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UKGBC is seeking a director of industry transformation to join its team in London.

Our planet is in crisis, and without further decisive action, temperatures could rise by between 2.2-3.5°C by 2100. The built environment has a critical role to play in addressing the climate crisis, limiting global warming to 1.5°C and enabling the UK to transition to net zero by 2050. UKGBC is at the forefront of the transition to a net zero, climate resilient and regenerative built environment.

We’re an industry-led network with 700 plus business member organisations spanning the entire built environment value chain. The breadth of knowledge and desire for change across the membership allows us to collaborate to enable and inspire accelerated leadership and action from within. Similarly, the strength of influence from the collective network yields a powerful message to the government; we are able to inform and influence policy at national and local levels.

We are small, yet purpose-driven and ambitious, with c.40 dynamic individuals working together for a better built environment. Trust and communication, self-leadership and self-agency are all key to our successful teamwork and all team members are actively supported in developing the necessary skills for such, as well as their own ongoing personal and professional development. In the post-pandemic ‘new’ world of work, we are committed to developing a healthy, happy and positively engaged working culture; we offer high levels of flexibility and autonomy, and also ensure the whole team is brought together on a regular basis in order to foster a connected and inclusive team dynamic that benefits both individuals and the organisation as a whole.

We are looking for an outstanding director of industry transformation, with the purpose of bringing together research and practices from across industry, academia and civil society, and delivering world-class guidance by facilitating collaborative working between the UKGBC team, members and partners. The successful person will primarily lead and shape UKGBC’s industry-facing programmatic work, which has been catalysing shifts in industry-wide sustainability education and practices since 2007. This work is currently focused on UKGBC’s 2025 strategy impact areas of net-zero carbon, climate resilience and nature.

If you feel like you are the right person to make a sizable impact in this ever-more-purposeful role, read on.

The role

This is a strategic and industry-facing leadership position reporting directly to the chief executive and leading the team responsible for the day-to-day delivery of UKGBC’s interconnected industry transformation programmes – delivering valuable evidence, useful tools and best practice guidance around sustainable built assets to our business members. The role requires collaboration across both the whole internal organisation and across the business network to ensure maximum integration and efficiency, and therefore, impact.

As a director and member of the leadership team, the individual will also be involved in the design and implementation of overall organisational strategy and contribute to the day-to-day operational decision-making.

The right candidate will have extensive experience from an advisory, consultancy, commercial or research background, and will come with significant knowledge of the property and construction industry. Knowledge and understanding of climate change mitigation, climate resilience and adaptation, and nature and biodiversity in a built environment context are required. Passion for UKGBC’s mission and a personal drive to succeed within it is a must.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or any protected characteristic. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and valued. Our commitment to inclusivity means we support flexible work arrangements, ensuring work-life balance for all. We prioritise accessibility and will gladly accommodate any needs upon request, as we believe in providing a barrier-free recruitment process.

We recognise that people of colour, those from different socio-economic backgrounds and those from minoritised groups are currently underrepresented at senior levels within the industry. We’re on the lookout for talented individuals with a wide range of skills and experiences and are eager to welcome candidates from underrepresented groups.

Key responsibilities:

Programmatic oversight (40 per cent):

• in consultation with our members and with reference to wider industry initiatives, identify the tools, support and guidance that built environment businesses need to accelerate the transition to a regenerative built environment
• scope, design and oversee delivery of impactful and income-generating programmes and projects that support industry transformation
• provide director-level oversight of all industry-facing outputs, with priority on climate change mitigation and resilience and nature, whilst also keeping an overview across all other impact areas such as resource use, health and wellbeing and socio-economic impacts, with ultimate accountability for day-to-day decisions, quality control and impact generation
• lead on programme and project management processes and tools prioritising simplicity and efficiency, and ensuring these are fit for purpose in an agile and purpose-driven culture
• work closely with the director of external affairs to ensure full alignment between technical considerations emerging from industry transformation programmes and the policy positions and recommendations adopted by UKGBC with central, devolved and local governments
• work closely with the director of experiential learning and leadership to co-design and co-facilitate opportunities to bring members together across the whole value chain with a view to finding and creating solutions, and engaging in practical collaborative projects that move the mission forwards
• work closely with the director of membership and head of marcomms to ensure the deployment of expertise and content, and to maximise the impact and the value proposition for members and the development and launch of new projects or membership initiatives
• work closely with the heads within the industry transformation team and the director of impact and operations to plan for, measure and evaluate impactful outcomes from each of the industry transformation programmes underway at any given time
• work with the leadership team to facilitate cross-departmental resource allocation  work with the chief executive on outsourcing decisions and third-party appointments

