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Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

Job overview

Are you passionate about creating a greener, healthier future? Hampshire Hospitals are seeking a visionary and dynamic Head of Sustainability to lead our efforts in driving the NHS's commitment to environmental, social, and financial sustainability.

This is a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference in reducing the NHS's carbon footprint while improving the health and wellbeing of our patients, staff, and community.
About you

To succeed in this role, you will have:

Proven experience in leading sustainability initiatives, preferably in a large, complex organisation.
A strong understanding of environmental legislation, carbon reduction strategies, and sustainable healthcare principles.
Excellent project management, analytical, and communication skills.
A collaborative approach with the ability to influence and inspire stakeholders at all levels.
A degree in a relevant field (e.g., environmental science, sustainability, engineering) and, ideally, a recognised sustainability qualification (e.g., IEMA, CEnv).

Main duties of the job

As the Head of Sustainability you will:

Ø Build and maintain a high profile for HHFT, providing leadership, development and delivery of the NHSE/I mandated Green Plan.
Ø Provide Board assurance of HHFT's sustainability performance against all regulatory requirements, and published Green Plan.
Ø Act as the lead specialist on sustainability within the Trust.
Ø Lead the sustainability workstream for the new hospital programme, Modernising our Hospitals and Health Services, including identifying innovative practices and projects from national and international exemplars
Ø Ensure Executive leads and their service managers are supported to incorporate sustainability into everyday practice and processes, providing training and tools they require and to monitor their performance against this goal.
Ø Assist the Chief Strategy & Population Health Officer with Planning, delivery and evaluation of strategic projects to deliver population and planetary health benefits.
Ø Develop and implement HHFT Green Plan and develop any further strategies and plans to ensure achievement of 'Net Zero' targets and social and environmental objectives in line with these plans, national targets and regulatory requirements, and exploit opportunities to accelerate delivery timelines beyond national ambition.
Ø Assist the Chief Strategy & Population Health Officer with Planning, delivery and evaluation of strategic projects to deliver population and planetary health benefits.

Working for our organisation

Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.

Tackling Climate Change: Hampshire Hospitals aims to embed sustainability and net zero carbon principles into the delivery of care across all its services. To find out more, search HHFT Climate Action or contactclimateaction@hhft.nhs.uk.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General Management
• Manage members of the team to support delivery of the Trust's Green Plan and any wider sustainability strategies and requirements.
• Responsible for recruitment and selection, appraisal, personal development and managing any employee relations issues.
• To support, motivate and develop people within the team.
• Convene relevant forums for sustainability leads and champions across specialties, divisions and functions to support sustainability projects
• Influence senior leaders and the executive team to embed principles, develop relevant Trust-wide policies
• Lead on sustainability in the new hospital programme
• Champion innovation, working with the Innovation Group to identify short, medium and long term opportunities

Governance and Reporting

Communicate, implement and monitor HHFT Green Plan, incorporating ICS-wide and national context, providing progress reports to the Climate Change Taskforce Group three times per year, bi-annually to the Trust SMT and Annually to the Board.
Ensuring that the Trust Green Plan and wider strategy reflects business needs and wider organisational strategy, legislation and guidance and best practice.
Ensure Greener NHS Quarterly returns for HHFT are completed accurately and submitted on time.
Complete Greener NHS Fleet returns, arising at least annually.
Ensure Greener NHS and Sustainability requirements set out in SC18 of the NHS Standard Contract for Acute providers and set out by the NHSEI Greener NHS Team are effectively communicated to all HHFT stakeholders and leads of other NHS providers in the ICS.
Ensure the appropriate actions are being taken to comply with these requirements, escalating any areas of risk to Line Manager and Net Zero Board lead in a timely manner.
Provide mandatory annual, or in-year, reporting of carbon emissions, carbon reduction progress and annual reports, or any other regulatory bodies as required.
Ensure the Trust meets all other environmental regulatory requirements, both on-going and in the form of annual certification, licences and reporting requirements.
To complete and present annual evaluation of the Trust's sustainability performance through the Sustainable Development Assessment Tool or similar, and present findings to the Climate Change Taskforce Group.

