About the role
We have an exciting opportunity for a dedicated and experienced professional to lead Cambridgeshire’s Waste Operations service at a pivotal time. This leadership role, available on a temporary basis until the end of May 2026 (with the potential for extension), offers the chance to shape and manage one of the county’s most essential environmental services. Operating as part of the Place and Sustainability extended leadership team, the role is central to delivering high-quality waste services that support sustainable economic development, protect and enhance the environment, and serve communities across Cambridgeshire. Reporting directly to the Service Director for Environment, Planning and Economy, the successful candidate will play a key role in the strategic development and operational delivery of waste management at a county-wide level.

INTERVIEWS WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY 23RD JULY 2025 AT NEW SHIRE HALL, ALCONBURY WEALD.

What will you be doing?
As Head of Service, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across a broad portfolio, including waste services management, commercial and contract oversight, performance and assurance, and waste reduction strategy. You will ensure services are delivered safely, cost-effectively, and in line with legislative requirements. You will be the Council’s lead for the RECAP partnership (supporting the RECAP Waste Partnership Manager) and will work collaboratively with internal teams, elected members, and external stakeholders such as Defra, the Environment Agency, and local authorities. Your responsibilities will also include overseeing business planning, financial and resource management, risk governance, and the development of waste education and minimisation initiatives. You will play a key role in shaping policy, driving innovation, and ensuring that services are responsive to the needs of Cambridgeshire’s communities.
About you
We are seeking a strategic and forward-thinking leader with a strong background in waste management or a related field. You will have extensive knowledge of relevant legislation, policy frameworks, and contract management, including experience with PFI arrangements. You will demonstrate excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at all levels and foster effective partnerships. A degree or equivalent professional experience is essential, and membership of a relevant professional body such as CIWM is desirable. You will be committed to inclusive leadership, continuous improvement, and delivering services that make a tangible difference.
About us
Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.
Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.
We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network ‘IDEAL’ and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.
Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers
Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage…

• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
• Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards
• An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes

Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more

Please refer the Job description for details