About The Role

Job Title: Head of Energy from Waste (EFW)
Type: Full Time, Permanent
Salary: c£ 100,000 + bonus & incentives
Location: LondonEnergy, EcoPark, Edmonton

About LondonEnergy

LondonEnergy operates the second largest waste contract in the UK, handling and processing nearly 750,000 tonnes of London’s waste every year. We have a dedicated team of people working across our various North London sites, making a positive difference to the environment and the local community.

By processing household waste at our facilities, we produce enough energy from waste to power 80,000 homes every year and recycle 70% of items through our Reuse and Recycling Centres.

About the role

This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for the safe, reliable and efficient operation of LondonEnergy’s Energy from Waste facility , leading approximately 130 employees across operations, maintenance and technical functions.

You will maximise plant performance, waste throughput and electricity generation while maintaining the highest standards of safety, environmental compliance and operational reliability. You will also lead the workforce through a significant period of organisational transition, ensuring capability, engagement and resilience are maintained.

This is not a decommissioning role . It is a production leadership role focused on maximising the performance of a strategic public-service asset during the final years of its operational life.

The successful candidate will protect operational performance, raise standards, lead people and manage complexity while ensuring LondonEnergy continues to deliver safe, reliable and efficient Energy from Waste operations.

Responsibilities

Lead safe, compliant and reliable operations across the Energy from Waste facility, maintaining the highest standards of health, safety, environmental performance and regulatory compliance while maximising waste throughput and electricity generation.
Provide strategic operational and maintenance leadership , ensuring the plant operates efficiently and reliably, with robust contingency, resilience and business continuity arrangements in place to manage ageing infrastructure and operational challenges.
Lead asset management and maintenance strategy , balancing operational risk, reliability, cost and investment to maximise asset availability and performance throughout the remaining operational life of the facility.
Lead workforce capability and organisational transition , ensuring the facility retains the skills, capacity and succession needed to maintain safe and effective operations while supporting workforce movement and the wider transition to the new Energy Recovery Facility.
Build and lead a high-performing, engaged workforce , fostering a culture of safety, accountability, trust and continuous improvement, while maintaining constructive relationships with employees, trade unions and key stakeholders.
Drive operational performance and continuous improvement , using key safety, environmental, operational and financial measures to identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce costs, manage risk and maximise operational effectiveness.
Provide senior stakeholder leadership and accountability , working closely with the Operations Director, Head of ERF and wider leadership team, while representing the Energy Centre with regulators, contractors, partners and other external stakeholders.

Key Accountabilities

Safe and compliant operation of the Energy from Waste facility.
Delivery of agreed operational and financial objectives.
Effective management of operational and asset-related risks.
Maintenance of workforce capability, engagement and resilience.
Supporting organisational transition and eventual facility closure activities.

Requirements

Senior leadership experience in a highly regulated industrial, operational or process environment, with a proven track record of leading large technical or operational teams and delivering improvements in safety, reliability and performance.
Strong operational and asset management expertise , including experience managing ageing industrial assets, maintenance strategies, operational risk and business continuity.
Experience leading organisational change and workforce transition , including maintaining capability, engagement, succession and resilience during periods of uncertainty or significant change.
Experience working constructively with recognised trade unions , with the ability to build trust and maintain effective employee and stakeholder relationships.
Relevant industry experience , ideally within Energy from Waste, Energy Recovery, power generation, utilities or a comparable regulated process industry, with experience of facility closure or decommissioning desirable.
Strong knowledge of health, safety and environmental requirements , including relevant industrial legislation and regulatory compliance, with NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent.
Exceptional leadership and communication skills , with the resilience, judgement and decisiveness to balance short-term operational delivery with long-term organisational, workforce and business objectives.