Head of Sustainability

England Golf; Greater Lincolnshire; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

England Golf is seeking a Head of Sustainability to lead and manage its sustainability strategy, aiming to promote sustainability within the sport and advocate for environmental practices. This mid-senior level role involves collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to drive initiatives, engage in advocacy campaigns, and implement sustainable operations across the organization. Candidates should have strong knowledge in sustainability practices, excellent communication skills, and relevant qualifications in environmental management or a related field.

Qualifications

• Experience working in the sustainability sector, business, sports, government, or NGO context.
• Excellent knowledge of sustainability legislation in the UK.
• Proven track record of delivering sustainability programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and implement the England Golf sustainability plan.
• Engage with key stakeholders and promote sustainability initiatives.
• Oversee carbon footprint reduction and enhance resource management.

Skills

Communication

Sustainability Knowledge

Relationship Management

Report Preparation

Analysis

Education

Degree in business, environmental sciences, environmental management or sustainability

Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv)

Job description

Responsible for leading, developing and managing the sustainability plan, in line with the England Golf Strategy 2025-2030 – strategic goal to ‘educate & influence on sustainability’.

Working Relationships:

Internal:

• SMT – as required to embed sustainability across all teams.
• Development & Membership (RMs & CCSOs) – communication & support.
• Commercial Manager – regular engagement to support planning & development.
• Data & Insight Manager – regular engagement to support planning & development.
• Communication team – to support specific campaigns & engagement.
• Unified counties, Unions & Associations –communication & promotion
• Golf clubs – communication with paid workforce & volunteers.

External:

• GB&I sustainability group – stakeholder engagement, including Home Nations.
• The R&A – aligning sustainability planning & messaging.
• Sport England – link to funding cycle as appropriate.
• Relevant EG Partners – engagement on communication & advocacy.
• Member organisations such as BIGGA, GCMA - to advocate to workforce.
• Other key stakeholders & organisations – as per alignment to the plan.

Main Duties & Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, develop and implement the England Golf sustainability plan 2025-2030.
• Deliver a sustainability promotional & advocacy campaign aligned to the plan, working closely with the communications team.
• Engage and collaborate with the R&A on sustainability projects, including Golf Course 2030.
• Engage with the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS), aligning the 12 principles against the sustainability plan.
• Lead by example as a positive ambassador for England Golf, influencing behaviour changes and raising the profile of sustainability across the golfing landscape.
• Engage directly with government, Sport England and other relevant bodies on regulatory elements of sustainability, with specific focus on water resilience.
• Oversee the reduction of carbon across the organisation, including championships/events, in collaboration with consultants and colleagues.
• Engage with the National Golf Centre (NGC) team to ensure sustainable practices are identified and implemented across the business.
• Support Sustainability Officer to work closely with the Development & Membership team to provide guidance for golf clubs on key issues (water, energy, biodiversity).
• Ensure that environmental, social and economic elements of the sustainability plan are connected across the organisation.
• Support Sustainability Officer with the England Golf annual awards in relation to the sustainability category.
• Explore the commercial opportunities for sustainability in conjunction with the Commercial Manager.
• Oversee and manage the resource and capacity requirements of sustainability to calculate our carbon footprint and explore the potential to become net zero.
• Ensure sustainable golf insights are developed by collecting relevant data, analysis and assessing emerging trends.
• Implement changes to make our workplace greener, working closely with Human Resources and Admin team.
• Produce and deliver the sustainability annual operational & financial plan, including the cascading of the plan at a local level.
• In addition to the duties and responsibilities listed, the job holder will be required to perform other duties reasonably requested from time to time.

Dimensions/Resources:

Staff:

• 1 full time.
• Sustainability annual budget.

Administrative:

• External meetings with key stakeholders, groups & organisations.
• GB&I Sustainability group – lead role
• Internal sustainability working group – co-ordinate & lead.
• Presenting at county/club update meetings & workshops as required.

Location:

England Golf Headquarters, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, hybrid working or potential to work from home. If the latter, as a guide it is expected that time is spent at the headquarters at least 2 to 3 days every 2 weeks.

• Educated to degree, or relevant qualification level.
• Excellent knowledge of the sustainability sector and sustainable practices.
• Sound understanding of facility management.
• Knowledge of sustainability & environmental legislation in the UK.
• Experience working in business, sport, government or NGO context.
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with staff, volunteers and partners.
• Ability to empower and influence.
• Preparation and production of clear and detailed reports.
• Capable of gathering and analysis of information.
• Outstanding communication skills, including public speaking.
• Computer literate in spreadsheet, word processing and presentation software
• Motivated and proven track record of inspiring others.
• Friendly and willingly offer support and assistance to colleagues and customers.
• Explain information clearly, accurately and using appropriate language.
• Confidence and social skills to represent the company in external professional contexts.
• Encourage and display attitudes and behaviours that respect and value diversity and promote equal opportunities.
• Experience of delivering sustainability programmes
• Experience and interest in sustainability, business management or environmental science.
• Effective and proven budget management.
• Prior work in leisure or sports related industry.
• Valid driver’s licence as travel will be required.
• Degree in business, environmental sciences, environmental management, engineering or sustainability.
• Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), or member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) or Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM)
• Understanding of golf facility management and/or leisure/recreation.
• Structure of national, regional & county-based sport.
• Structure of golf (general, club based, structure).

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  General Business and Management

• Industries

  Spectator Sports, Entertainment Providers, and Sports Teams and Clubs

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at England Golf by 2x

Get notified about new Head of Sustainability jobs in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom.

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.