Principal Sustainability Officer

Westminster City Council
Principal Sustainability Officer
Reference: WCC623226
Salary range: £56,436- £62,742 per annum. Salary negotiable depending upon experience
Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6QP
Hours per week: 36
Contract type: Temporary up to 12 months Closing date: 20 February 2026
Interview date: Week commencing 23 February - 6 March 2026
About Us:
THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF SERENA'S VISION Regeneration, Economy and Planning in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where innovative and open-minded people bring everything to the cause. Even expertise from surprising places. Take Serena. She is an absolute force of nature at the heart of our Church Street regeneration. And she puts the residents first in everything. Serena's vision is clear. Regeneration isn't just about bricks and concrete. It's about communities. It's about the environment. It's about the lives of people and how they feel about where they call home. Serena is their advocate, making sure residents' voices aren't just heard, but drive the changes we're making. The future is safe in her hands. The Role:
As Principal Sustainability Officer you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster's success. These are exciting and challenging times for our organisation, and we've set ourselves ambitious goals for achieving net-zero carbon emissions - the target dates are 2030 for the Council and 2040 for the City of Westminster - and when you join us you'll play a vital role in the work we're doing. Working to ensure that exemplary standards of sustainability are incorporated into our Town Planning functions, you'll also support the delivery of the Climate Emergency Action Plan's priorities and projects, and the development of sustainability policies. Building positive relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders as you promote collaborative efforts towards our climate emergency goals, you'll provide guidance and training on sustainability issues to your colleagues in the Design, Construction and Sustainability team and our Town Planning service. Responsible for negotiating major schemes and advising on technical areas such as embodied carbon, whole life carbon, the circular economy, energy assessments and retrofit, we'll also expect you to negotiate for high-profile cases in relation to submissions for sustainability matters. You'll have a wide range of additional responsibilities - these include leading on cross-department collaborations through talks, workshops and continuing professional development sessions, supporting the effectiveness of policy frameworks, and contributing to an evidence base for any future local policy development. You may also be asked to prepare appeal statements and give evidence at hearings, create green job opportunities as part of the Climate Action Plan refresh, and lead projects that deliver improvements on issues such as renewable energy, water management, waste upcycling and material reuse.
About You:
When you join us in this important role you'll bring all your knowledge and understanding of built environment sustainability and climate change issues, including an awareness of environmental legislation, policies and working practices such Green Buildings certifications, Building Regulations, Energy Performance certificates, Whole Life Carbon modelling and Circular Economy principles. It's vital that you're ready to advise and build positive working relationships with senior colleagues, councillors, our communities and other organisations, and possess the confidence to work with complex information and data. We'll look for well developed scoping, planning and project management skills, and the ability to approach tasks from a fresh perspective, challenge established ways of working and plan ahead. Ready to build excellent relationships with everyone you work with, foster an ethos of collaborative teamwork, and communicate effectively to implement project deliverables, you'll be happy to work under pressure while prioritising tasks and managing tight deadlines. An independent, proactive and strategic thinker, you should also possess astute political awareness and extensive knowledge of statutory requirements, codes of practice, industry and best practice developments concerning Sustainability, Net Zero and Carbon Emissions reductions and the Circular Economy. When it comes to qualifications we'll look for a degree in a relevant field - for example in architecture, structural engineering, building services or environmental engineering, and a post-graduate qualification or chartership in a related area would be desirable. It goes without saying that you'll possess strong communication skills with the ability to write clear and persuasive reports, project proposals and committee reports, and you should also be capable of coaching, developing and mentoring less experienced members of our teams. Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role. The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a Global Majority (GM), people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities' (formally known as B.A.M.E , Black, Asian and multiple ethnic) background and, while the role is open to all applicants, we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments.
What We Offer:
Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council's strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city's future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe. At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working. The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application , we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.
Closing date: 20 February 2026
Interview date: Week commencing 23 February - 6 March 2026 We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.