Head of Climate Change

About the job

Salary: £63,721 - £67,067 a year plus £3,203 car benefit allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent

This is an exciting opportunity to lead the delivery of one of the most important challenges facing our town - achieving Luton’s Net Zero ambitions. As Head of Climate Change, you will act as the Council’s lead officer for the delivery of the climate change programme as set out in the Luton Net Zero Roadmap, embedding the climate and ecological emergency agenda across all services and corporate priorities.

You will inspire and influence colleagues, elected members and partners to drive forward a just transition to net zero, leading by example and enabling others to take action. Working collaboratively across departments, you will lead on planning, monitoring and reporting on progress towards our net zero carbon goals, ensuring that climate action is integral to the delivery of the Luton 2040 Vision for a fair, healthy and sustainable town.

You will play a pivotal role in developing and implementing strategies that reduce emissions, build climate resilience, and promote sustainability across all aspects of council operations and community life. This will include providing professional advice to elected members and senior officers, engaging with businesses, community leaders and government departments, and leading a multi-disciplinary team to deliver innovative, evidence-based projects that create real impact.

As a senior leader, you will contribute to the wider strategic direction of the Council, representing Luton in high-level discussions and public forums. Your leadership will ensure that environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic opportunity go hand-in-hand as we work towards a cleaner, greener and fairer town for all.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

About you

You will be an experienced strategic leader with a strong track record of delivering climate change or sustainability programmes within a comparable urban environment. You bring extensive knowledge of carbon reduction strategies, climate policy developments and the practical pathways to achieving net zero within local government. Carbon literate and strategically minded, you understand how to translate policy into action, driving measurable results that make a real difference.

Your ability to communicate and collaborate at the highest levels will be key. You will be skilled at working across organisational boundaries, influencing stakeholders, and building strong partnerships that unlock innovation and collective impact. You will be confident engaging with senior politicians, businesses, and community groups, advocating for ambitious climate action and building consensus even where views diverge.

A capable and inspiring leader, you will have experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and delivering complex programmes at pace. You will bring excellent judgement, business acumen and political awareness, combined with the ability to balance ambition with practical delivery. You will also demonstrate a clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion ensuring that climate action supports all communities and contributes to a fairer future.

Educated to degree level in an environmental or related field, and ideally a full member of a relevant professional institute, you will combine technical expertise with the leadership skills needed to influence and deliver at scale. Most importantly, you will bring passion, creativity and determination to help Luton achieve its net zero and sustainability goals.

About us

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

Application Process

On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.

Benefits

We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel

How to apply

We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!

Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

• download: Luton_Values_Flyer (1).pdf
• download: PREF103525 202510 M7 Head of Climate Change Final JD.pdf