Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Assistant Principal Officer

The Courts Service of Ireland • Dublin • 12h ago

THE ROLE

The key purpose of this role is to enable the Courts Service to meet its 2030 energy efficiency and decarbonisation targets in a planned and resource efficient way and to deliver the broader range of technical actions set out in the Climate Action Mandate. An additional AP within the Climate Action Unit will be responsible for the non-technical elements of the mandate and both APs will work closely together to progress action.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will develop a detailed knowledge of Courts Service venues and leverage their technical expertise on energy management to lead their team and maintain the strategic direction of the unit. This will include a focus not only on Ireland’s 2030 targets for the public sector but also emerging EU legislation, national deep retrofit aspirations and climate goals to 2050. They will be responsible for active energy management of the estate, for identifying projects required to achieve targets and for delivering those targets, for annual reporting, for production of the annual Gap to Target updates and publication of the Courts Service Climate Action Roadmap. They will manage and develop their team ensuring continual upskilling in this rapidly changing environment.

Key Responsibilities

As an Assistant Principal (AP) within the expanding Sustainability Unit, the Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will report to and support their Principal Officer (PO) and closely collaborate with other APs within their section in delivery of unit objectives, and across the organisation in delivery of wider Courts Service goals. They will be responsible for leading a team of both technical and admin staff, recruiting training and providing support and guidance and prioritising work to ensure delivery of the unit objectives. They will work closely with and report to the designated Courts Service Energy Performance Officer and the Climate and Sustainability Champion.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for review of all Climate Action Plans, Climate Action Mandates for public bodies, European and Irish climate legislation and other industry trends. They will be responsible for assessing the impact on the Courts Service of the above and reporting same to their PO and the Senior Management Team and more broadly across organisation as required. In particular, they are responsible for identifying, quantifying and reporting any gaps between the current situation and the mandate, and working with stakeholders to become compliant.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for the production and publication of the annual Climate Action Roadmap, including managing the delivery program to meet publication deadlines, engaging with relevant sections for timely input, completing the annual Gap-to-target analysis, writing the roadmap update, liaising with our Communication and Media Unit and presentation to SMT and other stakeholders. They are responsible for ensuring that the range and timing of project delivery within the Roadmap is realistic, and incorporated in multiannual funding and delivery supports, identifying and communicating risks and gaps at every iteration.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for all elements of the annual reporting requirements per SEAI Monitoring & Reporting (M&R) requirements for Public Bodies and keeping informed and compliant with all aspects and timelines of the programme. They will be responsible for the annual Comply or explain input, working in cooperation with the Climate and Sustainability Champion. They will be responsible for ensuring all deadlines are met, will drive continuous improvement in information collation, and will ensure that progress to all targets is maintained.

The Courts Service is currently working towards certification to a ISO50001 energy management standard, as required per the Climate Action Mandate. The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will continually drive our energy management programme towards alignment with ISO50001 and will work collaboratives across the organisation to maintain progress towards certification.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for the ongoing review of existing and emerging energy legislation to assess applicability to the Courts Service estate, identifying and closing gaps, communicating to other colleagues and for maintaining ongoing compliance with all requirements.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will lead the ongoing monitoring and measurement of energy consumption and carbon generation across the Courts Service estate, developing a deep understanding of the different situations in each building, developing a multiannual plan to continually improve oversight, document and rapidly address any divergence from norm or goals. They will identify opportunities for improvements and prioritise them using an evidence-based methodology. They will manage and progress the use of technological solutions to energy oversight, including BMS oversight and App deployment. The will engage with internal ICT and other stakeholders for delivery of programmes towards greater monitoring and measurement.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for maintaining key internal energy documentation such as energy database, register of opportunities, asset register, compliance registers etc as well as external requirements such as building stock plan etc.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for management of a multiannual investment programs including project prioritisation based on documented consumption, evidence-based benefits analysis, developing business cases, procurement, delivery, quality control and snagging, financial management, reporting, and post-project analysis. They will be responsible for management of our consultant and contractor frameworks, governance and financial oversight and ensuring continuity at contract renewal. An increase in delivery of energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects using multiple delivery routes is viewed as essential to achieving targets.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible or management of our contractor frameworks, governance and financial oversight and ensuring continuity at contract renewal. They will also manage our internal consultant framework in cooperation with their colleagues across the estates section. They will be responsible for familiarising themselves with all other procurement mechanisms (OPW, EPC, OGP, LGOPC etc), as well as researching new opportunities, in order ensure full expenditure of their budget.

The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for all elements of their budget including funding requests and estimates, business cases, researching external funding opportunities, invoicing and oversight while maintaining robust records; they will manage the resourcing of their section to achieve the stated goals.

This role involves a significant level of reporting and presentation - to the Senior Management Team, the Board, Building Committee, internal groups, Department of Justice, SEAI, broader sectoral groups and others. The Head of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation will be responsible for all internal and external communication relating to their section, including developing the required content for all reports, presentations, quarterly and annual reports, KPIs, FOIs, PQs. strategic inputs, articles, campaigns etc. They will be responsible for engaging with the SEAI, the OPW and other relevant bodies on behalf of the Courts Service and availing of relevant support schemes e.g. Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme, SEAI Partnership supports and OPWs Optimising Power @ Work scheme. As such, a key requirement of the role is excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Note, the above is intended as a guide and is neither definitive nor restrictive.

While this role is Dublin based, you must be willing to travel within Ireland on a regular basis to develop a detailed knowledge of our estates, to identify and progress projects and support sustainability on site. You must hold a full Irish driving licence and a willingness to travel.
Continuous upskilling is an important part of this Climate action requirements and regulations, alternative technologies and the energy market are constantly developing. The Courts Service expects that the successful candidate will keep up to date in these and other relevant areas.

Requirements:

Essential

Degree in a relevant energy management, engineering or building services.
Qualification and current registration as a Certified Energy Manager.
Minimum 10 years post qualification experience in designing or managing energy systems or consumption in buildings.
A strong track record in delivering medium to large scale energy efficiency and decarbonisation projectswithin buildings.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, influencing, organisational and project management skills.

Highly Desirable

A post-graduate qualification in a relevant discipline.
Experience in public sector climate action, energy management or monitoring and reporting.
Chartered status with Engineers Ireland, CIBSE or similar.

Desirable

Experience of delivering projects in estates that comprise a significant number of listed buildings/protected structures.
Direct construction experience.
SEAI registered energy auditor or non-domestic BER assessor.
Knowledge of CAD, BIM or project management tool.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application should be made by logging into the advertisement link.

The closing date is 12noon on 24th September 2026. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be accepted.