Abteilungsleitung Regiebetriebe und Klimaschutz

The core of the job is a dual mandate. As head of the Regiebetriebe department, you lead roughly 33 employees across three in-house trades (painters, gardeners and building services) and, together with the trade managers, steer how those crews are deployed economically. Reliable, quality-conscious handling of maintenance and outdoor area work is framed as the direct route to member satisfaction, so scheduling, cost control and service quality are ongoing duties rather than one-off projects. On the climate side, the role carries the title of Klimaschutzbeauftragter. That involves planning the transformation of the cooperative's heat generation, supervising external service providers on the solar tenant electricity model, and taking responsibility for designing and delivering the company's own climate protection strategy. Add to that the negotiation and conclusion of energy, electricity and other supply contracts. Finally, you are expected to feed your building services knowledge into the strategic, long-term development of the housing stock, which links the day-to-day maintenance decisions to the wider question of how the portfolio is upgraded over time.

Because the role sits between operations and strategy, the learning curve runs in two directions. On the operational side you would deepen your command of technical property management, VOB/B and HOAI processes, and the economics of running in-house trades at scale, including how to balance repair backlogs against budget. On the climate side, the exposure is unusually concrete for a cooperative of this size: planning the replacement or conversion of heat generation, structuring a PV tenant electricity model, and negotiating energy and electricity supply contracts. Those are transferable skills in energy procurement and decentralised generation that are in demand across the housing sector. There is also a leadership dimension. Managing 33 people through trade managers requires delegation and development skills, and the posting mentions regular support through further training, which suggests the cooperative is open to funding qualifications in energy law, climate management or leadership.

The posting is specific about credentials: a completed engineering degree, or alternatively a qualification as a staatlich geprüfte Technikerin or Techniker, or a Meister qualification. On top of that, several years of professional and leadership experience in the housing or real estate sector, combined with solid business management knowledge, is expected. The technical requirement is broad rather than narrow: comprehensive knowledge of technical property management and confident handling of VOB/B and HOAI. The climate element needs practical experience and legal knowledge in energy, sustainability and climate protection, which points to someone who has already worked on heat supply, energy contracts or efficiency measures in buildings. Soft skills are named explicitly: entrepreneurial thinking, high reliability, a structured and solution-oriented working style, strong leadership and social competence, and good communication and teamwork. The closing line about finding meaning in a task that contributes directly to sustainable living spaces signals that motivation for the cooperative's purpose is part of the fit.

The most effective application here will make the dual profile visible from the first line. This is not a pure sustainability role and not a pure operations role, so your CV should show both a team you have led in a technical or property context and concrete climate or energy work. Quantify where you can: how many staff, which trades, which budget, which energy or heating projects. Because the posting names VOB/B and HOAI alongside energy and climate law, prepare examples of contract handling and supply negotiations. If you have worked on heat generation, PV, tenant electricity or efficiency refurbishment, describe the outcome, not just the task. The cooperative's 100-year history and its stated goal of reconciling housing with climate protection suggest that a cover letter linking your technical decisions to member affordability and long-term portfolio value would read well. One practical point deserves attention: the note states that a valid German work permit is required for non-EU citizens and that sufficient German language skills are expected. Since the role involves leading a German-speaking technical team and negotiating contracts, evidence of working-level German belongs in the application. If you are invited to interview, expect questions on how you would prioritise maintenance spending against climate investments in an existing building stock.

The sustainability content of this role is concentrated on the built stock rather than on reporting or communication. The clearest thread is the heat transition: planning how the cooperative's Wärmeerzeugungsanlagen are converted or replaced is the single largest lever on the carbon footprint of a portfolio of more than 10,000 flats. A second thread is decentralised electricity. The role steers external providers on the PV tenant electricity model, which combines on-site generation with a benefit for members, and it owns the negotiation of energy and electricity supply contracts, so procurement decisions are effectively climate decisions here. Third, the role is responsible for the cooperative's own climate protection strategy, which means translating technical measures and contract choices into a coherent plan. The company describes its aim as bringing housing and climate protection into balance, and this position is where that ambition meets the practical constraints of an existing, partly older building stock in Hamburg.

The obvious tension is resource allocation. The department is measured on reliable, quality maintenance that keeps members satisfied, while the climate mandate pushes investment toward heat conversion, solar and efficiency measures that may compete for the same budget. Holding both together without letting either slip is likely the central difficulty. A second challenge is technical and regulatory. Converting heat generation in an occupied portfolio involves legal requirements, tenant communication and coordination with external providers, and energy supply contracts must be negotiated in a market where prices and framework conditions shift. The posting's emphasis on energy and climate law knowledge suggests this is not a peripheral part of the job. Third, leading 33 people across three trades through managers requires consistency and clear prioritisation. Add the practical reality of an existing building stock, where what is technically desirable is not always immediately feasible, and the role demands patience as much as technical judgement.

A day here would likely alternate between people, numbers and projects. Mornings might involve coordination with the trade managers on staffing, order backlogs and problem cases in maintenance or outdoor areas, plus decisions on costs and external contractors. Member-facing quality issues can surface at short notice and often set the tone of the day. Climate work tends to run in parallel: meetings with external service providers on the PV tenant electricity model, review of heat generation planning, or preparation and negotiation of energy and supply contracts. Because the strategy responsibility sits with this role, some time goes to drafting or refining the climate protection roadmap and aligning it with the cooperative's investment planning. Later in the day, there may be internal meetings with other departments on portfolio development or refurbishment projects, and one-to-one conversations with staff. The mix is not fixed; weeks with contract deadlines or project milestones will look different from weeks dominated by operational issues.

The role is already a department head position with a formal climate mandate, so vertical growth within the cooperative is limited in the short term, though strong performance could open doors to broader technical or portfolio responsibility as the climate strategy matures. The more immediate growth is horizontal: deepening expertise in energy procurement, heat transition and decentralised generation while running a substantial operational unit. The visibility is a real asset. Climate protection strategy for a portfolio of this size is a topic that reaches the board and the membership, so successful projects such as heat conversion or the tenant electricity model become reference work. That kind of demonstrable outcome travels well in the German housing and energy sectors. Development is also likely through the leadership side: managing 33 employees via trade managers builds experience that translates into larger operational or divisional roles. The posting's mention of regular further training suggests qualifications in energy law, climate management or leadership could be supported.

Internally, the closest working relationships are with the trade managers who run the painters, gardeners and building services crews, and through them with the 33 department employees. You would also work with other departments on portfolio development, refurbishment planning and finance, since budget and investment decisions cut across the climate and maintenance agendas. Externally, energy suppliers and other utility providers are central, given the responsibility for negotiating supply contracts. Service providers implementing the PV tenant electricity model and partners involved in heat generation projects are also regular contacts, and technical or legal advisers may be needed on regulatory questions. Member interaction is less direct but present in spirit: the department's work on maintenance and outdoor areas feeds member satisfaction, and climate measures such as tenant electricity touch members' bills. Board-level reporting on the climate strategy is a further stakeholder relationship that comes with the mandate.