Head of Environment

Overview

Embankment Group is recruiting on behalf of a well-established environmental and land services business seeking an experienced Head of Environment to lead and grow its national environmental division.

This is a board-level influencing role that combines operational leadership, commercial delivery, and long-term strategic growth. The successful candidate will take responsibility for the performance, direction, and expansion of a multidisciplinary environmental team, ensuring projects are delivered safely, compliantly, and profitably across the UK.

Responsibilities

As the Head of Environment, you will:

• Lead the preparation and delivery of environmental management documentation, including Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMPs), soil and peat strategies.
• Provide senior advisory input on environmental compliance, mitigation, and regulatory risk.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, identifying opportunities for additional services and revenue growth.
• Oversee competitive tenders, framework submissions, and contract negotiations.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to drive a five-year growth strategy.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, and the overall financial performance of the environmental division.
• Oversee multiple concurrent projects, ensuring adherence to health and safety standards.
• Develop internal processes and policies to support operational excellence.
• Line manage department leads across Ecology, Arboriculture, Environmental Land Management, and related disciplines.
• Mentor and develop teams to foster a high-performance, improvement-focused culture.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in leading complex environmental programmes, ideally within consultancy, infrastructure, or public sector environments. Key qualifications and skills include:

• Proven experience delivering large-scale environmental and land management projects from inception to completion.
• Strong understanding of UK environmental legislation and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated success in tendering and business development.
• Financial oversight experience, including budgeting and forecasting.
• Confident stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and senior managers.
• A relevant degree in environmental science, ecology, sustainability, or a related field.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel nationally.
• Professional memberships such as CIEEM, IEMA, or CIWEM (desirable).
• Project management qualifications (desirable).

Day-to-Day

Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Engaging with clients to scope projects, provide expert advice, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Managing the lifecycle of environmental and land-based projects, from tendering to financial close.
• Leading and mentoring teams to ensure operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Monitoring and reporting on the financial and operational performance of the division.
• Collaborating with senior leadership to shape and execute the organisation’s strategic growth plan.
• Ensuring compliance with environmental legislation and health and safety standards across all projects.

Benefits

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape and scale a national environmental function within a growing organisation that is investing heavily in its future capabilities. Benefits include:

• A competitive salary and performance-based incentives.
• The opportunity to influence strategy, growth, and service innovation at a senior level.
• Professional development and career progression opportunities.
• A collaborative and supportive work environment.
• The chance to work on diverse and impactful environmental projects across the UK.

If you are a strategic thinker with a passion for environmental leadership and a proven track record of delivering results, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.