Support the delivery of the Green Plan and Action Plan

Work with senior stakeholders across the Trust to develop and implement required protocols and policies to enable delivery of the Green Plan and related targets.
Embed sustainability and carbon reduction targets in HHFT business processes by providing tools and a framework to integrate into decision-making at all levels across the organisation.
Define requirements and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information, implementing those that best meet requirements.
To support development of a project pipeline, and project delivery across all sources of emissions (i.e. those comprising the NHS carbon footprint and NHS Carbon footprint plus), in line with the HHFT Green Plan. Attend senior team meetings, committees and steering groups for these as required, providing input, e.g. best practice and tools, and ensuring local accountability.
To support the Chair at Energy Group meetings, to provide focus, drive and co-ordination to support delivery of projects that will reduce energy and water consumption, reduce requirement for fossil fuels and ensure required actions are taken to satisfy the Trust's obligations to funding and regulatory bodies.
To ensure climate change risks are on the Trust's risk register and develop these further to define specific risks at key function level.
To communicate, promote and act as the focal point for the Trust's sustainability agenda with internal and external stakeholders. This will include exchange of specialist information with a range of external stakeholders and specialists.
To develop, report and disseminate appropriate performance results to promote continuous improvement, including Trust Board reports.

Engagement and Behaviour Change

To co-ordinate and support the running of projects such as the 'Green Wards Competition' or similar, annually across the Trust, where agreed. To embed Sustainable Quality Improvement methodology across the Trust and ICS for teams to continuously reduce environmental impact and improve patient experience.
To develop and maintain a network of sustainability leads and champions within each Trust department and allocate/map these to the appropriate areas within the Trust.
To provide tools for this network which enable effective implementation of Green Plan initiatives, continuous sustainable quality improvement methodologies and identify changes that can be made to each area and how and where these actions can be analysed, agreed and audited.
To work closely with the Trust communications team to organise and publicise sustainability related activities, news, achievements and events related to Trust, Greener NHS initiatives, and sustain a high profile.

• To work closely with the Trust communications team to organise and publicise sustainability related activities, news, achievements and events related to Trust, Greener NHS initiatives, and sustain a high profile.

Partnership, stakeholder management and cross boundary working

Identify or develop working groups with appropriate stakeholder representation and support to deliver complex Greener NHS objectives and outcomes across the Trust, including but not limited to ICS, GP groups, Local Authorities, County Council, Mental Health Trusts, Community Providers, Patient representative groups and healthcare discipline specific groups, e.g Pharmacists.
Identify and advise on innovation opportunities and support all Providers in their strategies and programmes to maximise service benefits and funding opportunities.
Co-ordinate formal negotiations with senior level internal and external stakeholders, which secure mutually agreeable outcomes and strengthened relationships.
Manage effective communications for Greener NHS projects - including delivering complex and sensitive messages through written and verbal presentations.

Finance and Resources
• Responsible for successfully delivering programmes and projects within allocated resources.
• Produce compelling and costed proposals for further investment in the HHFT Green Plan in pursuit of important programme objectives.
• Work with partner organisations to identify potential sources of additional funding and to develop applications, bids and business cases as required.
• Commissioning of projects and procurement of services to support project delivery.
• Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of financial and other resources.

Programme Management

Lead the team and support all Trust functions in the delivery of the Green Plan, allocating tasks as appropriate, identifying risks, issues and dependencies, considering best practice and current options and ultimately making decisions in the best interest of the project.
Pro-actively and effectively manage stakeholders using facilitation and conflict resolution skills as appropriate.
Be accountable for supporting delivery of projects on time, to quality standards and in a cost-effective manner.
Maintain project initiation documents and associated plans with regular team meetings to monitor progress and resources.
Evaluate the impact of any change the projects will have on the business and oversee any handover to ensure full ownership and buy-in within the business.
Advocate the projects at senior and executive levels and ensure active engagement and sponsorship within the ICS and wider SE region.
Ensure that the projects maintain business focus, have clear authority and that the context, including risks, is actively managed in alignment with the strategic priorities of the Trust.

