34743 - Sustainable Business Manager
| Posting date: | 22 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £68,820 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 07 June 2026 |
| Location: | UK |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 5 days per week |
| Company: | Environment Agency |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 34743 |
Summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join the EA’s Sustainable Business team. We are looking for a Sustainability Manager to drive delivery of our newly launched sustainability strategy eMission. This sets out a sustainable path to deliver our corporate strategy EA2030. This role is a broad sustainability leadership role, which will hold portfolios that are agile over time. Currently this role holds portfolios in net zero, circular economy and sustainability reporting. You will be leading a team of 9 people who are passionate and experienced in this area.
Key responsibilities:
• Leading the Sustainable Business Team’s activities within your portfolios. Current portfolios within this role include net zero, circular economy and sustainability reporting.
• Act as a member of Sustainable Business Leadership team to set strategic direction for sustainability.
• Developing and implementing a business plan for eMission delivery aligned to your portfolios.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to enable delivery
• Leading by example and creating a culture around sustainability.
Key Deliverables:
All members of the Sustainable Business Leadership Team will be responsible for delivering their sustainability portfolios effectively. Within this remit, they will be:
• Providing expert sustainability guidance, to inform decisions & mitigate risks.
• Leading the sustainable business teams aligned to your portfolios to create a high performing team. Recruiting, retaining, and motivating them.
• Establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Delivering on time, to budget and a high-quality standard.
• Setting KPIs, standards, assurance, governance, and service levels.
• Championing high value sustainability projects aligned to your portfolios, as sponsors or senior users.
• Role-modelling EA values and sustainable ways of working across the organisation.
We will work closely with you to understand your strengths and interests and where possible provide you with opportunities and training that support your longer-term career goals.
The team
This role sits within the Sustainable Business team in Corporate National Services (CNS) directorate.
Team purpose: Setting direction, targets and standards for Environment Agency sustainability through our published Sustainability Strategy, eMission. Act as the sustainability technical authority through provision of expert advice to ensure polices and processes deliver our sustainability commitments. Own and manage the Environmental Management System, supporting us with internal environmental compliance. Ensure the Environment Agency is leading by example on sustainability.
Experience/skills required
Experience and skills required:
• Experience in leading a high performing, high impact, functional team, with breadth and depth of both people and budget management.
• Expert understanding sustainability as an integrated discipline, and experience leading functional portfolios within that bigger system.
• Strategic and systems thinking to find high impact pathways to deliver quality and lasting outcomes.
• Advanced negotiation and influencing skills to enable behaviour change in a complex environment
• Ability to set sustainability in the current context, making the business case for interventions.
• Sound management judgement and strong teamworking skills, with proven ability to work at organisational level.
• Confident in risk management, organisational performance measurement, and business planning to prioritise, enabling timely, high-quality delivery.
• A relevant degree, or equivalent experience gained through experience.
Key responsibilities:
• Leading the Sustainable Business Team’s activities within your portfolios. Current portfolios within this role include net zero, circular economy and sustainability reporting.
• Act as a member of Sustainable Business Leadership team to set strategic direction for sustainability.
• Developing and implementing a business plan for eMission delivery aligned to your portfolios.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to enable delivery
• Leading by example and creating a culture around sustainability.
Key Deliverables:
All members of the Sustainable Business Leadership Team will be responsible for delivering their sustainability portfolios effectively. Within this remit, they will be:
• Providing expert sustainability guidance, to inform decisions & mitigate risks.
• Leading the sustainable business teams aligned to your portfolios to create a high performing team. Recruiting, retaining, and motivating them.
• Establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Delivering on time, to budget and a high-quality standard.
• Setting KPIs, standards, assurance, governance, and service levels.
• Championing high value sustainability projects aligned to your portfolios, as sponsors or senior users.
• Role-modelling EA values and sustainable ways of working across the organisation.
We will work closely with you to understand your strengths and interests and where possible provide you with opportunities and training that support your longer-term career goals.
The team
This role sits within the Sustainable Business team in Corporate National Services (CNS) directorate.
Team purpose: Setting direction, targets and standards for Environment Agency sustainability through our published Sustainability Strategy, eMission. Act as the sustainability technical authority through provision of expert advice to ensure polices and processes deliver our sustainability commitments. Own and manage the Environmental Management System, supporting us with internal environmental compliance. Ensure the Environment Agency is leading by example on sustainability.
Experience/skills required
Experience and skills required:
• Experience in leading a high performing, high impact, functional team, with breadth and depth of both people and budget management.
• Expert understanding sustainability as an integrated discipline, and experience leading functional portfolios within that bigger system.
• Strategic and systems thinking to find high impact pathways to deliver quality and lasting outcomes.
• Advanced negotiation and influencing skills to enable behaviour change in a complex environment
• Ability to set sustainability in the current context, making the business case for interventions.
• Sound management judgement and strong teamworking skills, with proven ability to work at organisational level.
• Confident in risk management, organisational performance measurement, and business planning to prioritise, enabling timely, high-quality delivery.
• A relevant degree, or equivalent experience gained through experience.