Overview

Sustainability sits at the heart of the University’s Strategy 2020-2030. This is an exciting role in a thriving Sustainability Service that supports the University to deliver on these sustainability commitments. Through our strategic approach to sustainability, we draw on the diverse expertise of our students, staff and partners to collaborate in finding sustainable solutions to global challenges, and to maintain our position as world-leaders in sustainability.

As part our ambitious Climate Plan, our commitment to Achieving Sustainable Travel aims to reduce the impact of business and commuting travel. We aim to achieve and maintain a 50% reduction in emissions compared with 2018-19 levels whilst balancing our commitment to academic excellence.

We are looking for someone to work alongside the Business Travel Sponsor and Sustainable Travel Steering Group, as well as the wider University community, to support the delivery of the Business Travel element of the University of Leeds Sustainable Travel Programme. You will have excellent programme leadership skills, demonstrable experience in driving behaviour, policy, and institutional change and a holistic understanding of the nature and complexities of sustainable business travel.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  • Co-lead with colleagues at a senior level to influence and reduce business travel emissions at the University in line with our ambitious Climate Plan targets
  • As a key member of the Sustainable Travel Steering Group, provide programme leadership to the development of a Sustainable Business Travel Strategy with specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound objectives
  • Leading, developing and delivering key institutionally strategic sustainability programmes and projects on business travel, ensuring they contribute towards organisational change
  • Support the delivery of the Climate Plan by tracking, reporting and reducing our Scope 3 carbon emissions related to business travel
  • Identifying, establishing and maintaining effective working relationships and networks with colleagues and teams from across the schools, faculties and services within the University and key stakeholders within other institutions
  • Support and collaborate across the University community to deliver and engage across all strategic sustainability priorities, including the development and delivery of an ambitious Sustainability Strategy and plan
  • Working with colleagues across the Sustainability Service and the Sustainable Travel Steering Group to ensure alignment and collaboration with Commuting Travel strategies, as well as the other principles of the Climate Plan and our wider sustainability commitments
  • Oversee the activity of relevant project leads and ensure that delivery is informed by the latest science, and research, collaborating with academic colleagues and students utilising a ‘living lab’ approach where appropriate
  • Represent the Sustainability Service at the University, attending and hosting relevant cross-institutional working groups as appropriate and delivering engagement activities to influence institutional change

Qualifications and Skills

Essential:

  • Excellent knowledge and understanding of the holistic nature of sustainability and how this relates to complex institutional environments
  • Experience in identifying and leading sustainability programmes with input from multiple sources and disciplines, including collating, analysing and reporting data
  • A resilient leader with a track record of decision making, strategic thinking, creativity and innovation, working on your own initiative to identify solutions and lead action
  • Excellent skills in influencing, engaging and persuading with the ability to adapt communication and presentation styles to diverse stakeholder groups
  • Demonstrable success in working across boundaries to develop strong working relationships and networks internally, externally and at all levels of an organisation
  • Demonstrable behaviours in line with University values
  • Experience of leading change in sustainable travel

Desirable:

  • A degree or equivalent qualification/experience in a relevant subject area which may include membership of a relevant professional body
  • Experience of working in a Higher Education environment
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