Teaching, training and research responsibilities
• To research requirements, write business cases, specifications and develop tenders for capital projects, software, consultancy, services and programmes that either deliver environmental improvement and carbon reductions directly or enable them.
• To undertake research, both within and beyond the organisation, related to all Green Plan workstreams and Trust environmental impacts, in order to ensure legislative and regulatory compliance, funding opportunities are exploited and best practice is captured and shared.

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential criteria

Educated to masters level (or equivalent qualification in a related field e.g. Sustainability) or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area

Desirable criteria

Postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject area

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria

Experience of working on multiple strategic projects.
Extensive knowledge of specialist areas acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent.
Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.
Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement.
Have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health and individual provider and commissioning organisations.
Have a good understanding of national policy regarding sustainability and the Greener NHS agenda.
Experience of budgetary responsibility, including budget setting with evidence of working knowledge of financial processes
Experience of building effective cross functional working relationships to drive organisational agenda.

Desirable criteria

Delivery of climate change related projects in a health or care setting
Sound understanding of the Climate change agenda and the impact on the NHS and health of our populations
Awareness of Climate change links to other health and care sectors.
Sound understanding of the potential for changes to the NHS to positively impact on carbon reduction.

Skills and Ability

Essential criteria

Ability to spot innovative opportunities and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to develop into new projects.
Ability to accelerate the development, evaluation and deployment of innovation in a range of healthcare settings.
Ability to undertake research and benchmarking work to identify areas of best practice nationally and internationally in order to ensure continuous improvement and innovation in sustainable healthcare.
Highly developed communication skills with the capability to analyse, review and make sense of highly complex, sensitive or contentious information across a diverse range of subjects relevant to post portfolio.
Demonstrable skills in presenting complex concepts and information which may include difficult and controversial issues, across a wide range of audiences.
Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery.
Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and make decisions where opinions differ/no obvious solution.
Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time.
Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales.
Interpreting national policy for implementation.
Demonstrable experience developing, managing and motivating teams/individuals to ensure success.
Experience of delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals.

Values and Behviours

Essential criteria

Commitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards in all they do.
Able to make a connection between their work and the benefit to patients and the public.
Ability to operate in a value-driven style consistent with the values of the public services and specifically with the new organisational values
Works across boundaries, looks for collective success, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others
Values diversity and difference; operates with integrity and openness
Works well with others, is positive and helpful, listens, involves, respects and learns from the contribution of others.
Consistently looks to improve what they do, look for successful tried and tested ways of working, and also seeks out innovation.
Actively develops themselves and supports others to do the same.
Needs to have a thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems.
Self-awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal triggers with cultural sensitivity.
Embrace change, viewing it as an opportunity to learn and develop
Demonstrates honesty and integrity and promotes organisational values

Other

Essential criteria

Able to travel across various sites where applicable

Our commitment to you:

We are committed to equality and diversity in both the provision of our services and how we recruit and manage our staff. Applications are encouraged from everyone with the necessary attributes for the job, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

Happy to Talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible and part time working will be considered.

The paperwork:

HHFT is committed to putting the safety and care of our patients first - as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues. Therefore, we would recommend that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 and that you understand that we are treating COVID-19 positive patients within our services.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted at least 5 working days before the scheduled interview date. Applications will be submitted directly into our preferred third party recruitment system (Trac). All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs via email - please ensure to check your junk/spam folders.
All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.
In compliance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate fluently in English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed as part of the selection process.
This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. If you intend to apply you are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

JDPS Head of Sustainability (PDF, 624.5KB)
HHFT Employee Rewards & Benefits (PDF, 723.8KB)
Tackling Climate Change at Hampshire Hospitals (PDF, 4.9MB)

Head of Sustainability

Head of Sustainability

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