Sustainability Manager

Sustainability Manager

SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER FURTHER PARTICULARS

Sustainability Manager

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Contents 1. Role summary

2. The University of Birmingham – a bold and influential university • Excellence in education • Campus developments • Global outlook • Exceptional research • Cultural assets • The city of Birmingham

3. Estates Office 4. Job description • Summary of role • Main Duties / Responsibilities 5. Renumeration 6. Person Specification 6. Appointment process and how to apply

Sustainability Manager

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1. Role Summary We are committed to enhancing the sustainability of our operations, teaching, learning and research. Staff, across a number of functions, and students work together to make this happen. The Estates Office has the mandate from the University Executive Board to manage our approach to sustainability and is responsible for the operation of the Sustainable Task Group “STG” that co- ordinates activities; championed by Trevor Payne, Director of Estates. The object of this post is to head up University sustainability and provide the necessary leadership, co-ordination and promotion with a particular emphasis on sustainability in our £1bn+ capital programme. Further information about the Estate and our future plans can be viewed at; www.birmingham.ac.uk/building

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2. The University of Birmingham - a bold and influential university

With more than 8,000 staff and 32,000 students, the University of Birmingham was the first civic university in the UK. Our heritage as the original ‘redbrick’ is combined with one of the most compelling and ambitious agendas in higher education. We have a clear vision for the future, ambitious leadership, world-class academic strengths, and a secure financial base. Being named The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2013–2014 recognised a transformative time in our history, characterised by innovative initiatives such as our much-emulated unconditional offers strategy for exceptional students and our highly successful ‘Birmingham Fellows’ programme for early-career academics. Birmingham is a leading member of the Russell Group and a founder member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities of which our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Eastwood, is the current Chair. In October 2015, we launched our Strategic Framework 2015–2020, Making Important Things Happen. This provides the framework for another period of development and transformation as we seek to capitalise on our academic range and financial strength as well as the opportunities that emerge in the fast-changing global HE environment. Excellence in education The league table rises we have secured in recent years have led to us becoming an increasingly popular destination for the best and brightest students. Our student population has increased by over 4,000 since 2009/10, and we now have over 20,000 undergraduate and 14,000 postgraduate students. Nearly 5,000 of these are from overseas, making ours the second largest international postgraduate population in the UK. Our student satisfaction levels have risen significantly to 88% for overall satisfaction, placing us as one of the best universities of our type. Our highly successful work to support our students in securing graduate-level employment after their studies with us was recognised in 2015 when we were awarded The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year for Graduate Employment. At 86.7%, our rate of graduate employability is the fourth highest in the UK, and a result of the much-copied Birmingham model for employability. Campus developments Our annual turnover has grown to more than £680 million, and we make use of our financial strength to invest in the intellectual and physical future of the University. Over the past three years, some £250 million has been invested in the Birmingham campus, including a major sports centre and outstanding new student accommodation. Our state-of-the-art Student Services Hub opened in October 2015 and includes facilities for our Careers Network, Student Services and Registry, as well as a suite of one-to-one consultation rooms and a 250-seat lecture theatre. The Hub is based at the heart of campus in the Aston Webb Building and sits between the stunning Elgar Concert Hall and the magnificent Great Hall, venue for our graduations. Our new £59 million technology-rich main library opened in 2016 and provides outstanding facilities for a new generation of students and researchers. The new library houses an increased number of study spaces, flexible training rooms, and A/V listening and video editing booths. Our new £55 million sports centre, opened in 2017, will include the city’s first 50-metre swimming pool – an asset not only for our students and staff but for the wider community.

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We are currently finalising the next phase of our estates strategy, which will see a further £300 million invested into projects such as the new Collaborative Teaching Laboratory, which brings together practical teaching activities across a broad range of science and engineering disciplines, with a new state-of-the-art facility which opened in 2018. This means we will not only have best-in-class teaching lab facilities for our students, but a transformed curriculum. This, and many other developments, will enrich the student experience, and continue to strengthen our intellectual environment. Global outlook Rated 76th in the most recent QS World University Rankings, the University has a significant international presence. As well as a large international student community undertaking courses at Birmingham, our vibrant Study Abroad programmes attract students from around the world to spend time in Birmingham. We have made a significant investment to support partnership development with leading universities and key public and private organisations in Brazil. This has created joint research fellowships, visiting scholars, and a large, vibrant community of Brazilian PhD students on campus. Exceptional research The University is one of the UK’s most successful institutions in terms of attracting research funding. We have a portfolio of 2,613 live projects with an award value to the University of £574 million. Our research record speaks for itself. REF2014 showed that more than 80% of all research carried out at Birmingham is rated as internationally excellent or world-leading, as well as showing that 87% of our research activity has a global impact, demonstrating our continued academic success across a broad range of areas. Supported by a major gift from a philanthropist, the University has developed a unique institute for forest research (BIFOR) which will investigate the effect of rapid climate change on tree canopy development and pathogens. Our substantive links with industry include receiving a £60 million investment from Rolls-Royce and HEFCE for the world-leading High Temperature Research Centre. In 2014, the University secured one of the four national quantum technology hubs, an £80 million initiative which focuses on technology transfer from fundamental science to application. In 2015, the government announced a £60 million investment into the Midlands Energy Research Accelerator, which is led by the University in partnership with other Midlands universities to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the global economy by transforming research and development in three critical areas of energy: Thermal, Integrated Systems and Geo-Energy. Cultural assets The University’s many cultural assets take in the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon, which has direct working links with the Royal Shakespeare Company and enhances the educational opportunities available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students; the Ironbridge Institute in Shropshire, and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts – our own art gallery that houses works by many of the greatest artists in the western tradition. The Edgbaston campus also includes Winterbourne House and Garden, a unique Edwardian heritage attraction that is home to more than 6,000 plant species from around the world. Our cultural profile was significantly enhanced with the opening of The Bramall music building in 2013, funded through generous benefactions. This houses the Elgar Concert Hall, named after our first Professor of Music, Sir Edward Elgar, and is a striking venue that complements our global reputation in music, attracting some of the most talented musicians from across the world to study here.

