Deadline for application: 05 June 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 imperatives 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’s Equity Action team team is hiring a full-time Manager to lead its work in advancing the social sustainability agenda in the context of WBCSD’s Built Environment and Transport & Mobility pathways.

The Manager will work with internal and external stakeholders to identify and advance key areas for business action in the context of realizing more equitable value chains across built environment and transport and mobility systems.

A key component of the work will involve leveraging the action agenda developed by WBCSD’s Business Commission to Tackle Inequality (BCTI) and exploring its relevance and operationalization across the built environment and transport and mobility ecosystems. Core to this action agenda are topics such as human rights due diligence, diversity and inclusion, living wages, realizing a just transition to a net-zero and nature positive economy.

In the context of WBCSD’s Transport and Mobility Pathway, the role will involve leading the pathway’s emerging workstream around the realization of a safe, fair and inclusive net-zero transition, while also scoping opportunities for other workstreams moving forward. With regards to the Built Environment Pathway, the role will involve the scoping and establishment of a new dedicated workstream which will seek to identify critical opportunities to drive towards more equitable practices across the built environment.

As the equity action agenda is broad and multifaceted, the role will require input from various internal and external stakeholders to determine key deliverables, which may include the development of new tools and guidance, creating fora for best practice exchange and knowledge sharing, developing coalitions for enhanced impact on the ground, and aligning on key advocacy positions.

Responsibilities and duties

• Scope and shape WBCSD’s equity action work in the context of the organization’s Built Environment and Transport & Mobility Pathways, responding to member needs and involving industry realities, conducting thorough landscape mapping, and identifying opportunities for impact.
• Develop and deliver robust project workplans, defining and driving clear milestones and deliverables.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholder groups, including other NGOs, community groups, government agencies, and industry associations, to identify partnership opportunities and coordinate joint initiatives.
• Conduct continual research and analysis of emerging trends and thought leadership in relevant fields.
• Represent WBCSD within the business community and as part of dialogues with key partners including, policymakers, intergovernmental bodies, civil society and academia.
• Contribute to the broader strategy and advocacy efforts of WBCSD’s Equity Action team.

Qualifications Skills and Experience

• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in a business environment.
• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in a related discipline.
• Passion for advancing the social aspects of sustainable development, including in industrial supply chain context
• Strategic systems thinker with high attention to detail.
• Effective project manager with a track record of delivering complex projects to tight deadlines.
• A proven ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships while moving progress forward.
• Competent and confident communication and facilitation skills.
• A commitment to teamwork but also an ability to work independently in matrix-based
• Perfect fluency – both written and oral – in English, and preferably one other language.

Location

• The position is full-time and based in Amsterdam or London but will also require occasional international travel.

WBCSD is a purpose driven, forward-thinking and action-oriented organization, characterized 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.