Principal Energy Officer – Supply

Overview

We're looking for an experienced and commercially minded Principal Energy Officer – Supply to lead the operational and commercial management of energy and water supplies across Buckinghamshire Council's diverse property portfolio and traded energy services.

This is a key role within the Energy Management Team, responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of utility contracts, accurate billing and financial control, robust supplier performance management, and the integrity of energy and water data. You'll provide expert commercial and market insight, helping the Council manage risk, control costs, and make informed decisions in a constantly evolving energy market.

Working at the heart of the Council's utility management activities, you'll oversee a significant utility expenditure portfolio, support partner organisations and schools, and play a leading role in ensuring the Council receives best value from its energy and water arrangements.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is the unitary local authority for Buckinghamshire in Southeast England. Established in April 2020, it brought together the former county council and four district councils into a single organisation, providing and commissioning a wide range of public services for residents, communities, and businesses across the county.

You’ll be part of the Energy Management Team within Estates Management, a key function within the Corporate Property & Assets service and Communities Directorate. The team is responsible for managing energy consumption, utility procurement, and energy performance across the Council’s property portfolio and partner organisations. By working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, the team helps ensure that public buildings are operated efficiently, reliably, and cost-effectively, supporting the delivery of essential services and the long-term needs of the communities we serve.

About the role

As Principal Energy Officer – Supply, you will take the lead on the Council's energy and water supply portfolio, ensuring contracts, suppliers, billing arrangements, and financial processes are managed effectively and efficiently.

You will act as the Council's subject matter expert on utility supply matters, providing commercial advice and market intelligence to support strategic decision-making. The role combines contract management, financial oversight, supplier engagement, data management, and stakeholder support, offering significant variety and responsibility.

You will also support the delivery of traded utility services to schools and other partners, ensuring high standards of customer service, compliance, and value for money.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing energy and water supply contracts and supplier relationships, ensuring strong performance, compliance, and value for money.
• Leading the validation, reconciliation, and resolution of energy and water billing issues across the Council's estate.
• Developing and maintaining utility budgets and forecasts, monitoring expenditure and identifying emerging risks and opportunities.
• Managing the Council's utility metering portfolio and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of metering, billing, and consumption data.
• Providing specialist commercial advice on energy markets, regulatory developments, tariffs, industry charging mechanisms, and contractual arrangements.
• Overseeing Third Party Intermediaries (TPIs) and other external service providers supporting procurement and contract delivery.
• Managing utility debt and supporting effective recovery of outstanding costs through investigation and resolution of complex issues.
• Supporting procurement activities, including preparation of specifications, tender evaluations, contract awards, mobilisation, and ongoing performance management.
• Building effective relationships with finance teams, suppliers, schools, contractors, and other stakeholders to support accurate and efficient service delivery.
• Leading continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen processes, controls, reporting, and overall service performance.
• Providing line management, mentoring, and professional support to direct reports.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

• Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We're looking for a proactive and highly capable utility professional who combines strong commercial awareness with excellent analytical, financial, and stakeholder management skills.

You will be comfortable managing complex utility portfolios, interpreting technical and financial information, challenging suppliers where necessary, and driving improvements that deliver tangible benefits to the organisation.

You will bring:

• Significant experience in energy or utility supply management, ideally within a large and complex organisation.
• Strong knowledge of utility billing, metering, contracts, supplier management, and industry processes.
• Experience managing large utility budgets, expenditure monitoring, forecasting, and financial controls.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to investigate complex billing, consumption, and contractual issues and develop effective solutions.
• Strong understanding of energy market dynamics, industry developments, regulatory changes, and their impact on costs and service delivery.
• Experience managing supplier performance and resolving contractual, operational, and commercial issues.
• The ability to develop productive working relationships with internal stakeholders, schools, suppliers, and partner organisations.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage effectively at all levels.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes within deadlines.
• Experience supporting procurement and contract management activities.
• Advanced ICT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel and data analysis tools, with experience of energy management systems and reporting platforms.
• A collaborative approach, strong attention to detail, and a commitment to continuous improvement and service excellence.

Other information

For more information about this role, please contact Mark Doyle at ([email protected]) for an informal discussion.

Closing date: 23rd August 2026

Interview Date: TBC

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/