we hosted a lunchtime webinar on crafting successful research proposals tailored to meet the specific needs of the Scottish Government.

ClimateXChange is funded by the Scottish Government and commissions and manages research in response to calls for evidence from policy teams. 

This pilot event was designed to equip participants from academia and consultancies with the knowledge and best practice for writing proposals for ClimateXChange projects.  

Dr Sarah Govan, Project Manager for climate and land use at ClimateXChange, guided attendees through the elements of a research call and offered insights on how to produce a winning bid. This blog explains what was discussed at the event. For a summary, please see the slides under Related links.

Understanding the research specification and the policy environment 

We expect research proposals to clearly demonstrate that bidders understand the aim of the project and how their work will address it.  

This goes beyond copying the text from the project specification and should be written in your own words.  

Good proposals include relevant Scottish policy context and policy development timelines, with an understanding of research and evidence needs stemming from those. Furthermore, proposals should include information on the cross-sectoral nature of the project. 

Research methodology 

Tell us what you are going to do to answer the policy questions and how you are going to do it. 

Explain your robust methodology in plain English, stating what the outputs will be for each stage. Describe the steps of data collection and analysis, and the rationale for choosing particular types of evidence.  

It is very important to honestly address both strengths and weaknesses as well as gaps of the approach you will take to conduct the work.  

This section is an opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of the policy audience for this work by not using technical terminology or acronyms, given that people who are not experts in this area may not be familiar with them. 

If you list academic references, clearly state how they relate to the specification. The panel who will assess the bids want to know exactly what you know about relevant work in the area. References to research papers are not usually helpful in a proposal of this type.  

Project management and staff resource 

This section is where you tell us who will be doing what, when and how everyone will work together to deliver the whole project.  

Introduce the team that will deliver this project. This is more than just their CVs – we want to know how their expertise meets the project requirements. You will want to put forward a strong project team and demonstrate why this team will deliver this project, rather than relying on reputation.  

Bidders are also expected to allocate staff to each task and analytical step, and to ensure that the named team members will be available to conduct the work. 

We need to know who will be the contact person should we work with you, so please name them in the proposal and describe how they will be involved throughout the project.  

In this section you should also reference compliance issues such as GDPR and, if there aren’t any issues, explain why that is the case. 

Communication and report writing 

ClimateXChange reports will be read by very knowledgeable people in the Scottish Government, but they might not be experts in your area of work. Therefore, the language you use in the reports will need to consider that. In this section you should show how you will communicate clearly with policy teams. 

Describe the approach you will use in writing this particular report. It is important to respond to the specification, but not repeat it; copying the specification does not tell us how you will approach the reporting process and will lose marks. 

Explain the process for delivering outputs, including quality assessment processes.  

You are encouraged to link to your previous work, in particular to reports written for a policy audience. However, links are not enough; you should explain the role of specific team members in producing those outputs or publications and how they are relevant for this work. 

Detail the process for developing and added value of planned visualisations and presentations – this is often missing from proposals. And detail specific data management tasks and their related costs.   

Quality assurance and risk mitigation 

We all know things can go wrong, despite careful planning. This section is here to demonstrate that you have anticipated the key risks, thought about how to minimise their likelihood and that you have a plan to reduce the potential impact on project delivery. 

Detail your approach to quality assurance, demonstrating checks and balances, and addressing issues. QA should be done throughout the project and we would like to know who will be responsible for checking quality at different stages as well as the final report.  

Do not rely on a single person for this, as we can all become text blind after a while looking at the same report. 

List risks at each stage of the project, tailored to this specific project. Demonstrate an understanding of risk of staffing and data accessibility, for instance whether you will need a data sharing agreement.  

Show that the project plan takes account of all of those risks. It is very useful to show us a risk mitigation matrix, including a description of each risk, how likely it is, the impact it will have, how you will mitigate it and respond to it. 

Sign up  

We commission more than 30 projects each year responding to Scottish Government requests. Keep an eye on our website and subscribe to our emails to make sure you receive our latest invitations to quote, calling researchers to work with us. 

We will guide successful bidders in planning their work to meet policy timelines. Outputs from projects will support the Scottish Government as it develops policies on adapting to the changing climate and transitioning to net zero.  

Unfortunately we are unable to share an example of a successful bid, as this would risk the commercial confidentiality of the successful bidder. We do recommend that you look at our most recent completed projects, which will give you an idea of the outputs we are working towards. For examples, you may want to look at the structure and content of the reports under Related links below. 

Related links 

Event slides 

Establishing an agricultural knowledge and innovation system 

The potential for an agroecological approach in Scotland: policy brief 

Working with us 

Subscription to newsletter and/or invitations to quote 

ClimateXChange newsletter 

Join us for this pilot event designed to equip participants with the knowledge and best practice for writing successful research proposals tailored to meet the specific needs of the Scottish Government. 

Dr Sarah Govan, Project Manager for climate and land use at ClimateXChange, will guide attendees through the elements of a research call and offer insights on how to produce a winning bid.  

Please note that the event is not meant to answer questions about specific invitations to quote.

Title: Enhancing proposals for ClimateXChange research projects

When: 2 November, 1-2pm

Where: Online

Registration: Teams webinar 

Target audience 

This event is relevant to researchers from academia and consultancies interested in conducting research projects with ClimateXChange, in response to Scottish Government’s requests.  

About ClimateXChange 

ClimateXChange commissions research and analysis to support the Scottish Government as it develops policies on adapting to the changing climate and transitioning to net zero.  

One of our primary funding mechanisms is through research calls aimed at addressing specific questions from the Scottish Government via open procurement. We issue research calls several times a year and run about 40 projects annually.  

For further information please visit our Working with us page

Professor Dave Reay and Satwat Rehman have been appointed as co-chairs of Scotland’s Just Transition Commission, an independent advisory body advising on a fair move to a low-carbon economy.

They will succeed Professor Jim Skea, who led the Commission since its inception in 2019 but stepped down this month following his election to chair the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Professor Dave Reay will combine his new role as co-chair of the Commission with his work leading the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute and as Policy Director of ClimateXChange. Satwat Rehman is the Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland and has been a member of the Commission since 2022.

Advisory body

The independent expert advisory group advises the Scottish Government on how the country can achieve a carbon neutral economy fairly. It aims to make sure the benefits and burdens caused by major changes are shared as fairly as possible.

Members are drawn from industry, business and finance, trade unions, environmental and community groups, and academia. They provide expert scrutiny and advice on a series of just transition plans that cover different regions and sectors of Scotland’s economy.

The Commission aims to make sure the benefits and burdens of the major changes involved in Scotland’s net zero transition are shared as fairly as possible.

The Just Transition Commission’s remit is to scrutinise the development of just transition plans led by the Scottish Government; advise on the best approach to monitoring and evaluating a just transition; and engage with people most likely to be impacted by the transition.

Professor Dave Reay said: “It is such an honour to be asked to co-chair the Just Transition Commission. In the years since its inception it has been a guiding light for climate action locally, nationally and internationally too. As Scotland, and the whole world, faces increasingly stark choices on how to realise a fair and resilient transition to net zero, the Commission’s work has never been more important.”

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