Waste Project Officer

Overview

Are you passionate about improving waste services and driving impactful environmental change? We’re looking for a proactive and driven Waste Projects Officer to help shape the future of our Waste Management Services. This role plays a key part in improving and developing services such as bio‑waste treatment, Household Recycling Centres and other waste‑related initiatives. Working collaboratively across internal teams, suppliers and partners, you’ll contribute to a more efficient, effective and value‑for‑money waste service for our community.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

In this varied and dynamic role, you will:

• Drive service improvements within Waste Management, ensuring contracts deliver great value and perform to the standards our customers expect.
• Lead and support projects using PRINCE2 methodology, working on everything from infrastructure upgrades to future service development.
• Monitor and evaluate performance, making sure contract compliance and service quality remain consistently high.
• Create technical plans, designs and reports that help shape key decisions across the service.
• Manage risks proactively, keeping documentation up‑to‑date and ensuring stakeholders are fully informed.
• Collaborate with suppliers, identifying opportunities to improve business processes, environmental performance and efficiency.
• Support business planning, feeding into policy development, strategic direction and commissioning activities.
• Help secure external funding, working with partners to prepare competitive bids.
• Contribute to major programmes, supporting budget monitoring, reporting and long‑term planning.

You’ll join a supportive team where your professional judgment is trusted, and where you can lead on meaningful pieces of work that directly impact local residents and the environment.

Any-Desk:
As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

You’ll thrive in this role if you’re someone who enjoys variety, collaboration and driving practical improvements.

We’re looking for someone who can bring:

• Experience in waste management, with an understanding of waste hierarchy principles.
• Strong project planning and organisational skills, with the ability to meet targets and manage multiple deadlines.
• Confidence in evaluating data, monitoring contractor performance and maintaining accurate records.
• Strong analytical skills, able to assess issues, identify solutions and manage risks.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently and sensitively with stakeholders.
• Good ICT capability, ideally including MS Project and Visio (AutoCAD experience is a bonus).
• A project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2)
• Degree level education or equivalent experience

Please refer to the job summary attached for full details about the role.

Other information

You must have a full driving licence and access to your own vehicle.

To find out more information about the role, please contact: [email protected] 

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/