Job Description

Head of Climate Action & Social Value

The City of London Corporation has a special role and a wide remit that goes beyond that of an ordinary local authority. We look after the City on behalf of everyone who lives, works, studies and visits here, and are committed to promoting opportunity, diversity, innovation, heritage and so much more.

The City Corporation is the sole trustee of City Bridge Foundation, a 900-year-old charity that supports and maintains the City’s five bridges – Tower, London, Southwark, Millennium and Blackfriars. Since 1995 the charity has used surplus funds to award grants to charitable organisations, distributing more than £900m for the benefit of disadvantaged communities. The charity’s long-term strategy, Bridging London 2020–2045, commits to taking meaningful action on climate change, building climate resilience and delivering social value.

When you join City Bridge Foundation in this exciting new role it will be your task to shape, embed and champion the charity’s work, and bring together the Foundation’s duties as bridge owner, funder and visitor attraction. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the strategic implementation and ongoing review of the Climate Action Plan
• Project managing the implementation of priority workstreams
• Actively leading operational governance across delivery of the plan
• Coordinating data management and reporting across the charity’s climate action work
• Commissioning research or carbon reporting to identify priority interventions
• Developing fully costed businesses cases for major investments
• Producing presentations, reports and agendas for briefings and events
• Leading efforts to obtain sustainability certifications and accreditations
• Developing training material and learning resources
• Providing guidance to your colleagues during the development of capital programmes
• Advising on compliance for relevant legislation, regulation and reporting requirements
• Leading a comprehensive process to develop and embed the charity’s Social Value Framework
• Ensuring social value and climate action workstreams are closely aligned
• Leading stakeholder engagement with communities, partners and sector peers
• Identifying, developing and progressing strategic partnerships
• Ensuring responsible procurement is embedded across supplier relationships
• Leading the delivery of an existing portfolio of social value programmes
• Establishing monitoring and learning processes across social value activities
• Supporting efforts to position City Bridge Foundation as a leader on climate action and social value
• Keeping up to speed with industry trends and networking across similar sectors

Educated to degree level in environmental management, environmental science, a similar discipline or with significant experience and evidence of CPD in sustainability or social value issues, you’ll have developed and implemented sustainability, climate action and social value strategies in a role with a charity, public sector or corporate organisation. Capable of providing stakeholders with evidence‑based advice, and with a track record of delivering successful engagement activities and projects, you’ll also have well developed experience of working in a complex organisation and promoting climate action and social value projects.

Capable of managing suppliers, building external partnerships and networks, and of using best practice to inform your work, your strong leadership skills will allow you to drive and deliver successful cultural change throughout our organisation. It goes without saying that you’ll possess a strong understanding of climate change, sustainability and resilience, and you should also have good knowledge of social value concepts in a public, charitable or civic setting. Analytical, strategic and with excellent communication skills, we’ll also expect you to be a natural problem solver and confident user of MS Office and other IT systems.

Everyone who works for the City Corporation and City Bridge Foundation is encouraged to grow their skills and capabilities, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities for learning and development, with access to a wide range of in-house and external courses. You’ll also enjoy a competitive salary, the security of the local government pension scheme, and a number of additional benefits including an interest free annual season ticket loan and bicycle loan, and free or discounted entry to many of the City’s gyms, art galleries, cinemas and other attractions.

The City Corporation and City Bridge Foundation are committed to equal opportunities and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.

The City of London Corporation is currently undergoing a programme to ensure that our pay and reward practices are competitive and equitable across the whole organisation, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the work that we do.

Closing date: 23:59pm on 31 August 2026

Interviews will be held on 9 September 2026