Commercial accountability (20 per cent):

• review and refine the business model for programmatic work at UKGBC – overseeing the funding and resourcing of business-led programme and project work to ensure that it remains self-sufficient and does not impinge on reserves
• work closely with the CEO, director of impact and operations, and director of membership to identify and secure fundraising and commercial partnership opportunities that will unlock programme and project funds
• develop and monitor the departmental plans, budgets and resource schedules for all industry transformation programmes and provide accurate forecasts on a monthly basis
• hold ultimate accountability for the financial and legal management of departmental plans and budgets
• work with CEO and other directors on any major investment or unbudgeted cost decisions for organisation or department

Governance and operational management (10 per cent):

• play a key role in strategic development and implementation of short and long-term organisational and departmental objectives via horizon scanning, risk management, KPI tracking, impact evaluation and day-to-day operational decision-making
• prepare for and participate in board meetings and workshops, and develop authentic relationships with the UKGBC trustees

Leadership and people management (10 per cent):

• day-to-day team management, motivation and empowerment via (yet not exclusive to) resource allocation, regular 1-1s, performance and development conversations, wellbeing check-ins and professional coaching
• team engagement with the vision and strategy via departmental workshops
• prepare for and lead or participate in UKGBC team meetings, socials, workshops and other events
• build strong relationships across the whole UKGBC team, maximise integrated ways of working, act as a role model for our culture and values, and offer leadership, guidance and support
• team recruitment including contract management for incoming secondments, P/T consultants and internships
• lead and operate strategically, and also be hands-on when necessary – adopting a collaborative and problem-solving attitude

Membership, partnerships and profile (20 per cent):

• engage regularly with a large number of UKGBC members to ensure high levels of engagement, significant impact and long-term retention
• identify, target and secure new members in close liaison with the membership team
• conduct regular partner and competitor mapping exercises to identify strategic partnerships that would enhance UKGBC’s ability to achieve short and long-term goals, and play a lead role in negotiating and managing such relationships where appropriate
• build relationships with strategically important industry organisations and potential funding organisations
• represent UKGBC as a spokesperson at industry conferences and events to raise our profile as widely as possible and to promote our key messages to media and other industry outlets

Key competencies:

• highest standards of honesty and integrity
• strong commercial awareness
• ability to develop and maintain strong stakeholder relationships
• exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills
• excellent facilitation skills, with the ability to aid groups with diverse perspectives to build consensus around ambitious and progressive ideas
• excellent research and analytical skills with exemplary standards of quality, accuracy and timeliness
• exemplary planning, organisational and project management skills
• aptitude in agile decision-making and problem-solving
• creativity and problem-solving mindset

Experience, knowledge and qualifications:

• extensive experience in advisory, consultancy, commercial or research roles
• experience of generating income and developing new business, including developing and managing budgets of a similar scale to those outlined in this job description
• significant knowledge of the property and construction industry, ideally encompassing technical understanding of sustainable design and engineering of buildings and/or built environment infrastructure as well as an appreciation of a broad range of development financing models
• deep and wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of climate change mitigation, climate resilience and adaptation, and nature and biodiversity in a built environment context
• degree in relevant sustainability and/or building-related subject or equivalent professional experience
• experience with various research methodologies including qualitative, quantitative and digital
• strong line management and leadership experience in terms of motivating and inspiring team performance
• strong existing network of relevant contacts in UK built environment industry and UK government
• research interests that include the interaction between built environment, sustainability themes and socio-economic impacts and co-benefits

Desirable

• property, construction or sustainability-related professional qualifications such as from RICS, RIBA, IEMA
• experience obtaining funding from corporates/foundations/gov agencies
• knowledge of current and emerging technological innovations
• appreciation of new and alternative business and economic models
• international experience and understanding of sustainable development in different jurisdictions

More details

People: Team of circa ten inc. three/four direct reports. Four other directors across the organisation

Financial: Circa £1m income target, and circa 500k cost budget (excl. staff expenditure). Expenditure, in line with annual budget, up to a maximum of £10k per transaction

Holidays: 28 days per annum pro rata, plus public holidays, plus three days Christmas closure

Please apply for this role via the apply for job button below.

www.ukgbc.org

• Applications have closed.