Head of Sectors: Strategy, Partnerships & Change in Stirling

We’re a digital first employer, so happy to be flexible if you’re based in the UK.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Vacancy Type: Full Time Permanent

Salary: £71,232 - £78,037

The Head of Sectors will be a pioneering, collaborative, focused and authentic leader who is inspired by our mission, passionate about our vision and committed to delivering our Corporate Plan. They will role model behaviours that underpin our values. They will drive high performance, colleague development and staff engagement.

The role will work to ensure the coherent and effective management of processes, systems and people required to deliver and improve Zero Waste Scotland’s services in line with the ambitions of the Corporate Plan. It will lead on the design, planning, and co-ordination of Zero Waste Scotland’s operational services in line with current and future business needs.

The Head of Sectors will lead delivery through a proposition mindset, with Sectors and their stakeholders at the heart of their decision making, identifying opportunities, developing relationships and driving change through their teams' projects and activities.

We want you if you:

• are degree qualified or equivalent in a relevant discipline.
• have significant senior leadership experience in complex delivery environments, including leading teams through change and ambiguity.
• have a strong track record of building and sustaining strategic partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders across government, public bodies, industry, sector coalitions and membership organisations.
• have experience of working and influencing in different sectors, with the ability to confidently apply skills and expertise in a wide range of settings, including areas that fall outside of your specific expertise.
• have experience in setting strategic direction and translating it into operational delivery plans, performance measures and improvement activity.
• have excellent strategic thinking and prioritisation, and an agile approach towards risk and mitigation to maintain focus on strategic outcomes.
• have the ability to use systems thinking to understand complex challenges and identify practical solutions to achieve systems change.
• have strong and effective leadership skills, with the ability to coach, motivate, inspire, and develop capability, modelling and holding high standards of delivery and behaviour.
• are a confident communicator able to articulate a coherent “offer” and represent the organisation credibly with senior stakeholders.
• have demonstrable experience of personal resilience during change and helping others to adapt quickly to form flexible and high performing teams.

What you’ll be doing:

• Providing strategic leadership for the Sectors proposition, working with the teams to set clear direction, priorities and success measures across a number of different offers including, but not restricted to, Built Environment, Energy Infrastructure and Clean Heat.
• Leading and motivating the department to deliver outputs on time and on budget, setting high standards and expectations, and effectively monitoring progress and holding teams to account.
• Building and maintaining productive senior relationships with key external stakeholders and partners, representing Zero Waste Scotland with credibility and influence.
• Driving the continuous improvement at department and programme level of systems, processes and ways of working, creating and sustaining consistency, reducing duplication and enabling cross organisational working.

About Zero Waste Scotland:

Zero Waste Scotland is Scotland's circular economy public body. Since 2014, our work has helped more people understand that the answer to the climate emergency is to consume less. Through an expansive range of projects and programmes, our innovative work has shown that embedding circular practices is as possible as it is essential.

Through sharing this knowledge, nurturing relationships, and fostering bold collaboration, we’re in a truly unique position to influence this vital change.

Here at Zero Waste Scotland, we value our people and are committed to nurturing and supporting them to learn, grow and develop so we can focus our efforts and be a collective force of unique colleagues creating positive change. As an accredited Investors in Diversity organisation, we are committed to embedding FREDIE principles (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) across all that we do at Zero Waste Scotland.

Why work for us:

Here at Zero Waste Scotland we value our people. Colleagues are supported and encouraged to grow and develop so we can all focus our efforts and be a collective force for positive change. We want to offer the best experience to all our colleagues, ensuring everyone is supported and empowered to be their best self at work and thrive.

We champion our diverse and inclusive culture, fostering a positive working environment where we all feel safe to be our true professional selves; where we are treated fairly; where there is space to ask questions, to respectfully challenge one another and to share our thoughts and ideas.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates and encourage you to talk to us about your preferred hours of work. We’ll do our best to accommodate.

We offer competitive pay and benefits to support you and your family, including a contributory pension scheme, life assurance, wellbeing support, flexible working, generous holidays, enhanced family leave entitlements, continuing professional development (CPD) and volunteering opportunities.

For us, work isn’t a place we go, but a thing we do so we fully embrace flexibility and encourage you to choose home working where the role allows. While this role is home-based there may be the requirement for some travel to/within Scotland. There will be times when you’re required to attend our Stirling office or a client location (normally within the Central Belt of Scotland). The office is located next to the railway station and is conveniently accessed from across central Scotland.

No agencies thank you.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 23:45 ON THE CLOSING DATE SHOWN.