This placement offers a valuable opportunity to apply academic knowledge in a real-world sustainability context, gaining hands-on experience in emissions reporting and environmental performance analysis.

Closing date: 10/03/2025
Start date: April 2025
Working hours: full-time, flexible
Duration: 5 months
Working pattern: hybrid
Wage: Real Living Wage (Tax and NI exempt for first 12 weeks)
Location: Holyrood, 1 Horse Wynd EH99 1SP

The Organisation

The Scottish Parliament plays a vital role in Scotland’s governance. Its key functions include holding the Scottish Government to account, making laws, and debating issues of public importance.

Behind the scenes, the Scottish Parliamentary Service provides politically impartial support to facilitate these processes. It also manages essential services, including maintaining the parliamentary estate, procuring goods and services, and ensuring the smooth operation of the Parliament.

The Scottish Parliament accommodates approximately 1,200 building users, including:

129 elected Members (MSPs) and their staff
Around 500 Scottish Parliamentary Service employees
Scottish Government staff, contractors, and media personnel
Around 300,000 visitors annually

Responsibility for providing accommodation, staff, and services to the Parliament lies with the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), a committee of Members chaired by the Presiding Officer. Day-to-day operations are overseen by the Clerk/Chief Executive, who leads the Scottish Parliamentary Service.

The SPCB is committed to sustainability, continuously working to improve its environmental performance. Our targets include a 66% reduction in carbon emissions by 2026 and achieving Net Zero by 2038. Since 2020/21, we have been tracking Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions (as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol) to identify and mitigate high-impact activities.

This placement offers a unique opportunity for a student to gain first-hand experience of sustainability work within a parliamentary setting.

The Role

As part of our duty under section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Parliament must measure, report, and reduce emissions.

The main purpose of this placement is to calculate emissions associated with the Parliament’s operations, including Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions (covering value chain emissions such as suppliers, contracts, and third-party spend) for the financial year 2024-25. While established procedures exist for carbon footprint calculations, this placement provides scope to review and refine these processes.

The role involves engaging with various teams—including Procurement, Allowances, Facilities, Sustainability, and contract managers—to streamline data collection and improve efficiency.

Key Tasks:

Collect and input Scope 1 (gas and diesel) data into the carbon footprint spreadsheet
Collect and input Scope 2 (electricity) data into the carbon footprint spreadsheet
Calculate Scope 3 emissions, including supply chain, travel, waste, and water consumption
Update the Scottish Parliament Value Chain Emissions Module with 2024/25 spend and item data
Calculate emissions for:

MSP constituency offices

Business travel

Commuter travel (using survey data from staff, MSPs, and contractors)

Waste production

Water consumption

Identify opportunities for data cleansing and process improvement
Analyse data and present findings in line with previous Annual Sustainable Development Reports
Update data collection procedures for future work
Input data into the Scottish Government public sector reporting template
Contribute to sections of the Annual Sustainable Development Report
Assist in defining requirements for automated data collection

The Candidate

The ideal candidate will have:

A degree (or working towards one) in climate change, environmental science, sustainable development, or a related discipline; alternatively, a background in data analysis or accountancy
Knowledge of sustainability, climate change, and carbon accounting (including the Greenhouse Gas Protocol)
Strong analytical and data management skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
Excellent research, investigative, and problem-solving skills
Strong report writing and presentation skills
The ability to work independently and manage tasks proactively
Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills

Application Procedure

Apply via the Bright Green Business web link provided and click on the APPLY button. You will need to register in order to upload your CV and Cover Letter as your application. Please note that CV and Cover letter will need to be uploaded as ONE document.

Note:

All communication is via EMAIL so always check your JUNK MAIL/SPAM folders for our responses.

Important

a) You must be eligible to work in the U.K. for the full length of your placement. Valid Visa will be sought.

b) You must available the full length of your placement and be able to travel to the location

c) We will hold your application on our systems for 6 months from submission. This ensures your application can be considered for relevant roles where appropriate. If you would prefer us not to store your information for this period, please inform us.

We do endeavour to let all applicants know of the outcome once the whole process has been finalised.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy, and maternity.

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