Job Role: Sustainability Manager
Location: Salisbury (Covering Sites Across England)
Salary: Up to £50,000 + Company Car or Car Allowance
Contract: Permanent, Full-time

Mainstay Recruitment are seeking a skilled and passionate Sustainability Manager to lead environmental and energy management initiatives across multiple Defence contracts for our well known client. This is a high-profile position with significant scope to influence sustainable practices, ensure environmental compliance, and deliver measurable improvements in performance across a diverse and complex estate.

The Role

As a Sustainability Manager, you will act as the subject matter expert on sustainability and environmental management, providing professional leadership and guidance on environmental performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability strategy. You will ensure that all operations and projects meet legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations while identifying opportunities to reduce environmental impact and support MOD sustainability and carbon reduction objectives.

You will lead the ongoing development and continual improvement of ISO 14001 Environmental Management and ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems, ensuring they are fully embedded within business operations. Working collaboratively with teams across all functions, you will promote a culture of sustainability and continuous improvement, ensuring environmental performance is measured, managed, and transparently reported.

The role involves identifying, designing, and delivering sustainability and energy efficiency projects that achieve measurable outcomes in areas such as renewable energy, water conservation, waste reduction, and biodiversity enhancement. You will analyse data, develop business cases, and oversee the implementation of initiatives that provide both environmental and operational benefits.

In addition, the Sustainability Manager will respond to and investigate environmental incidents, ensuring all actions are compliant with contractual and statutory procedures. You will produce detailed reports, liaise with clients, regulators, and end users, and recommend corrective and preventive actions to strengthen environmental performance.

Working closely with operations teams, project managers, and supply chain partners, you will ensure environmental best practices are applied throughout service delivery. You will carry out site inspections, audits, and assurance visits, providing practical guidance and targeted feedback to drive compliance and improvement. You will also develop and deliver sustainability awareness programmes and training to promote environmental responsibility across the workforce.

The role includes maintaining strong working relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders such as the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), regulators, and environmental agencies. Acting as the main point of contact for environmental matters, you will ensure that sustainability goals are met and that operations remain compliant, efficient, and environmentally responsible.

What You’ll Bring

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Environmental Management, Sustainability, or a related field.
• Membership of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) or an equivalent professional body.
• Strong understanding of environmental legislation, sustainability frameworks, and ISO management systems.
• Proven experience in environmental management and sustainable facilities management, ideally within construction or maintenance environments.
• Demonstrable expertise in at least three areas such as energy management, waste reduction, ecology and conservation, contaminated land, or sustainable procurement.
• Excellent analytical skills with experience in data interpretation, reporting, and presenting findings to senior stakeholders.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and engage at all levels.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Full UK driving licence and the ability to travel regularly to sites across England.

Desirable:

• Experience working within MOD, Defence, or other large-scale FM environments.
• A track record of leading environmental campaigns or sustainability forums.

Candidates must be British Nationals due to security and vetting requirements associated with DSTL sites.

What We Offer

• 6% employer-matched pension contribution
• Company car or car allowance
• 25 days annual leave
• Single private medical cover
• One professional subscription per year
• Life assurance (2x annual salary)