Environmental Protection Lead

Job summary

Are you passionate about driving environmental excellence in a complex and innovative organisation?

As Dstl's Environmental Protection Lead, you will provide strategic leadership for environmental management across the organisation, shaping the direction, standards and culture that support safe, sustainable and responsible operations.

Working closely with the Chief Safety Officer and Head of Safety, you will lead the development and delivery of Dstl's Environmental Protection Strategy, ensuring strong governance, regulatory compliance and continual improvement. You will play a key role in influencing senior stakeholders, developing environmental capability and embedding best practice across Dstl.

Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.

Job description

In this role you will:

• Lead and champion Dstl's environmental strategy, policies and management systems.
• Drive environmental compliance, assurance and continuous improvement across the organisation.
• Develop and maintain Dstl's Environmental Management System, aligned with JSP 816 and ISO 14001 principles.
• Provide expert environmental advice to colleagues and senior leaders.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of environmental specialists.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to improve environmental performance.
• Oversee environmental risks, impacts and governance arrangements.
• Represent Dstl in professional forums and identify opportunities to adopt emerging good practice and innovation.

Person specification

We're seeking an experienced environmental professional with:

• Significant experience leading environmental management programmes in complex or high-hazard environments.
• Strong leadership, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience delivering environmental audits, compliance programmes and management systems.
• A sound understanding of environmental legislation, sustainability best practice and environmental governance.
• Knowledge of ISO 14001 and environmental risk management.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to influence environmental performance at a strategic level within one of the UK's leading science and technology organisations. You'll help shape the future of environmental stewardship at Dstl while developing capability, driving innovation and delivering meaningful, lasting impact.

Important Information

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats. For this reason, only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners.

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. For some roles Developed Vetting will also be required, in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

Qualifications

A bachelors (or master’s) degree or Environmental qualification at National Qualifications Framework Level 5, such as IEMSA Certificate in Environmental Management, or equivalent.
NEBOSH General Certificate Level 3 or equivalent

Memberships

Practitioner level membership of an environmental professional body (e.g. PIEMA)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,448, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £17,511 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Benefits

Dstl’s full range of great benefits can be found in the information pack which includes:

• Financial: An excellent pension scheme starting from 26% employer contribution (find out more here). In Year Rewarding Achievement bonuses and thank you vouchers. Rental deposit scheme and cycle to work scheme.

• Flexible working: Options include alternative working patterns such as; compressed hours, job shares and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per annum paid monthly i.e. working term-time only).

• Working hours: Flexibility around your working day (e.g. start time, finish time). Ability to bank hours in a 12 month reference period including the ability to accrue and use 3 days per calendar month.

• Where you work: Depending on your role, blended working may be available including remote working to suit you and your team. This can be discussed at interview.

• Annual leave: 25 days pro rata (rising to 30 after 5 years) plus 8 public holidays with the ability to buy/sell 5 additional days per annum.

• Family: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay, an additional 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid

• Learning and Development: Dstl encourages and supports charterships, accreditations and provides employees access to fully funded apprenticeships up to level 7 (Masters Degree). Dstl will pay for 2 memberships with relevant bodies/institutions. Employees also have access to Civil Service Learning.

• Facilities: Onsite parking, EV Charging points, restaurants, cafés and gyms.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you.

Sifting will take place week commencing the 9th November with interviews will be held on the 24th & 26th November and 2nd December,

Your interview will consist of behavioural & technical interview to include a presentation entitled "What is your view of Dstl's Environmental Challenges, and what would you do to address them?”

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Dstl Recruitment Team
• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Further information

Should you wish to raise a formal complaint about the Dstl recruitment process you should email dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk stating the nature of the issue. We will respond within 5 working days.

Attachments

L7, Environmental Protection Lead, COO, Health, Environment & Safety. V3 Opens in new window (pdf, 196kB)Dstl Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 4978kB)