Environmental Sustainability Lead

Endeavour Recruitment; Borehamwood; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking an Environmental Sustainability Lead to enhance environmental practices across the business. This role involves managing and reporting on sustainability initiatives, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Ideal candidates will have an ISEP membership or equivalent experience and a proven track record in environmental management. The position offers a hybrid work pattern with a competitive rate of £60 - £70 per hour. Immediate engagement with teams and driving practical improvements are essential.

Qualifications

• Track record in delivering practical solutions for environmental improvements.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement at all business levels.
• Commitment to self‑development in sustainability practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and report on environmental improvements across the business.
• Engage with teams to enhance biodiversity and reduce greenhouse emissions.
• Prepare corporate reporting to meet UK legislation and customer requirements.

Skills

Environmental management

Carbon management

Greenhouse gas reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Continuous improvement

Education

ISEP Member or equivalent

Job description

Environmental Sustainability Lead (2855-1)

Job Location: Stevenage / Bolton

Security Clearance: SC but can start on BPSS

Duration: 12 months + Minimum (possible perm option after if wanted)

Work Pattern: Hybrid working 3 days onsite

Rate: £60 - £70 per hour on Umbrella (Inside IR35)

Essential Qualifications

• ISEP Member or experience to full member
• ISIP full member or experience up to full member

Target Industries and Companies

Ideally defence or aerospace but open to others. Engineering/manufacturing would also be good.

Essential Skillset & Tools

• Environmental management
• Carbon management
• Greenhouse gas
• Reporting
• Improvement

OH/Medical requirement: Technical knowledge but also someone who can drive improvement, get stuck in and put programs in place with stakeholders and teams that will improve the business.

Not someone who will sit back and tell someone what to do—want someone to go out there and make sure these changes are happening.

The Opportunity

• Defence is necessary for peaceful prosperity. By doing business responsibly, supports our people, local communities and our planet.
• Client has a Strategy for ESG, Sustainability and Social Value, and is seeking an experienced and practical environmental professional to lead delivery and reporting of environmental improvements across the business.
• You’ll be responsible for shaping business‑focused activities around Scope 3 greenhouse emissions (particularly in relation to our current emission hotspots of waste, business travel, employee commuting, homeworking, transportation and distribution), enhancing biodiversity on our sites, and making other workplace‑based environmental improvements.
• You’ll lead, influence and work with ESG team members, and colleagues in teams across the wider business (such as Facilities Management, Safety Health and Environment, Sustainable Procurement, Travel, Site Management and Engineering) to deliver them. You’ll understand how to turn activity into outputs and positive outcomes. You’ll be experienced in driving change and delivering improvements that support both sustainability and wider business performance.
• Furthermore, you will be responsible for the preparation of corporate reporting required to comply with UK legislation and regulation and customer requirements. Currently this is primarily the company’s Climate‑related Financial Disclosure and Carbon Reduction Plan.
• There is an international dimension to this role. You’ll work with peers in our Group and sister companies in France, Italy and Germany, as we respond to EU requirements to address sustainability risk, performance and reporting. This will likely require an extension to current Scope 3 activities.

What we’re looking for from you

Being a catalyst for change, with a track record in shaping and delivering practical and business‑appropriate solutions that drive both environmental and business improvements.

Behaviours that align with our values of team spirit, commitment, integrity, passion and innovation.

Environmental management knowledge and skills equivalent to, or higher than, Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP, formerly IEMA) Full Membership level (MISEP).

Effective stakeholder engagement, with colleagues at all levels of the business.

Commitment to self‑development and continuous improvement.

Demonstrable, relevant experience in a large company or organisation.

Hard to fill? Why?

Yes, hard to fill. The required skills and experience exist, but candidates from sustainability backgrounds tend to steer away from defence due to our production and perception as unsustainable. We need to ensure candidates are fully aware of what the company does.