London, Bristol, York, or Newcastle; Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast. Regular travel across the UK will be required.
We are delighted that you are considering the role of Chief Strategy Officer for PackUK (the UK’s new scheme administrator for packaging extended producer responsibility).
You will be a leader at the heart of one of the most important and powerful environmental reforms of our time, shaping and leading a new function that will make a direct contribution to the achievement of net zero by 2050 while boosting the economy.
PackUK launched in January 2025. It brings together talented individuals who are passionate about the circular economy. It will transform our current linear economic model of ‘take, make, use, throw’ into a circular economy. In a circular economy, resources will be kept in use as long as possible, maximising the value gained; resources will be used more efficiently; and waste will be minimised. It will drive economic growth, investment in recycling and reuse infrastructure and create green jobs across the UK.
We are looking to recruit a senior leader who is able to build a high performing, collaborative and integrated team; able to design, establish and run a new organisation that delivers both a high-quality service; and is able to operate as a catalyst for change across the packaging system.
The successful candidate will be someone with direct and extensive experience of the recycling and packaging sectors, including experience working in or with the producers who will be at the heart of this scheme. The success of this scheme will be determined by the ability of the scheme’s leaders to draw on their industry experience and collaborate effectively with our partners across the packaging system to revolutionise the way the UK treats household waste.
Your personal qualities will be just as important as your professional background, as having the ability to drive a positive, inclusive and authentic organisational culture is critical. You will need to take people – both within the organisation and across its wide network of stakeholders - with you by inspiring and empowering people at all levels. You will need to take and adapt best practice in EPR design and operation from around the world.
You will need to be able to connect with people regardless of their background, and you will have excellent networking and collaboration skills to ensure operational excellence and business delivery is achieved in a complex and unpredictable environment as this scheme is newly formed.
About PackUK
UK packaging extended producer responsibility (pEPR) requires obligated packaging producers to pay the full costs of managing the packaging for which they are responsible. The aim is to incentivise them to reduce the use of unnecessary packaging; encourage the use of sustainable design, production and the use of packaging, which will contribute towards improving the effectiveness and efficiency of collection and recycling services; thereby, ensuring a continuous and satisfactory supply of good quality recycled materials. Given recycling is only the beginning of the pEPR journey, you will be expected to identify additional methods that could be used to drive environmental sustainability of packaging, such as the greater re-use and re-fill of packaging.
PackUK is the scheme administrator for pEPR across the UK.
The Role
This is a permanent appointment. The Chief Strategy Officer will report to the Chief Executive of PackUK in Defra but work closely with senior leaders (including analytical leaders) across the four UK nations.
You will be responsible for the areas of PackUK that deal with the development of the fees and payment calculator, overall pEPR and PackUK strategy, and engagement across the packaging value chain and four governments of the UK. This includes teams specifically relating to:
Why Join PackUK
The Chief Strategy Officer at PackUK (the UK’s new scheme administrator for packaging extended producer responsibility) has a once in a life time opportunity to change the way we manage and value our packaging.
Pack UK is a new organisation having launched in January 2025 but is already making a difference driving the move to environmental sustainability for packaging and making a valuable contribution to the circular economy and net zero.
PackUK will shift the cost of managing household packaging waste from taxpayers and local authorities to those businesses who use and supply the packaging, applying the ‘polluter pays’ principle. In turn, it will boost investment into local recycling services supported by communications and behaviour change to bring citizens on the journey, reducing packaging, increasing recycling and encouraging reuse and refill.
PackUK will set pEPR’s fees, raise these fees from obligated producers and make packaging waste disposal payments to local authorities in return for the delivery of efficient and effective collection and recycling services. In doing so, it will deliver a scheme which demonstrates value for money for both producers and citizens.
Pack UK delivers on behalf of the 4 UK Nations and is therefore bringing the expertise of the four UK Nations, sharing best practice between local authorities and producers. Uniting the value chain including producers, local authorities, resource management organisations and environmental groups.
You will be developing and nurturing a team that is drawn from the civil service and industry and sector experts to deliver an empowered group that delivers and strives for continuous improvement bringing change and measurable environmental benefits.
