Sustainability Officer

JOB TITLE: Sustainability Officer
REPORTING TO: Net Zero Programme Lead
HOURS: 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday, with some occasional work out outside of the normal working week, including evenings and weekendsLOCATION: Hybrid – combination of home-based and office-based work, with the office based in South Bank, London.

ABOUT US

Introduction

South Bank is one of London’s great success stories – an internationally recognised neighbourhood that receives over 35 million annual visitors, generates approximately £5bn of economic value each year, and is home to thousands of residents, students, and a diverse range of businesses and employers. Formed in 1991, SBEG has been at the heart of the area’s ongoing transformation, and our work is key to its future success.

SBEG represents the collective ambitions of our members who are drawn from the area’s leading businesses, cultural and arts organisations, social enterprises, landowners, developers, public agencies, and education providers. Our work is central to the ambitions of the London Growth – our members are leaders in the key growth sectors of the experience economy, frontier innovation – including life sciences and climate tech – international education, the creative industries and business and professional services.

SBEG is a not for profit company. As an employer, we work to our Values of Partnership, Potent, Disruptor and Just, and embrace and diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work.

Our Vision

Everything we do centres on our vision of working together for a better South Bank for all. We work to ensure that South Bank is a desirable destination for culture, business, and pleasure; a place that supports and encourages investment and growth; has a flourishing, healthy and cohesive residential and student community; is welcoming to visitors and tourists; and is internationally renowned as a clean, safe, friendly, dynamic, and diverse area of London.

Our Purpose

We champion South Bank for businesses, residents, students, employees, and visitors by setting the agenda, breaking the mould, facilitating co-operation, and delivering programmes that bring improvement and change, which both protect and enhance this unique area to the benefit of all

Our Work

South Bank is a dynamic neighbourhood and continues to undergo significant change. With many high-profile development projects underway and more planned, it’s a place that’s continually redefining aspects of urban and neighbourhood management. For nearly 35 years, SBEG has been at the heart of these changes and remains committed to addressing the future needs of the area. We work to tackle South Bank’s ongoing investment needs, to ensure that our voice and that of our members is heard.

SBEG coordinates and delivers vital services in the neighbourhood, including cleansing and graffiti removal; enforcement against illegal trading and anti-social behaviour; running a comprehensive security and patrol service for businesses and visitors; coordinating construction activity throughout the neighbourhood; and improving the public realm through the coordination and delivery of capital projects.

We also provide a strong and coordinated voice for our members on policy, planning and other matters affecting South Bank, our members and the wider community. We work with statutory authorities on greater localisation of service delivery in the neighbourhood and manage environmental and capital projects.

As part of this, we coordinate the work of Business Watch, Place Management Group, and the Construction Coordination Group which brings members and partners together to address relevant issues. We set up South Bank and Waterloo Partnership and coordinate its work. We are fully committed to achieving the aims and goals of its 2030 Vision (www.sbwp.org/vision-2030).

Through the South Bank London brand (www.southbank.london) we market and promote South Bank as one of the capital’s top destinations and as the cultural heart of London, and we work closely with our arts organisations, visitor attractions and hospitality operator who collectively make the neighbourhood one of the most exciting and culturally rich in the world.

SBEG set up South Bank BID (www.southbankbid.co.uk) in 2014 to improve the management of South Bank in the face of increasing footfall and economic growth. The BID operates under the vision of ensuring that South Bank is a world-class place for everyone. South Bank BID funds and supports several place-oriented services and is an influential voice for South Bank businesses. The BID has an exceptionally strong mandate from its levy payers and is currently in its third term, which runs to 31 September 2029. SBEG is the delivery body for the BID, which is a separate company with its own Board of Directors.

We believe everyone can play a role in moving towards sustainability and we are determined to ensure South Bank and Waterloo is a place that sustains us. To support this, we developed a whole-neighbourhood strategy in collaboration with our members and key partners. Through South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us (SBW sustains us) we work with businesses, community organisations and residents to deliver high-impact projects which support our Net Zero by 2030 ambition, and make the neighbourhood a fairer and greener place for all.

SBEG also works with and delivers services to Jubilee Gardens Trust (www.jubileegardens.org.uk) the charity that owns Jubilee Gardens – a busy and much-loved landscaped park at the heart of the South Bank, next to the London Eye. With over 90 mature trees, lawns and an enclosed adventure playground, the Gardens attracts over five million visitors each year. Jubilee Gardens Trust is made up of residents’ organisations, local businesses and neighbouring landowners.

Our Governance

SBEG’s work is overseen by a Board of Directors comprises six representatives from SBEG’s members, five additional directors, the Chair and the Chief Executive. SBEG also manages and coordinates the work of the Members’ Council, comprised of SBEG’s members, alongside senior representatives from key strategic partners and stakeholders, including both Members of Parliament, the London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark, South Bank Business Improvement District, Lambeth Council, Southwark Council, the Greater London Authority, South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours, WeAreWaterloo BID, and Jubilee Gardens Trust.

The Members’ Council provides an important forum for SBEG members to discuss key policy and business issues affecting the South Bank and Waterloo area and to engage with key stakeholders. It has specific responsibilities relating to SBEG’s governance, in terms of appointing Member representatives, the approval of annual accounts, and in agreeing corporate strategy – these are set out in its own terms of reference.

