Estates Senior Technical Services Manager - Waste

Job summary

This senior leadership role is responsible for setting the strategic direction for waste management across the Dstl estate, ensuring all waste services are safe, compliant, efficient, and meet regulatory requirements. The post holder acts as the subject matter expert for waste management, providing technical leadership, assurance, and advice to senior stakeholders, service providers, and DIO.

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:

• Leading waste management strategy and compliance across Dstl sites.
• Ensuring waste services meet legal, environmental, health and safety standards.
• Managing relationships with suppliers, regulators, DIO, and internal stakeholders.
• Providing technical guidance, risk management, compliance reporting, and assurance.
• Driving service improvements, innovation, and operational efficiency.
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting, project delivery, and change management activities.
• Leading and developing the waste management team while promoting an inclusive and collaborative culture.
• Acting as the waste management SME and supporting emergency and out-of-hours incident response.

As a Dstl Leader you will:

• Confidently lead, with the ability to adapt quickly to changing direction and priorities
• Positively, motivating, inspiring, encouraging and influencing others through effective communication and engagement
• Maintain and Manage strong, effective relationships with peers, role modelling Enterprise Leadership to deliver the One Dstl vision ensuring collaboration on delivery outcomes and strategic direction
• Create a positive working environment, aligned with Dstl Principles and Civil Service Behaviours, which supports diversity and inclusion, and enables people to excel
• Consistently demonstrate and role model Dstl’s leadership behaviours to ensure our Dstl culture is maintained at all levels
• Foster an inclusive working environment where open communication and psychological safety are prioritised to encourage constructive feedback and continuous improvement
• Ensure that all team members understand and meet their defined accountabilities, regularly reviewing performance and providing necessary support and training to uphold Dstl’s standards, culture and values which aligns with the Civil Service Code and values
• Actively endorse the Civil Service Line Management Standards to improve Line Management skills across the organisation.

Safety
Accountable for ensuring safe and secure work:

• Must appreciate and be responsible for the health and safety of self and others; both understand and meet defined accountabilities as written in Dstl policy
• Must demonstrate the expected HS (& EP) behaviours as defined by the Civil Service and Dstl and lead by example
• Must ensure understanding and maintenance of appropriate training, experience and knowledge (i.e. competent / SQEP) for self and direct reports
• Develop a working environment that is supportive of and champions the Dstl approach to security, health, wellbeing, safety and environmental (HSEP) management
• Be aware of the downstream impact of their actions and the actions of their direct reports on those outside of their immediate control
• Implement Dstl's policies and ensure compliance with the Management System

Person specification

We are looking for someone who has:

• • Chartered Waste Manager (CIWM), equivalent professional qualification, or significant relevant experience.
  • NEBOSH Environmental Management qualification.
  • Extensive experience (typically 5-10+ years) in waste management, facilities management, or a related field, including leadership responsibilities.
  • Strong knowledge of waste legislation, compliance, environmental standards, supplier management, and health and safety requirements.
  • Proven experience managing stakeholders, reporting to senior leaders, and delivering operational improvements.

  Key Skills

  • Strategic leadership and stakeholder management.
  • Waste management compliance and technical expertise.
  • Project and change management.
  • Risk management and problem-solving.
  • Strong communication, negotiation, and people leadership skills.
  • Ability to influence senior decision-makers and build effective partnerships.

Please see the full Job description at the bottom of this page

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

NEBOSH Environmental Management Certification
Chartered Waste Manager (CIWM) or other professional certification in waste management or relevant experience.

Memberships

Membership of relevant professional bodies ie: CIWM.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• 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. Option to join Vivup Benefits Payment 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.

• 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 12th October with interviews to be arranged from the 2nd November 2026

Your interview will consist of behavioural & technical interview to include a 10 minute presentation entitled Please demonstrate how you would manage a substantial change in legislation in a high pressure environment, please structure your presentation to include future changes in waste legislation which are due in 2027.

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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 HR Recruitment
• 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

Dstl Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 4978kB)L7, Estates Senior Technical Services Manager Waste, Operations, Estates. v2 Opens in new window (pdf, 167kB)