Head of Climate Action and Sustainability

In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ. 

Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.

All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There’s also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23.

Sutton has declared a climate emergency and has ambitious plans for achieving net-zero carbon emissions. We know this will involve taking bold action in our own buildings and operations, but also working with our residents, business community and partners to inspire and encourage them to take action as well. 

We have five priority areas: making our air clean and safe; increasing our biodiversity and protecting our green spaces; achieving net-zero carbon emissions; minimising waste and moving to a circular economy; and tackling climate change. Leading a dedicated and enthusiastic team of six people, but working across the whole organisation and beyond at all levels, you’ll ensure we deliver our current Environment Strategy and maximise opportunities through funding and partnerships to take it to the next level. You’ll manage £6m of waste disposal contracts and the borough’s household recycling centre contract, driving waste minimisation and high contract performance. This role also manages risk and performance reporting for the Environment, Housing and Neighbourhoods directorate. 

This role is offered as a fixed term maternity cover for approximately 8-12 months, ideally from February 2022. 

As well as its ambitious remit tackling the climate emergency, the team is committed to ensuring that inclusion and diversity are actively promoted through its work. The successful candidate will bring their own contribution to leading both important agendas. 

This is a full-time role but we welcome applications from candidates who wish to job share or work flexibly e.g. compressed hours. 

You'll be part of the Environment and Community Safety management team and will have the opportunity to continue to grow your professional expertise and get involved in corporate, directorate and division initiatives. 

You’ll have proven leadership ability, experience at working collaboratively in partnership, be adept at working in a political environment and bring passion and commitment to driving our environmental ambitions further. 

A specific background in an environmental discipline is not required, although desirable for the role. Experience working strategically and on complex, challenging problems is more important. The team is committed to fostering inclusion and diversity and the successful candidate will bring their own contribution to leading this important agenda. 

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Car parking scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.