Sustainability Lead

As the first dedicated sustainability hire, you will hold the pen on Summit's environmental and social agenda. The role involves identifying and creating workable sustainability metrics that suit a small manufacturing operation without embedding excessive bureaucracy. The immediate mission is likely to be about defining baselines and getting a handle on energy, water and waste data that may not have been systematically tracked before. From there, you will be expected to turn numbers into a roadmap and drive practical improvements across the site and supply chain. Long-term objectives will include working towards relevant sustainability standards or certification, embedding sustainability into commercial conversations with veterinary practices, and building internal awareness so that sustainability becomes part of everyday decision-making rather than a side project. You will also be responsible for reporting progress to senior leadership and, where appropriate, external stakeholders, which means the role has a strong communication dimension alongside the analytical work.

Because this is a newly created position, the responsibilities will evolve as the company matures. A significant part of the mission is shaping the role itself and making the case for the resources and attention sustainability needs in a growing business.

You can expect to gain deep exposure to carbon accounting and utilities monitoring in a manufacturing context, which is a valuable and transferable skill set. Building up the company's environmental metrics from scratch will sharpen your ability to design measurement frameworks that are credible and proportionate, rather than simply maintaining an existing system. This is a rare chance to learn what it actually takes to implement sustainability in a small business, including the constraints and trade-offs that large consultancies rarely expose you to. Working across operations, commercial and marketing teams will develop your influencing and internal communication skills, particularly in translating technical data into language that non-specialists can act on. In the veterinary pharmaceutical sector, you will also build niche knowledge of cascade manufacturing, regulated packaging and supply chain issues that are hard to replicate elsewhere. Mentorship may be limited in a small organisation, so much of the learning will be self-driven, but you will likely have direct access to senior leadership, which accelerates your understanding of how sustainability decisions are made at board level.

The ideal candidate likely has a few years of experience in a sustainability, environmental or ESG role, ideally with some exposure to industrial or manufacturing environments. You should be comfortable working with data: energy, water, waste and carbon figures need to be collected, verified and turned into reports that leadership can trust. A relevant degree or qualification in environmental science, sustainability or engineering would be helpful, though practical experience and a track record of delivering initiatives probably counts for more. Soft skills matter heavily here. Summit describes itself as a collaborative, values-driven business, so the ability to influence colleagues in operations, commercial and marketing without formal authority is critical. You will need to be pragmatic and solutions-oriented, because a small company cannot afford sustainability proposals that are all ambition and no operational feasibility. Sector experience in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, life sciences or veterinary services is listed as advantageous but not essential. What seems more important is a genuine interest in applying sustainability thinking to a niche area of animal health and a willingness to be hands-on in a business where you may be the only sustainability professional.

Because this is a newly created role in a 48-person company, your application should demonstrate that you understand the difference between sustainability in a large corporate and in a small manufacturer. Rather than listing every framework you know, focus on concrete examples where you built a metric, changed a process or persuaded colleagues to act. Quantify outcomes where possible; Summit will want evidence that you can translate ambition into measurable progress with limited resources. In your cover letter, show that you have thought about the specific context: veterinary specials, cascade medicines, batch manufacturing and a growing facility. Mentioning how you would approach the early priorities, such as establishing baselines and identifying quick wins, signals that you are practical rather than theoretical. Aligning with Summit's stated values of professionalism, quality and partnership will also resonate, so weave those into your examples naturally. For interviews, prepare to discuss how you would engage operations and commercial teams who may not see sustainability as their responsibility. The company seems to value people who can work with others rather than impose from above, so showing diplomacy and persistence in your past projects will likely be more persuasive than listing certifications.

The role's core focus will likely be environmental performance across Summit's manufacturing operation. This means energy efficiency, water use, waste reduction and packaging optimisation, alongside measuring the carbon footprint of the site and its supply chain. Given the company's investment in manufacturing facilities, there may be opportunities to influence equipment choices, process design and logistics in ways that lock in lower environmental impact for years to come. On the social and governance side, the role touches on responsible business practices, stakeholder communication and potentially supplier engagement. Collaborating with marketing on credible sustainability communications suggests the company wants to be transparent with veterinary customers without overclaiming, which is important in a regulated sector where greenwashing carries reputational and compliance risk. Because Summit makes medicines for animals under the cascade, there is also a broader sustainability angle around animal health and responsible use of medicines. The role may not own that directly, but it will intersect with how the business positions its environmental and social responsibilities in the veterinary market.

One clear challenge is starting from a blank page. With no existing sustainability function, you will need to establish baselines, choose metrics and build reporting processes while also delivering initiatives. That requires patience and the ability to prioritise, because not every improvement will be possible in the first year. You may also encounter data gaps in utilities and supply chain information that make accurate carbon accounting difficult initially. Another likely challenge is competing priorities. In a growing pharmaceutical manufacturer, operational and commercial demands will often take precedence over sustainability projects unless you can frame them in terms of efficiency, cost savings, customer expectations or regulatory risk. Influencing without authority across multiple teams will be a constant feature of the role. Finally, external pressures such as evolving sustainability regulations, customer questions and industry expectations may move faster than the company's internal capacity. Managing that gap, and being honest about what is realistic, will be part of the job.

A typical day could start with checking incoming utility or waste data and updating the environmental metrics that underpin your reporting. You might then have a short meeting with operations colleagues to discuss a specific resource efficiency idea, such as reducing packaging material or adjusting energy usage patterns on the manufacturing line. Later, you could be in a commercial or marketing meeting, helping to shape how sustainability is described to veterinary customers in a credible way. Much of the role will involve analysis and documentation, so you can expect blocks of time spent on spreadsheets, reports or preparing updates for senior leadership. There will also be informal conversations across the business, building relationships and nudging colleagues towards more sustainable choices in their daily work. Variability is likely. Some days will be focused on long-term strategy and certification requirements, while others will be reactive, responding to a data request, a customer query or a regulatory development that needs a quick assessment.

As the first sustainability hire, you have the chance to shape the function and your own remit as the company grows. Success in this role could lead to a broader head of sustainability position if Summit continues to expand, or to a larger team with dedicated analysts or specialists. The visibility of working directly with senior leadership and cross-functional teams means your impact will be noticed well beyond the sustainability agenda. The skills you build here, particularly around carbon accounting, metrics design and embedding sustainability in manufacturing, are highly transferable. You could later move into a more senior sustainability role in a larger pharmaceutical or life sciences company, or pivot towards specialised areas such as ESG reporting, supply chain sustainability or environmental compliance. Because the role involves external communication and stakeholder engagement, there may also be opportunities to represent Summit in industry forums or veterinary sector initiatives, which can raise your professional profile and open further career paths.

Internally, you will work most closely with Operations, since manufacturing, supply chain and logistics are where many environmental impacts and improvement opportunities sit. You will also interact regularly with Commercial and Marketing teams to align sustainability messaging with customer engagement, and with Business Support functions that may hold data or manage facilities. Senior leadership will be a key audience for your reporting and recommendations, meaning you will need to communicate clearly with decision-makers. Externally, you might engage with certification bodies, sustainability standards organisations, suppliers, and potentially veterinary customers who are increasingly interested in the environmental credentials of the products they use. Trade associations or industry groups in the veterinary and pharmaceutical sectors could also be relevant as you monitor regulatory developments and best practice. The nature of these interactions will vary from collaborative problem-solving with operational colleagues to more formal reporting and presentation with leadership and external stakeholders. Balancing these relationships, and adapting your style to each audience, will be central to making progress.