OVERVIEW

We’re looking for a Sustainability Officer to help drive real environmental impact across one of London’s most vibrant areas.

Working within South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us, you’ll turn strategy into action. Coordinating projects that make our neighbourhood fairer, greener and working towards net zero. You’ll collaborate with partners including residents, business, cultural institutions and local government to deliver tangible change.

This is a permanent, full-time role (9am–5pm, Monday to Friday) based at our South Bank office at 10 York Road, with flexible and hybrid working available.

South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us

Sustains Us is our shared programme to make South Bank and Waterloo a fairer, greener neighbourhood by 2030.

Partners from across Waterloo and South Bank have come together to deliver a shared vision to achieve a fairer, greener neighbourhood by 2030. Along with support from the Mayor of London, Lambeth Council, Southwark Council, South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours, We Are Waterloo BID, we have produced a strategy to achieve this, which can be accessed here. The plan is clear on our five areas of focus:

• Retrofitting of homes, commercial and public buildings
• Creating a decarbonised, smart and integrated energy system
• Improving air quality and creating zero emission zones
• Climate adapted, resilient, and green neighbourhoods
• A zero waste circular economy

Achieving this ambition requires a commitment to collaborative working, and partners have created a co-investment model to support and fund our work. As Sustainability Officer, you’ll work alongside the Net Zero Programme Lead and the Sustains Us Steering Group to help turn these priorities into real-world projects, from small community initiatives – such as tree planting projects or resident events – to major energy infrastructure initiatives.

You can read more about the Sustains Us programme here.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The post-holder will be responsible for:

Project Delivery

• Coordinating and delivering projects, in line with our fairer and greener neighbourhood strategy, and providing advice and guidance to partners and stakeholders.
• Lead or support progress reporting for funders and the Sustains Us Steering Group.
• Support wider SBEG projects when required.

Partnership working and stakeholder engagement

• Build collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders — including local authorities, BIDs, landowners, developers, employers, cultural and educational institutions, community and voluntary organisations and residents.
• Manage and coordinate the Sustains Us Residents Group and project specific Task and Finish Groups, that bring together residents and cross-sector partners respectively to share ideas, co-design practical solutions, and deliver targeted sustainability outcomes that reflect community priorities.
• Plan and deliver meetings, workshops, and public events that raise awareness of Sustains Us initiatives and celebrate local success.
• Support and coordinate the Sustains Us Steering Group, ensuring meetings are well-prepared, actions are delivered, and communications are clear and timely.

Identification of resources for projects

• Scoping, researching, and identifying funding opportunities that are relevant to the delivery of the strategy and action plan.
• Inputting to funding bids and applications – leading and supporting as appropriate.

Finance and Procurement

• Where relevant, ensuring that appropriate and robust financial plans are in place for the successful delivery of projects and services.
• Assessing and recommending cost effective and efficient ways to procure and deliver projects and services, especially when done through partnership mechanisms.

Marketing and Communications

• Working with partners on relevant marketing and engagement activities, ensuring that key stakeholders and audiences are aware of the Sustains Us programme ambitions.
• Helping to ensure that all partners and stakeholders are kept informed and appraised of progress through the implementation of a communication and engagement plan.

In addition, you will:

• Comply with SBEG’s Health & Safety policies.
• Comply with SBEG’s Equal Opportunities policies.
• On occasion, work outside of the normal working week, including evenings and weekends.
• Promote an organisational culture that reflects SBEG’s values:
  • We are Potent. We get things done and we make sure they are done right. We make a difference, and we ensure our work both protects the area we love and moves it forward. We embody a ‘can do ‘attitude – and deliver on our promises. Judge us on our deeds, not just our words.
  • We are a Disruptor. We are imaginative, constantly looking for new missions to embrace, fresh areas to explore, seeking out new ways of working. We defy convention and set a trail for others to follow.
  • We are driven by Partnership. We work as a team – amongst ourselves, with our members, and with all the organisations we collaborate with. We facilitate relationships and build networks of individuals and organisations to drive progress in South Bank.
  • We are Just. We want everyone to benefit from both our work and the success of South Bank, whether they live here, work here, base their business here, or visit us. And that goes for our colleagues too.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties as required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in sustainability, environment, or related discipline.
• Minimum three years’ experience delivering sustainability projects within multi-partner environments.
• Good technical understanding of environmental sustainability and decarbonisation and/or climate resilience and adaptation.
• Proven ability to manage projects on time and to budget.
• Experience of stakeholder engagement across public, private, and community sectors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage a varied workload.

Desirable

• Good knowledge of greenhouse-gas reduction opportunities for businesses and households.
• Experience managing budgets with multiple income streams.
• An understanding of the neighbourhood and relevant and related strategies, policies, projects, and services.
• Excellent numeracy skills and high level of financial acumen.

BENEFITS

• 25 days of annual leave increasing with length of service up to 28 days per year.
• 8% stakeholders’ pension contribution.
• Interest free season ticket loan.
• Team building and social events.
• Company Sick Pay.
• Flexible working.
• Training & Development.

SBEG is an Equal Opportunities Employer and aims to ensure that no job applicant is discriminated against on the grounds of gender, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, race, religion, or belief.