Waste and Contracts Manager

LARAC; Romford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Havering Council is seeking a Waste and Contracts Manager to oversee high value environmental services contracts, including waste collection and street cleansing. You will act as the specialist client, ensuring service quality and continuous improvement, while leading a team of officers and managing performance and development.

Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in waste management, strong negotiation skills, and a proven track record in financial planning and budget control.

Qualifications

• Experience procuring and managing high value external contracts delivering environmental services.
• Extensive experience in waste management operations, strategy and communications.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with stakeholders.
• Keen attention to detail and drive to raise performance.
• Experience leading staff, financial planning and budgetary control.
• IT literate with MS Office and CRM systems; able to analyse datasets.
• Full, clean UK driving license.

Responsibilities

• Procuring and managing high value environmental services contracts.
• Act as specialist client for contract management, ensuring quality and continuous improvement.
• Oversee services like waste collection, street cleansing, and tree maintenance with annual value > £13m.
• Plan and direct strategic projects and promote waste reduction and recycling.
• Manage a team of officers, including performance management and development.

Skills

Contract procurement

Waste management

Negotiation skills

Leadership & management

IT literacy

Driving licence

Tools

MS Office

CRM systems

Job description

Havering Council is a Local Authority located in outer-East London.

The Public Realm section within the Environment Directorate is responsible for procuring managing and delivering high quality, value for money services to the Borough’s residents. These include waste and recycling, street cleansing, grounds maintenance, tree maintenance and parks and open spaces.

These high-profile, front line services are delivered through a combination of external contracts and internal service providers.

We are very proud of the services we provide and this is your opportunity to join our team and shape how these services are procured, and managed, delivering continuous improvement.

About the Job

The Waste and Contracts Manager will be responsible for:

• Provision of a range of high value, high profile environmental services, identifying opportunities for efficiencies and improvements.
• You will act as the specialist client for the management of these contracts, ensuring that the services are of the required quality and that they achieve demonstrable continuous improvement.
• These services will include waste collection, street cleansing and tree maintenance, and have an annual value of over £13m.
• You will also be expected to plan and direct the development of strategic projects and strategies related to these services and to promote waste reduction and increased recycling.

To help you fulfil this role you will manage a team of officers and will be responsible for their performance management and development.

About You

• Experience in successfully procuring and managing high value external contracts delivering environmental services.
• Extensive experience in the waste management industry with regards to operations, strategy and communications.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills will serve you when liaising with contractors, customers, Councillors and senior officers.
• Keen attention to detail and be motivated to drive up performance.
• Possess a high level of achievement in the leadership and management of staff and other resources and must have experience of successful financial planning and budgetary control.
• IT literate and confident using a range of software and applications including MS Office and customer relationship management systems, and be able to analyse and explain complex datasets.
• Full, clean UK driving license.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Jacki Ager on 01708 433363.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 28th September 2026, however interest in this job may be high and we therefore reserve the right to close the vacancy early.