Sustainability Manager in Cheshire, Crewe

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Sustainability Manager to be the dedicated sustainability lead on the new Leighton Hospital in Crewe. We are delivering the hospital for Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust through Integrated Health Projects (IHP), our joint venture with VINCI Building. It is part of the New Hospital Programme and is being designed using the Hospital 2.0 approach. You will join while the design is developing and take the project through procurement and into construction, with building work due to start in 2028.

Job Purpose

The Sustainability Manager is responsible for delivering the company's sustainability and environmental ambitions on the project, and for making sure the new hospital meets the NHS Net Zero Building Standard. You will put our Sustainable Engineering Excellence strategy (carbon, circularity and social impact) and the Trust's sustainability requirements into practice, giving expert guidance to the project, design, commercial and operational teams. The Standard sets the hospital an upfront embodied carbon limit and an operational energy target, and compliance has to be evidenced at every stage. You will carry those requirements through design, write them into procurement, and see them delivered on site and proven after handover. You will also lead on BREEAM, circular economy, biodiversity and ISO 14001 environmental management, and build sustainability capability across the project team and supply chain.

What you'll do

• Lead the project's sustainability strategy through design, procurement and construction, working closely with the Trust, our IHP partners, the design team and project leadership.
• Own delivery of the NHS Net Zero Building Standard: manage the compliance matrix and NHS compliance tools, and make sure the evidence is in place at each stage, from design through to handover and in-use reporting.
• Own delivery of BREEAM UK New Construction (Excellent) with the BREEAM Assessor: protect and grow the credit margin, recover credits where possible, and make sure evidence is planned, captured and tracked from design to post-construction certification.
• Lead whole life carbon on the project: keep the design within the Standard's upfront embodied carbon limit, develop the assessment to the RICS standard in line with our PAS 2080 management system, and test lower carbon options for structure, façade and building services, supported by our Carbon Manager.
• Support the design team to meet the Standard's operational energy target, including fossil-fuel-free heating, energy modelling and on-site renewables, so the hospital performs as designed.
• Drive circularity: pre-demolition audits, reuse of materials, the Resource Management Plan, and waste reduction targets and reporting.
• Embed sustainability and environmental requirements, including the Standard's carbon and energy requirements, into design responsibilities, procurement packages and subcontract enquiries, and review supply chain submissions against them.
• Implement the CMS and ISO 14001 on site: environmental risks, consents, ecology, monitoring and Build Sure sustainability audits.
• Work with our Social Value team to deliver the project's employment, skills, education and community commitments with local partners in Crewe and Cheshire East.
• Produce accurate monthly sustainability reporting for the Trust and for company performance reporting.
• Train and upskill project staff and supply chain partners through inductions, toolbox talks and briefings.

Your profile

Essential

• Member of a relevant professional body (ISEP or CIOB), working towards Chartered status.
• Experience of providing technical sustainability support to complex construction projects, ideally healthcare or other highly serviced buildings.
• Working knowledge of the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, or a comparable net zero building standard, and what it takes to evidence compliance through design, procurement and construction.
• Detailed working knowledge of BREEAM New Construction through design and construction, including credit management and evidence.
• Experience of embodied and whole life carbon assessment (e.g. One Click LCA), including working to a fixed carbon limit, and of carbon reduction under PAS 2080.
• Experience of embedding environmental and sustainability requirements into design and procurement information.
• Experience of waste reduction and circular economy on construction sites.
• Excellent knowledge of environmental legislation, ISO 14001 and control measures in a construction environment.
• Experience of training and upskilling construction project staff to improve environmental and sustainability performance.
• Understanding of, and experience in, delivering social value.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to work directly with clients, design teams and joint venture partners.
• Well organised, able to manage several workstreams at once and work to a fixed programme.

Desirable

• Chartered Environmentalist via ISEP or CIOB.
• BREEAM Accredited Professional, WELL AP or LEED AP.
• Experience on NHS projects, including the New Hospital Programme or Hospital 2.0, and knowledge of the relevant Health Technical Memoranda, such as HTM 07-02 (EnCO2de).
• Experience of operational energy assessment (e.g. CIBSE TM54), heat pump systems and renewables.
• Experience of Soft Landings and post-occupancy evaluation.
• Experience of modern methods of construction and offsite manufacture.
• Experience of a two-stage or PCSA procurement route.
• Knowledge of Biodiversity Net Gain.

Rewards

We're ready to invest in you and your future, and offer wide-ranging, performance-related progression opportunities. Our competitive rewards packages feature flexible benefits to fit your lifestyle and priorities. We'd love you to join us in proudly building Britain's future heritage. Apply online now. Sir Robert McAlpine is focused on being a truly inclusive employer.