Head of Sustainability Strategy and Insight

Are you a leader motivated to leave the right social, environmental and economic legacy? Sustainability has been at the heart of our business for the last 170 years and as we near the mid-point of our sector-leading 2030 sustainability strategy, ‘Now or Never’, focusing us on delivering Brilliant Buildings, a Better Planet and Building Lives there really is no better time to join us!

To help deliver against our ambitious plans, Willmott Dixon is looking to recruit a Head of Sustainability Strategy & Insight for 12 months. The role is based in our Head Office in Letchworth with hybrid agile working arrangements supported. This exciting role leads the delivery of environmental sustainability ambitions including to be a zero-carbon company without offsetting and to generate zero avoidable waste by 2030. The role will also lead on the company’s sustainability performance and compliance reporting (such as TCFD and CDP).

You will report to the National Head of Sustainability and join our Senior Leadership Team. Leading a multi-disciplinary team of sustainability professionals and working closely with our Head of Sustainability Operations, you will partner with both our Construction and Interiors businesses to deliver against ‘Now or Never’, engage customers and enthuse our people. You will be a self-starter and experienced team leader, who loves a challenge, is excited by data, and is able to work agilely in an empowered environment that values innovative thinking. You will be tenacious and be able to think strategically but be equally comfortable with the detail of defining and delivering tactical solutions. Strong communication and relationship management skills are essential, coupled with an ability to influence and deliver through others.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a highly motivated team of sustainability professionals.
• Collaborate with others in the sustainability team as well as senior leaders and project teams across functions and operational businesses to accelerate delivery of company targets, policies and customer requirements.
• Lead on sustainability performance reporting, improvement and verification.
• Identify, develop and implement carbon emissions as well as waste and water reduction initiatives in-line with company targets.
• Identify, develop and implement initiatives to support company and customer targets on Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain.
• Provide technical expertise and leadership across a range of sustainability topics with customers, framework partners, supply chain partners and internal teams (including carbon, waste, resource efficiency, biodiversity).
• Carry out research and development, identify opportunities, encourage innovation and improve transferability to increase efficiency and work-winning.

Requirements

Essential and Desirable Criteria

• Proven Experience of Building and leading high performance teams
• Successfully developing and delivering sustainability related initiatives/projects
• Building, improving and managing data collection and reporting systems
• Using data to drive performance improvement
• Educating others on issues surrounding environmental sustainability such as carbon and waste
• Working with and influencing senior stakeholders including customers and supply chain
• Developing and executing a customer focused approach which understands and meets their needs.
• Influencing and networking, speaking and profile raising with a range of stakeholders
• Ability to implement and execute strategy to form a coherent approach bringing others with you.

Essential:

• An excellent understanding and practical experience across a range of sustainability topics such as carbon and waste reduction
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex information in a simple manner.
• A high degree of energy and self-motivation with a track record of identifying, developing & implementing solutions.
• Able to demonstrate strong leadership and management skills across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Able to think strategically and understand detail
• Ability to inspire and motivate others.
• Able to use Microsoft suite of office programmes including Excel, Word, Outlook
• Minimum relevant level 4 qualification (HNC/NVQ4 etc)
• Valid driving licence
• Professional membership of a relevant body

Benefits

Willmott Dixon embraces diversity in the workplace and will consider flexible and agile working. We are a disability confident employer. Benefits: In return we reward our people generously with a competitive package that gives you flexible benefits to fit your lifestyle and priorities. This includes but is not limited to, an enhanced pension scheme, full / heavily discounted private medical, life assurance, incentive bonus and a car scheme which will make us a market leader in sustainable company travel. Applicable roles will benefit from a motoring expenditure allowance (MEA) and everyone can access a new generation of low carbon and electric cars via the Willmott Dixon run car leasing scheme.