Could you lead a team helping schools, colleges and nurseries across England cut carbon and inspire students?

The Let’s Go Zero campaign is seeking a manager for its new climate action advisors project. This initiative will connect thousands of schools with advice and support from a network of local climate experts.

With their backing, schools can do more to make buildings energy efficient, boost biodiversity, decarbonise meals and travel, and more.

This new role will have responsibility for designing, managing and delivering the climate action advisors project. They will work with the Head of Let's Go Zero and their team, as well as communications and policy colleagues. The role will have up to six direct reports and oversight of 25 remote climate action advisers.

As well as maximising the influence and legacy of the project, the person taking up the role will need to carry out tasks such as producing impact assessments and engaging and influencing decision makers.

Applicants will ideally have experience developing and running a large national project. Applicants should also have worked in climate change and sustainability and/or education, with a good working knowledge of climate solutions and a deep appreciation of their power to inspire action. Relevant knowledge includes decarbonisation in the education sector, and government education policy.

Duties and Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for developing, delivering and evaluating the Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Project, working with the Head of Let’s Go Zero, and leading the Climate Action delivery team.

• Produce verbal and written reports for internal and external impact assessments.

• Responsible for managing the Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Project budget (approx. £150k per year) - ensuring that it is aiming for maximum impact, influence and legacy to deliver on the ambition of decarbonising UK schools by 2030.

• Represent Ashden externally – engaging and influencing decision makers across the sector.

• Manage the Let’s Go Zero Climate Action team to scale up the campaign to decarbonise UK schools – ensuring high levels of performance and delivery across all areas of the Climate Action Project.

• Make key and timely decisions based on experience and judgement that could impact Let’s Go Zero’s and Ashden’s reputation and opportunities.

• Maintain an ethos and practice of collaborative working across the coalition, sharing our expertise in sustainable schools and ensuring that the campaign meets its aims.

• Through budget management support the Development Team and Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust Finance Team. Where suitable, engage with new funding opportunities for Let’s Go Zero.

• Work with the communications team to generate insights into Let’s Go Zero work, contribute to articles and blogs for Ashden and third party publications.

Person Specification:

Experience

• Experience developing and running a large national project.

• Working in climate change and sustainability and/or education, with a good working knowledge of climate solutions and a deep appreciation/understanding of their power to inspire action through great storytelling and other communications.

• Managing projects with duration of several months and involving multiple colleagues and external consultants and stakeholders.

• Mentoring colleagues to help them improve their skills and knowledge.

Knowledge & Education/Training

• Good knowledge of decarbonisation in the education sector, government education policy, sector impact and climate action.

• Excellent IT skills, in particular Microsoft Excel, for use in monitoring and evaluation of Let’s Go Zero schools, and of customer relationship management software (we use Microsoft Dynamics but working knowledge of Salesforce or other CRM will be transferable).

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to manage time, prioritise, plan-ahead, and see the big picture.

• The ability to confidently present Let’s Go Zero and sector specific detailed information to internal and external audiences.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to assimilate information from multiple sources and use it in project management.

• Passion and commitment to rapid and just transition.

• Excellent inter-personal skills, diplomacy, and tact

• Equally comfortable with both demanding and more routine tasks

• Able to work outside office hours from time to time e.g., when traveling to stakeholder events

• Active and self-led learner who keeps abreast of developments

• Enjoys working in a complex environment

• Works well in a team with a flexible approach to work

• Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities. An ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work