Head of Sustainability

Avove Utilities; Chorley; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

Enhanced pension contributions

Company car or car allowance

Annual bonus scheme

Job summary

Avove seeks a Head of Sustainability to shape and drive its sustainability strategy across the UK and Ireland. The role is hybrid, with travel to offices, sites and client locations as part of the duties.

You will lead strategy, delivery and governance, embedding sustainability into bids and every stage of project lifecycles to deliver measurable business impact. You will build capability, influence executive decisions and champion carbon management, social value and ESG reporting.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in sustainability within infrastructure, utilities, construction or similar.
• Strong technical knowledge of carbon management, environmental impact, social value, ESG reporting.
• Delivery mindset; able to translate strategy into measurable outcomes.
• Commercial awareness; ability to create client value and support growth.
• Clear communication; translate data into compelling messages for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy across environmental impact, net zero, social value, sustainable design and procurement, governance and reporting.
• Drive delivery of science-based net zero pathway and Scope 1-3 commitments.
• Influence projects from concept to delivery, embedding sustainability from the start.
• Measure and demonstrate impact across carbon reduction, resilience and biodiversity.
• Strengthen governance with clear metrics, evidence, and reporting to executives and investors.
• Support growth by turning outcomes into stronger bids and client propositions.

Skills

Leadership experience

Carbon management

ESG reporting

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Data governance

Job description

We are looking to appoint a Head of Sustainability to help shape and drive the future of sustainable infrastructure at Avove.

Location: Hybrid. Flexible on location within our operating regions, with travel to offices, sites and client locations required as part of the role

Benefits: Private Medical Insurance, enhanced pension contributions, company car or car allowance, and an annual bonus scheme.

Avove is looking for an ambitious and driven sustainability leader who is ready to take the next step in their career and make a visible, business-wide impact.

This is a significant opportunity to lead and develop our sustainability agenda at an exciting point in our journey. Over the past four years, we have more than doubled in size, expanding our capabilities, geographic reach and services. Following investment from H.I.G. Capital, we are now entering our next phase of growth, with additional expertise, insight and resources supporting our ambition to become a market-leading infrastructure business.

As a leading infrastructure services and engineering business, we design, build and maintain critical water, wastewater and power infrastructure across the UK and Ireland. Our work has a direct impact on network resilience, environmental improvement, communities and the natural environment. Sustainability is therefore fundamental to our future success and to the outcomes expected by our clients, investors and wider stakeholders.

The opportunity:

As our Head of Sustainability, you will lead, develop and deliver Avove’s sustainability strategy, building on the commitments and plans already in place.

This is a leadership role that combines strategy, delivery and influence. You will work across the business to embed sustainability into decisions, bids and every stage of the project lifecycle, turning ambition into measurable impact and stronger commercial outcomes.

• Lead our strategy across environmental impact, net zero, social value, sustainable design and procurement, governance and reporting
• Drive delivery of our science-based net zero pathway and Scope 1, 2 and 3 commitments
• Influence projects from concept and design through to mobilisation, delivery and close-out, making sustainability part of the project from the start
• Measure and demonstrate our impact across carbon reduction, pollution prevention, network resilience, biodiversity, resource efficiency, social value and whole-life value
• Strengthen governance through meaningful measures, clear evidence and accurate reporting to our Executive Committee, Board, investors and clients
• Support business growth by turning verified outcomes into stronger bids, client propositions, framework renewals and credible external stories
• Build capability across Avove, giving leaders and teams the direction, tools and confidence to make better sustainability decisions

About you:

You will be a credible and commercially minded sustainability professional who can set direction while remaining close to operational delivery.

You are likely to bring:

• Proven leadership experience in sustainability within infrastructure, utilities, construction or another project-based operational business
• Strong technical knowledge of carbon management, environmental impact, social value, sustainable design and procurement, ESG reporting, data governance and assurance
• A delivery mindset, with evidence that you can translate strategy into measurable outcomes
• Commercial awareness, including an understanding of how strong sustainability performance can create client value, strengthen bids, and support responsible growth
• Influence and confidence, enabling you to work credibly with executives, clients, investors and operational teams, and to challenge weak evidence, unclear ownership or unrealistic commitments
• Clear communication skills, with the ability to turn complex data and project outcomes into compelling messages for different audiences

Benefits: Private Medical Insurance, enhanced pension contributions, company car or car allowance, and an annual bonus scheme.

You will join a fast-growing business at an important stage in its development, with the platform and backing to take sustainability to the next level.

This role offers genuine scope to shape our approach, influence investment and business decisions, strengthen our market position and demonstrate the positive environmental and social impact delivered through our services.

About us

At Avove, we design, build and maintain essential infrastructure that keeps water flowing, power connected and communities thriving. Working across the water, power and telecommunications sectors, we deliver sustainable engineering solutions for some of the UK's leading utility providers, including Severn Trent, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Welsh Water and Scottish Power Energy Networks.

If you are excited by the opportunity but would like to understand more before applying, we would be very happy to speak with you.