Head of Climate Action & Social Value

City Bridge Foundation has ambitious carbon reduction targets, having adopted the Climate Action Strategy of our trustee, the City of London Corporation. 

The City Corporation is committed to achieving net zero in its operations by 2027, its full value chain by 2040 and to build climate resilience across its work and assets.

The charity’s climate action work is closely aligned to our social value agenda. For City Bridge Foundation, social value means improving outcomes for Londoners through how we operate, invest and use our influence as a major funder and civic institution. 

This includes ensuring our bridges are welcoming, inclusive and accessible public spaces; embedding equity and opportunity into capital programmes; promoting community connection, resilience and wellbeing; and supporting high-quality placemaking that enhances the public realm and strengthens links between bridges, neighbourhoods and the river.

The Head of Climate Action & Social Value is a new role for the charity. The successful candidate will be responsible for shaping, embedding and championing City Bridge Foundation’s climate action, sustainability and social value work. 

Bringing together our core charitable roles as a bridge owner, funder and visitor attraction (Tower Bridge), the post holder will be primarily responsible for:

1. Managing the strategic implementation of City Bridge Foundation’s Climate Action Plan to deliver net zero emissions, build climate resilience and support the broader green transition across London.
2. Leading the development and delivery of the charity’s new social value strategy, providing strategic leadership on social value to ensure it is clearly defined, measurable and integrated across City Bridge Foundation’s activities.

• 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 Continuing Professional Development 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.

City Bridge Foundation is 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.

City Bridge Foundation and its trustee the City of London Corporation are committed to Equal Opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. 

We reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive a high number of applications. 

Interviews will be held on Wednesday, 9 September 2026

To learn more, please visit the City of London Corporation’s application portal, where you can download more information and complete an application.

Apply by 11.59pm on Friday, 31 August 2026