You will demonstrate and understand the importance of respecting and integrating the devolved context that comes with delivering on behalf of all 4 UK Nations ensuring that solutions take account different views among the four governments and which accommodate adjustments in approach where needed.
Key Responsibilities
The responsibilities will include:
You will contribute to setting the strategy for the UK pEPR scheme; working across the four UK nations and with organisations across the recycling and packaging sectors building on pEPR policy statement. You will ensure that all stakeholders including producers, local authorities and any other interested parties are given due consideration through regular engagement and that they are completely involved in the decision making and governance. This in part is how the scheme achieves its goal of establishing an effective circular economy in the use of recyclable packaging.
You will build effective collaboration to synthesise and navigate the requirements of a complex set of stakeholder objectives, to develop an evidence base that will transform and deliver a coherent approach in establishing a circular economy for packaging materials.
You will ensure that evidence and insight that underpins the scheme and its development is robust and improves over time.
You will commission analysis to form the foundation for base fees, local authority payments and fee modulation, using a transparent and rigorous approach within the boundaries of the regulations.
You will work with representatives who are developing sector-led organisations. This will include a planned producer responsibility organisation and a local authority consortium.
2. Communications: You will lead the development and coordination of communications, engagement and public information to ensure that requirements of pEPR are understood and delivered. You will ensure that publications from and by PackUK are produced in an accurate and timely manner including input from governments, stakeholders and any other interested parties. You will ensure that all websites (such as.gov.uk) and any other channels are maintained to their full potential. This will be useful for ensuring business readiness, maximising recycling rates and for obtaining the success rate of desired benefits of pEPR. You will form an alignment with other packaging reforms across the UK, putting in place a programme of communications and campaign activities to steer the cultural and behavioural changes that are needed to fulfil pEPR’s objectives.
3. Modelling: You will ensure that fees and payments for producers and local authorities are calculated in an analytically robust manner. You will ensure they are communicated transparently and against an agreement timeline. You will ensure that the Fees and Payments Calculator is kept up to date and reflects the nature of costs and payments, whilst supporting the environmental objectives of the scheme. You will develop a long-term evidence and data strategy to enable the fees and payment calculator to evolve and improve over time. You will ensure that evidence and analysis is of a high standard and is quality assured with risks; that uncertainties are effectively communicated. You will work closely and effectively with the Fees and Payments Calculator team (within Defra) to ensure we take a joined-up approach; that all evidence and data is realized in a manner and timeframe that allows effective utilization.
4. Packaging System Performance: You will lead the implementation of a range of measures to maximise local authority performance, maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of packaging collection and processing services. You will oversee measures to incentivise service improvement and value for money.
5. Leadership: You will represent the UK pEPR externally and across a range of forums both within the governments of the four UK nations. You will lead the team, mobilise them to deliver the Administrator’s functions and priorities. You will manage performance to ensure the highest standards of consistency and delivery is achieved and maintained. You will work with stakeholders to reflect strategic priorities and direction, including increased industry engagement. You will establish relationships; focus on buy-in from effective involvement with key stakeholders across the recycling and packaging sectors; and across the administrations of the four nations of the UK and their regulators. Provide strategic leadership and accountability in driving scheme values and goals and aligning with net zero objectives. Following the implementation of the Deposit Return Schemes for drinks containers in 2027, you will ensure collaboration between PackUK and other relevant collection and packaging bodies, including future Deposit Management Organisations.
6. Relationship management: You will be responsible for industry engagement forums and future advisory groups. Throughout this you will develop long-term trusted relationships with key stakeholders in the resources and waste industry, including packaging producers, associations, local authorities, regulators and the devolved administration. You will have highly developed knowledge and understanding of devolved context and ideally experience working with the Devolved Governments to develop solutions in a complex area with a landscape, involving multiple stakeholders with differing views. You ideally will have a track record of working with the four nations' governments to develop solutions which take account of different views amount the four governments, and which accommodate adjustments in approach where needed to meet the objectives of each nation within the contact of an overall framework.
Essential criteria
It is important that you provide strong evidence and examples of proven experience in each of the following in your application:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Alongside your salary of £76,000, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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