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Director, Circular Products & Materials Pathway

at WBCSD
Published 4 March 2023
Location London, New York, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Category Permanent  
Job Type Director  

Description

Deadline for application: 20 March 2023

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is the premier global, CEO-led community of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature-positive and more equitable future.

We share a vision of a world in which more than 9 billion people are able to live well, within planetary boundaries, by 2050. To achieve this vision, we must collectively accelerate the required transformation of businesses, their value chains, and the systems in which they operate to limit the impact of the climate crisis, restore nature and tackle inequality.

How our community works

Our community leads positive change through our imperative work by building the infrastructure of a better world through climate, nature and equity action. In our distinct pathways, we outline the critical transitions required in some of the significant areas of business activity to profoundly shift the systems we work in and transform them towards a better future. Together we succeed when our collective effort is rewarded through a lower cost of capital, which is the scope of our redefining value work; helping companies measure and manage risk, gain competitive advantage and seize new opportunities by understanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) information.

WBCSD’s contribution

WBCSD stimulates progress by ideating & level-setting new best practices and trends from different expertise & sectors. By improving performance, we enable standards and protocols supported by tools and technology to solidify businesses’ sustainability competence. We build partnerships by bringing together members and external partners to create coalitions and partnerships and build scale into change. Finally, we drive the policy agenda by amplifying the voice of positive business and shaping policies collaboratively to transform the systems we work in.

Our work aims to empower business leaders to raise their ambition to achieve a better world, deliver action at speed and scale in their operations and value chains, and sharpen the accountability of their performance.

Job Overview

WBCSD has been investing in building a collective action platform in Circularity for many years as the leading convener of progressive businesses, and increasingly for its track record of delivery of key drivers of change climate, nature and equity action outlined in Vision 2050.

Approximately 45 member companies are engaged in transformational work across the big streams of work  in the Circular Products & Materials Pathway, working with strategic partners, to develop and implement collective action, delivering tools, aligned frameworks and KPI’s, and ambitious advocacy.

Specific collective impact projects to drive systems transformation include:

  • Global Circularity Protocol development
  • Circularity Metrics (Circular Transition Indicators)
  • Sustainable Plastics & Packaging Value Chains, including business mobilization and action on the UN Global Treaty to end plastic waste
  • Circular Chemicals & Portfolio Sustainability Assessments
  • Digital Product Passports

 

The Pathway Director will  lead the full portfolio of pathway projects and will guide the future strategy and development of the program and the people. Reporting to the EVP – Pathways, the Director will work alongside peers steering the other pathways and ensure that all synergy opportunities are identified and shared content developed where possible. Furthermore the Director will be accountable to ensure that WBCSD Vision 2050 and Strategy 2030 goals are appropriately reflected in the pathway strategy and program, and will ensure that the Pathway evolves to deliver on the WBCSD Imperatives as defined in Vision 2050.

Pathway Director roles are active hands-on positions, and a high degree of subject matter knowhow is required alongside leadership skills.

Responsibilities and duties

  • Lead the continued evolution, positioning and delivery of impactful Circular Products and Materials transformation work with support from the EVP Pathways and the WBCSD Leadership Team.
  • Identify, foster and mange productive and impactful relationships between WBCSD and key international, regional and national organisations, entities and institutions in line with advancing WBCSD’s strategy and impact for circularity, at the appropriate levels within each organisation to ensure desired outcomes.
  • Lead, manage and grow a team of direct reports including subject matter experts and project managers; involve and influence staff across a highly interconnected, matrix-based organisation; and grow and deepen WBCSD member company engagement.
  • Represent WBCSD with members and partners and at (international) sustainable development convenings and with external stakeholders to enhance WBCSD’s profile as a trusted partner to drive transformation.
  • Continually seek out and optimize the resources (human and financial) to achieve delivery of ambitious collective action,  including attracting support from partners, funders, professional service organizations, recruitment of new members and secondments from member companies.

Qualifications Skills and Experience

 

  • Background: While direct experience will be the primary consideration, a Master’s degree level education in a relevant discipline is desired.
  • Proven pubic-private experience: at least 10 years experience leading implementation of sustainability strategy in circularity and the products and materials sector and demonstrated experience engaging with international sustainable development organisations and institutions, including shaping policy agendas and building partnerships
  • Strategy, Team and Project Project Management: Demonstrable experience in highly networked project management, team management and institutional navigation skills, with ability to structure a strategic, agile multi.-year program of work, with proven accountability for achieving influence and impact expectations and delivery of tangible outcomes
  • Facilitation and Stakeholder Engagement: Evidence of successful engagement with a wide range of different international stakeholders within and across the private and public sectors (from business CEO/C-suite representatives to technical experts, government officials and other leading policy, academic or NGO stakeholders), with experience of creating a shared vision and ability to build collaboration and partnerships across such diverse groups
  • Engaging communicator across cultures and between the private and public sector, both in person and in writing with the proven ability to clearly articulate the work and systems impact for both a general and specialist audience, as required. An ease in summarising and synthesising issues and identifying means to address them.
  • Demonstrable skills and experience in diplomacy and sensititivy to different opinion and approaches, managing a range of views and interests with first class negotiation and facilitation skills.

The position is full-time and based in Geneva, New York, Amsterdam or London and will also require international travel.

WBCSD is a purpose driven, forward-thinking and action-oriented organization, characterised by diversity of gender, nationalities and work experiences.

The Work Environment

WBCSD offers a competitive, modern, and flexible working arrangement:

  • Geneva-based organization with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, London, New York and Singapore
  • Competitive compensation and benefits
  • State-of-the-art facilities and ICT-enabled working tools
  • Flex-time and part-time possibilities
  • Dynamic working atmosphere
  • Open culture encouraging interaction and sharing of ideas and opinions
  • International relocation support
  • Sustainable commuting incentives

Please also note that WBCSD will only respond to candidates selected for the interview process.