Job vacancy: Sustainability Officer, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 317 Trustwide

Job summary

Main area: 317 Sustainability Team
Grade: Band 5
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 317-2024-25-051

Employer: The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Trustwide
Town: 317 Trustwide
Salary: £28,407 - £34,581 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 14/07/2024 23:59
Interview date: 23/07/2024

Sustainability Officer

Band 5

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest, largest and most successful teaching NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual income of £1 billion.

We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.

We’re also proud to be the second largest provider of specialised services in the country. This means we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

Our staff oversee around 1.84 million patients ‘contacts’ each year, delivering high standards of healthcare.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Sustainability Team, within the Estates directorate, provides a support service to the Trust with the aim of innovatively reducing our impact on the environment, whilst simultaneously making our healthcare services more sustainable for future generations.
The purpose of the Sustainability Officer role is to assist in the management of energy, waste, water and carbon emissions throughout the Trust estate and that of our partner sites. This efficient management will lead to reduced usage/production, cost savings and an improved patient experience.
Provide support and assistance to the Waste Manager, Energy Manager, and the wider Sustainability Team, to achieve the aims set out in the Trust’s Sustainable Healthcare Strategy and deliver sustainable healthcare at its very best - with a personal touch.
To ensure best practice in the delivery of sustainable healthcare services and to maintain the reputation of the Trust as an environmental sustainability leader within the NHS and beyond.
Work collaboratively as an effective member of the Sustainability Team and a key contributor to the multi-disciplinary Trust Sustainable Healthcare Committee.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

Person specification

KNOWLEDGE

Essential criteria

• Proven knowledge and understanding of environmental sustainability issues affecting large, complex, organisations particularly efficient utility (energy & water) use, waste management and carbon reduction

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of key NHS specific guidance on environmental sustainability issues i.e. HTM 07-01, HTM 07-02, HTM 07-04 and HTM 07-07

SKILLS

Essential criteria

• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to work with, and manage, complex datasets
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written (including digital and social media)

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrable persuasive communication skills, with the ability to engage large numbers of staff in energy reduction/conservation actions

EXPERIENCE

Essential criteria

• Experience of environmental management/efficiency work, or environmental sustainability behaviour change campaigns/projects

Desirable criteria

• Experience of delivering environmental sustainability training to a wide-ranging audience from senior manager briefings to frontline staff ‘tool-box talks’.
• Experience of environmental auditing and/or EMS implementation (i.e. ISO 14001/EMAS)
• Experience of working in an acute NHS hospital environment

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent, ideally in an environmental subject

Desirable criteria

• Post-graduate qualification, or formal training, in a subject relevant to the post
• Associate Membership of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (AIEMA)
• Current full UK driving licence

PHYSICAL

Essential criteria

• Good keyboard and IT skills, including proficiency in the use of standard MS Office software i.e. Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc.

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.