Overview
At New Forest District Council, we are committed to tackling the Climate Change and Nature Emergency and building a sustainable future for our communities, natural landscapes, and local economy. We’re looking for a highly skilled and passionate Climate and Sustainability Lead to join our team and help us turn this ambition into action.
You will be leading the Climate and Sustainability Team, setting out our strategy to deliver key outcomes in line with the NFDC Corporate Plan 2024-28 and Future New Forest transformation programme.
In this role you will take a strategic lead in developing a strong policy framework and supporting your team to deliver projects across our four existing Clime Change and Nature Emergency (CC&NE) programmes – Carbon Reduction, Climate Adaptation, Nature Recovery and Programme Management.
You will play a key role in embedding climate and sustainability across the organisation, monitoring progress and reporting internally and externally on a regular basis.
You will be working with colleagues from a range of council services and building relationships with external partners such as the New Forest National Park Authority, community groups and neighbouring local authorities.
Can you balance the priorities?
Within this role, you’ll be asked for your expert advice and guidance across a broad range of topics, including carbon management, planning policy, procurement and operational service delivery.
Understanding the challenges and opportunities within each area, evaluating value for money, and prioritising the team’s resources accordingly will be a central to the effective management of the Climate and Sustainability Team.
Your approach to assessing and balancing a range of priorities will be driven by data and collaboration, demonstrating an objective and well-informed view.
Adaptability and the ability to look at issues through both political and corporate lenses will be key to your success.
Can you run an effective and resilient team?
Providing assurance to political members, senior officers and stakeholders will be essential. We want to know that the actions the council is taking are efficient and effective, contributing to the achievement of our climate and wider organisational targets.
You will play an active role in ensuring good governance, creating team processes that are clear and measurable and reporting to governance and decision-making boards as required.
You will be able to demonstrate good budget management and use your previous experience to apply for internal and external funding opportunities. You will work closely with the council’s central services such as HR, health and safety and ICT to ensure that the members of your team are safe and well supported in their roles.
You will be expected to confidently manage the Climate and Sustainability Team on a day-to-day basis, communicating with the Service Manager for Public Realm and Sustainability regularly and escalating issues when needed.
About you:
You will have had experience in taking a leading role in a climate/sustainability team (or related field), preferably in a local authority setting.
You will have a high level of knowledge and skills across a broad range of climate and sustainability topics, for example current and future legislation, carbon reporting, climate adaptation measures and energy efficiency solutions.
You will have experience in budget and/or people management and embrace the policies and values of New Forest District Council.
You will be a confident communicator, producing reports and presentations that meet the council’s high standards, and able to give professional and engaging verbal updates to a range of audiences.
You will have experience in building and maintaining relationships with senior leaders, staff and stakeholders, with evidence of partnership working across organisations and sectors.
You can learn and adapt quickly within a large, complex and changing organisation, keeping a good perspective on your role and how best to deliver your objectives.
What’s in it for you?
- £51,530 – £54,793 per annum (with performance based progression up to £56,926) pay award pending
- 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (plus an additional 5 days after 5 years continuous local government service
- Local Government Pension Scheme and AVC provision
- Hybrid working
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Wide range of employee discounts at high street retailers, including supermarkets, stores, and restaurants
- A Cycle to Work scheme which could save you around 40 percent on cycles and accessories
About us
As one of the largest districts in the country, with 6 towns and a close relationship with neighbouring conurbations, the New Forest provides a supportive environment in which everyone who works for us can help drive our aims.
At NFDC we believe that all our employees make a valuable contribution to the work of the council and that’s why we encourage a trusting and open culture where each employee is supported and respected equally, where ideas are actively sought and self-development promoted. We also recognise the value of a highly motivated and engaged workforce and we actively promote a good work/life balance. We’re keen to support career development and help all colleagues to be the best they can be.
We are proud of our values, please watch this short video to find out more. LEAF Learning Empathy Ambition Fairness (youtube.com)
If you’re ambitious and passionate, are driven to deliver, and want to be part of our team, we welcome your application.
To view full details of what you can expect from working for NFDC and to view the full job description, please click on the candidate pack attached.
Click here to see why employees think that New Forest District Council is a great place to work: Working for NFDC
If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact: Roxanne King on 023 8028 5988 or email roxanne.king@nfdc.gov.uk
