Waste Minimisation & Sustainability Manager,Braintree

Essex County Council is seeking a Waste Minimisation & Sustainability Manager in Braintree, UK. The role involves leading a team to design educational sessions, manage projects, and improve recycling rates. Candidates should have experience in the waste industry, strong management skills, and a commitment to environmental sustainability. The position requires flexibility in working hours and a full driving license for business use.
Braintree District Council has an exciting opportunityfor a Waste Minimisation & Sustainability Manager to join theteam.Waste Minimisation & Sustainability Manager - The Role:Wehave a great opportunity for a Waste Minimisation &Sustainability Manager to join our team in Braintree, Essex.Theclimate crisis is one of the most significant issues to face oursociety, our environment and the planet. We have seen a rapidglobal rise in greenhouse gas emissions over the last 100 years anda trend towards increasing global average temperatures over thelast century.The post holder will lead on designing educationalsessions for residents, schools and community groups and will rolemodel excellent customer service for residents. Managing the team,you will identify and deliver projects that support the delivery ofCouncil services.To be successful in this role you will beconfident and experienced in managing people, with the ability toestablish credibility at all levels. A genuine commitment towardsthe environment, tackling climate change and preventing waste isessential, ideally with a qualification in this field. Experienceof the waste industry is essential, along with knowledge ofresearch and data analysis. You will have excellent interpersonaland organisational skills and proven IT skills, including systemsdevelopment.You will need to be flexible with working hours whichcould occasionally start as early as 6:30am when liaising with therefuse and recycling collection crews. Occasional evening andweekend working may also be required in order to attend eveningmeetings/talks and weekend events.Candidates should possess a fullclean driving licence and access to their own vehicle for businessuse.Waste Minimisation & Sustainability Manager - KeyResponsibilities:Manage the work of the Waste Minimisation &Sustainability Team and support them in the managing theirworkloads, ensuring accountability/responsibility for the varioustasks. This will include regular team meetings, 1:1/'s with staffand motivation and development whilst working closely to achieveservice-related goals.Undertake staff performance reviews, sicknessabsence interviews, disciplinary and capability investigations,including giving formal presentations to panels.Actively maintaincontinued self-development of industry knowledge through effectiveforums and regularly attending networking opportunities.Act as therepresentative for waste minimisation and recycling within theCouncil.Take ownership of the recycling rate for BraintreeDistrict, with continued analysis throughout the year, both forreporting purposes and to inform initiatives designed to achievetargets.Lead the team in promoting waste minimisation initiativesand identifying and delivering projects that support the Council/'svision.Ensure the team is focused on exceeding businessexpectations and thinking /'outside the box/' to deliver trulyinnovative solutions that will make a difference.Develop and managethe ongoing delivery of the Council/'s waste reduction, reuse andrecycling initiatives.Manage and lead the Waste Minimisation &Sustainability Team to educate and inform the public and other keystakeholders via consultations, public engagement, (including doorknocking), and a variety of communications to drive initiativesthat will deliver improved recycling rates for domestic andnon-domestic properties in the district, resolving any barriers andsupporting positive relationships.Ensuring strong collaborationbetween the Team and frontline operations to help developinitiatives to educate residents, adapting processes and policywhere required.Review and redesign current implementation modelthroughout the service and, where necessary, implement and designprocesses ready for approval by senior management team.Work withthe Council/'s Street Scene Enforcement Team to bring aboutappropriate enforcement action where education, advice and guidance5has failed.Design educational sessions for team delivery toschools and community groups to increase awareness of the impact ofclimate change, waste minimisation and recycling. Sessions may falloutside of normal working hours where time in lieu will begiven.Utilize approved project management tools to ensure that allprojects are delivered on time and within budget and support dataanalysis and performance reporting. All stages of reporting to bedelivered within set timeframes to ensure efficient and effectiveproject management that ensures the smooth implementation, deliveryand reporting.Ensure accurate data collection and analysis forpresentation to relevant audiences (departmental, corporate orexternal agencies including partners) Work as the partnership leadfor the Council in county driven incentivisation projects, workingto maintain positive relationships and resolve any barriers withrelevant stakeholders.Respond to resident and other stakeholderenquiries and complaints regarding proposed strategy, service orpolicy changes and offer often complex advice on a range of wastemanagement issues.Be responsible for collating and reporting ofrecycling credit data, ensuring compliance with Data Protection andGDPR Regulations where appropriate.Active involvement in theCollective / Fleetroute systems, and other systems including IdoxUniform, Waste Data Flow, Electronic Document Management System andother technical systems.Play an active role in the day-to-daymanagement of all relevant email inboxes and the Collectivesystem.To provide accurate performance management informationwithin Operations and hold responsibility to accurately updatePentana, including KPI/'s, on a monthly and quarterly basis.Ensurethat corporate Governance, processes, and practices are fullyadhered to in respect of the future management and implementationof projects from a procurement perspective.Waste Minimisation &Sustainability Manager - You:Relevant qualification inEnvironmental Science, Sustainability, Waste Management (orequivalent) or be prepared to work towards a qualification.Relevantexperience working in the waste industry.Experience in research anddata analysis, including presenting to key stakeholders.Currentwaste Industry membership.Experience in managing teams witheffective results and development (Essential).Strong interpersonalskills with the ability to communicate at all levels.Experience inability to work autonomously and part of a team, using owninitiative.Experience of building and managing partnerships andcollaborative relationships.Experience of establishing andmaintaining excellent customer relationships and negotiatedsolutions to problems.Well-developed knowledge of waste managementand environmental practices, processes and procedures (includinglegal and regulatory requirements) including broader commercialawareness (Essential).Understanding of waste collection software(Essential).Excellent accuracy within complex ICT systems, both atdata level and system development level and the ability to analysebusiness requirements and adapt technology to meet theserequirements.Strong presentation skills and able to project theappropriate image in all situations.Knowledge of the localgovernment sector and challenges it faces.Ability to negotiate andinfluence others positively in order to achieve satisfactoryoutcomes relevant to the role.A good understanding of the planning,environmental and asset functions of the authority.Candidatesshould possess a full clean driving licence and access to their ownvehicle for business use.Waste Minimisation & SustainabilityManager - Benefits:Braintree District Council is a great place towork. We pride ourselves on our creative and innovative approachwhich is led by our employees. We are committed to having anengaged workforce who understand our strategy and how they can helpdeliver it. Our benefits include:- Flexible working- Hybrid workingarrangements may be available in this role subject to businessneed- Free parking- Local government pension scheme- Learning anddevelopment for all employees- Employee recognition schemes-Extensive health and wellbeing programme including discounted gymmembership.Closing date for receipt of completed applications:Midnight on Monday 31st March 2025.