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The city of Birmingham Birmingham is the UK’s second biggest city and a major European centre. It is a city of historical interest and contemporary vision and has a rich and diverse community that creates a vibrant, multicultural and exciting place to live and work. It is home to the internationally renowned Birmingham Royal Ballet and one of the world’s greatest concert venues, the Symphony Hall. The City Museum and Art Gallery houses the world’s finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, alongside a major collection of old masters, modern and contemporary pictures. The stunning New Street station redevelopment opened in 2015; this provides links to the University’s own dedicated railway station, and will be at the centre of the proposed high-speed rail network. London is 80 minutes away by shuttle service, with trains every 20 minutes. The remarkable Grand Central shopping and restaurant complex sits above the station, and is just a short walk from the iconic Bullring, one of the largest dedicated shopping facilities in Europe. Sports and recreation are also well served; the city offers international test cricket, high-level football, international championship golf and top-class rugby. As a multicultural city, Birmingham is also renowned for the breadth of its cuisine and has more Michelin starred restaurants than any other English city outside London. Birmingham is within an hour’s drive of Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds. From Birmingham Airport, more than 50 different airlines operate scheduled services to 100 destinations worldwide. 3. Estates Office The University estate consists of two main sites (Edgbaston & Selly Oak), along with properties at Stratford on Avon, Ansty, Coniston, Ironbridge, Dubai and our High Temperature Research Centre. Those sites accommodate the majority of the core academic and residential facilities that support the work of the University. The facilities extend to approximately half-a-million square meters of floors space in over 200 buildings, and over 250 acres of grounds and sports fields. The Estates Office is responsible for developing, maintaining and operating those facilities to support the changing needs of our staff, students and partners - and for enhancing the quality of the environment for work and study. 4. Job description Summary of Role You will need to obtain and retain the trust and confidence of colleagues across the university to provide the leadership and co-ordination of the University’s approach to sustainability. You will: • Work across the University to lead and coordinate our approach to sustainability including aligning our activities with Sustainable Development Goals. • Ensure the sustainability of our £ multi-million capital programme and support the staff involved in this endeavour including external consultants and advisors, particularly Sustainability Advisors working as part of project teams, as well as SKA assessors. • Be the “go-to” person for advice and guidance on sustainability, coordinating activities of a large number of academic and professional staff, students and key stakeholders. • Ensure the effective operation of the Sustainability Task Group.

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Main Duties / Responsibilities Strategy and policy • Implement the University’s Sustainability Policy, Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan and obtain the commitment of others. • Periodically review the Strategy, Policy and Action Plan. You need to ensure that the timescale is medium / long-term, gaps are identified and recommendations made for amending and updating after consulting staff, students and stakeholders. You will be expected to use your expertise and experience to make significant contributions to the direction of travel and the content of policy, strategy and action plans. • Promote the embedding of sustainability considerations into the day-to-day business of the University, proactively identifying (both own and others’ ideas) and exploiting opportunities to do so. • Ensure a robust approach is taken to sustainability in capital projects maximising the benefits for the allocated resource and ensuring the engagement of a multitude of stakeholders. • Keep abreast of current thinking and developments in sustainability and HE to ensure the relevancy of the approach taken. Educate, advise and increase the capabilities of members of the University, including the Sustainability Task Group. Monitoring and Reporting • Develop appropriate metrics by which sustainability performance, including fiscal, and our alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals and can be benchmarked and measured. • Report on progress towards achieving the metrics and Sustainability Devel- opment Goals to Sustainable Task Group, as well as internal and external audiences. Reporting will be at many levels including to University Executive Board and Council. • Prepare annual reports and periodic updates, including publications intended for an external audience. • Collate, analyse and interpret a wide range of >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10

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