Senior Climate & Biodiversity Officer

I'm currently recruiting for an Interim Senior Climate & Biodiversity Officer for a Council in Oxfordshire. This is a 6-month initial contract covering MAT Leave with a strong focus on climate action, decarbonisation and climate resilience. The role has the flexibility to work part or full-time, and is very flexible on travel. The role will have a heavy focus on the climate side rather than biodiversity. 

The successful candidate will lead on the development and delivery of climate strategies and action plans, working across the Council and with external partners to help drive progress towards net zero ambitions. There may also be opportunities to support retrofit and energy efficiency initiatives depending on experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and implementation of climate strategies and action plans
• Drive climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience projects
• Work with services across the Council to embed climate action into policies and programmes
• Build relationships with key stakeholders, partners and climate networks
• Monitor progress against climate targets and provide reports to senior leaders and Members
• Identify funding opportunities and support bid submissions
• Provide climate policy and technical advice to internal teams

You Will Have:

• Experience developing and delivering climate change strategies, policies or programmes
• Strong knowledge of decarbonisation, climate resilience and net zero delivery
• Experience working within local government, consultancy or a public sector environment
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Experience delivering environmental or sustainability projects
• Ability to work independently and drive programmes forward

Desirable:

• Experience with retrofit, energy efficiency or renewable energy projects
• Line management experience
• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IEMA)