Sustainability Researcher

Flexible location base: Birmingham, London, Dublin

You will be part of our terrific Group Team, playing an important role in ensuring the Group is ready for the evolving sustainability legislative landscape in Europe by researching the legislation, identifying areas for improvement in Grafton’s programme and developing policies and processes to respond and ensure we are delivering against our commitments in a pragmatic manner.  

 This is a one year opportunity for an ambitious and motivated candidate with excellent research and communication skills in an area that is incredibly topical for businesses across Europe.  

 This role is full time but with a degree of flexibility available. Standard working hours are 9-5pm however we are happy to consider some flexibility.

 Key Responsibilities  

*         Researching EU legislation and guidance in particular Reporting, Deforestation and Due diligence.  

*         Identifying strengths and gaps in our current sustainability programme through engagement across the business and assessment of peers 

*         Developing policies and processes needed to ensure that Grafton is ready to respond to this legislation in good time and in a pragmatic manner.  

*         Developing a plan for reporting against the legislation  

*         Prepare sustainability content for the 2024 annual report and accounts 

*         Support Group Sustainability Team on other projects as needed 

Job Requirements

People skills/Qualities 

*         Proactive and practical approach with a willingness to deliver projects;  

*         Enjoy working with range of different people, learning and continued development; 

*         Strong communicator with the ability to work with colleagues and management; 

*         Proactive and capable of directing own work and work alone; 

*         A pragmatic and flexible attitude and a willingness to assist with a range of different tasks; 

*         Consistent performance under pressure while remaining calm and self-assured; 

*         Disciplined, highly organised, detailed and focused on quality work; 

*         Strong attention to detail. 

 Analytical and Technical Skills 

*         Excellent research skills  

*         Ability to simplify complex information into clear and practical guidance 

*         Ability to prioritise tasks and issues 

*         Excellent written and verbal communication skills to ensure policies and procedures are clear, logical and communicated effectively 

*         Interest in sustainability issues including human rights, labour standards, carbon accounting 

Benefits of joining Grafton Group plc 

*         An employer which champions diversity, equality and inclusion and has strong core values that we make everyday decisions with.

*         25 days holiday (excluding bank holidays) with an option to purchase an additional 5 days

*         Company pension with 3% employer contributions and 5% employee via a salary sacrifice scheme which can be increased to a total of 9% company and 11% employee contributions

*         All colleagues receive a company paid Private Health Cash plan, which also allows the addition family members, helping to support the cost of everyday healthcare

*         Full Life Assurance cover for all employees 

*         Colleague Discount card covering all businesses within Grafton Group

*         Instant access to hundreds of retail discounts and cashback opportunities through our benefits portal

*         Our free confidential Employee Assistance Programme offers practical, impartial support on everyday matters ranging from medical, financial, legal to home and family issues

Who We Are & What We Stand For

At Grafton, we pride ourselves in our people and put diversity, equality and inclusion at the forefront of our recruitment process. We realise how important and valuable it is to have a diverse workforce and of the benefits that this brings.  We place great importance on the communities that we operate in. We undertake many local community and charitable support projects and have high levels of longevity within our Teams. We are keen to hear from candidates who are proud to work for a socially responsible company.

We also have many sustainability initiatives on our roadmap to ensure we are operating in ways that are environmentally and socially aware.

We are keen to hear from candidates who share in these values, who are keen to build a career that can grow and develop with our support over time and who have a passion for making a difference.

We also realise that no candidate will meet every single desired qualification on our job requirements so even if your experience looks a little different from what we have identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we would love to learn more about you.

Company Overview             

Grafton Group is an international business that distributes building materials to tradespeople in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Finland and operates in the DIY, Home and Garden retailing market in Ireland. We also manufacture dry mortar and staircases in the UK. We are a FTSE 250 listed business and what we do is central to the building, construction and renovation industries across Europe creating the places that we live, work and play and working collaboratively to make this industry more sustainable.