Waste and Recycling Manager

Salary: Salary: £53,607 - £56,646 p.a. inc. London weighting Contract: Secondment/Fixed term (12 Months Maternity Cover) Hours of work: 36 hours per week Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time

Lead the waste and recycling service to reduce waste, improve recycling and educate residents to participate in tackling climate change

Worried about the threat of climate change and the impact of consumption, resources and waste? This is your chance to be a driving force in the council’s climate and ecological emergency programme by leading on driving down waste, increasing reuse and recycling and promoting the circular economy.

Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here.

The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.
The Post

Brent Council declared a climate and ecological emergency in 2019 and pledged to do all in its gift to achieve carbon neutrality in the borough by 2030. In 2021, the council’s Cabinet approved Brent’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy (2021-2030) which set out our objectives and areas of focus for tackling climate change, including a major focus on consumption, resources and waste. We are delighted to be temporarily recruiting for this hugely exciting role which will form part of an established Waste Management team. The postholder will be the Council’s lead advisor on all waste and recycling matters and lead on the development, implementation and management of the Council’s waste projects and waste education, communications and outreach programmes

This is an exciting time to work in Brent on the waste and recycling agenda. We are in the process of implementing food collection services across the whole of Brent. There are several reuse and circular economy projects getting underway in our ambitious Green Neighbourhoods Pilot areas.

The postholder will manage Waste and Recycling Officers and work on ongoing waste and recycling communication and engagement programme. The postholder will work closely with our waste collections contractor; Veolia, West London Waste Disposal Authority, a range of council services and the community at large to help us achieve a major step change in the borough on the waste agenda.

The Person

We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Waste and Recycling Manager to join our team temporarily during the maternity leave of our current manager. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real impact while working alongside a talented team.

As the Waste and Recycling Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing waste management and recycling programs, ensuring compliance with Simpler Recycling. You will take the lead in managing food waste collection rollout to flats above shops and help with waste diversion from flats and communal properties to improve recycling in the borough. You will work closely with various internal and external stakeholders to develop waste reduction strategies, increase recycling rates and contribute to council's sustainability goals and objectives.

You will be experienced in leading, motivating and managing staff and services with multi-disciplinary teams, with the ability to explore innovative and creative means of delivering improved service outcomes. You will also have excellent communication skills to be able to relate effectively to different stakeholders and audiences.

Closing date: 17 July 2025 (23:59)
Additional Information

If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the criteria on the Person Specification. We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self-identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.
The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas and your data protection rights, can be found here.
Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.
As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on recruitment@brent.gov.uk