Sustainable Schools Manager

Leicester City Council; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 49,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Flexible working

Training opportunities

Bus and train discounts

Job summary

Leicester City Council is seeking a senior leader to drive its Sustainable Schools programme. Based in the Energy and Sustainability service, you will lead delivery to primary, secondary and special schools, while expanding the service through funding, partnerships and new initiatives.

You will manage staff, collaborate with headteachers and partners, and maintain high-quality delivery with a focus on sustainability, energy reduction and environmental education.

Qualifications

• Experience leading and managing programmes and teams.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills.
• Experience securing external funding, bids or partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Sustainable Schools team and set clear priorities for delivery.
• Engage with schools, academies and partners to grow the offer and participation.
• Identify funding opportunities, develop bids/business cases, and manage funded activities.

Skills

Programme management

People management

Relationship building

Funding bids

Developing new ideas

Job description

Reference: REQ8147

Description: Full Time / 37 Hours Per Week / Permanent Play a leading role in shaping and growing Leicester's Sustainable Schools programme, helping schools take practical action on climate change, energy, sustainability and environmental education. Based within our Energy and Sustainability service, you'll lead the Sustainable Schools team and take responsibility for the successful delivery and continued development of our offer to primary, secondary and special schools across Leicester. This is an opportunity for someone who can combine strong programme and people management with the ability to build relationships, develop new ideas and secure opportunities. As well as ensuring our existing programmes are delivered to a high standard, you'll help refresh and expand the service, increase participation and demonstrate its value to schools and the Council. This is a full time, permanent position working 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday. You'll have flexibility in hybrid working being both office based, at City Hall or working remotely from home to suit the needs of the service. However, under our New Ways of Working policy you'll be required to work from a non-home location a minimum of 2 days per week.

Region: Central

Location: Hybrid working - Home and Leicester City Offices

Salary: *GBP*48,738 - *GBP*51,928 Per Year

Package: Total benefit value (includes pension contribution and full holiday entitlement): *GBP*70,547

Contractual hours: 37

Basis: Full time,

Full Time / 37 Hours Per Week / Permanent

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll lead and develop the Sustainable Schools team, setting clear priorities and ensuring existing programmes and projects are delivered effectively while creating the capacity to develop new opportunities. Working closely with schools, academies and multi-academy trusts, you’ll understand their priorities and barriers to participation and use this insight to strengthen and develop our Sustainable Schools offer. This will include environmental education, whole-school sustainability planning, energy and carbon reduction, pupil engagement, training and practical support. A key part of the role will be developing the future sustainability of the service. You’ll identify and progress external funding, partnership, sponsorship and traded-service opportunities; develop high-quality funding bids and business cases; and ensure funding secured is effectively managed and delivers the intended outcomes. You’ll also build strong partnerships across the Council and with external organisations including education partners, universities, businesses, community organisations and funders, identifying opportunities to bring additional expertise, resources and investment into Leicester schools. You’ll monitor participation, performance, customer feedback and outcomes, using evidence to continually improve the programme, demonstrate impact and identify opportunities to expand successful initiatives.

What You’ll Need

You’ll have a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental education and an understanding of the opportunities and pressures facing schools. You’ll be an effective leader with experience of managing people, programmes and competing priorities, together with the ability to develop services and turn ideas into deliverable projects. Strong relationship-building and influencing skills will be essential. You’ll be comfortable working with headteachers, school business managers, senior Council colleagues and external partners, and able to confidently promote the Sustainable Schools offer and encourage schools and partners to participate. You’ll also bring experience of financial management and ideally of developing funding bids, business cases, partnerships or income-generating opportunities. Above all, we’re looking for someone who can combine strong delivery with creativity and initiative — maintaining what works well while helping us develop a refreshed, ambitious and sustainable offer for Leicester’s schools.

What We Can Offer You

As well as the satisfaction of helping to improve thousands of lives across Leicester, you can look forward to a work environment that encourages a healthy work/life balance. You’ll enjoy generous annual leave, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and the option of flexible working. We’ll also give you the chance to develop your skills and expertise with a variety of training and development opportunities. In addition, you can choose from a number of flexible benefits, including discounts on city buses and trains. For an illustrative value of your benefits package, take a look at our benefits calculator.

Join us

We’re committed to recruiting a diverse and highly-talented workforce as we continue to build a council that is fitting and representative of our great city. That’s why we’ve designed our recruitment process to put you at your ease, make you feel welcome and bring the best out of you. We’ll do all we can to make our recruitment process as fair as possible.

Interviews will take place from Wednesday 20th September to Tuesday 6th October 2026.