Location India
Job-type Permanent
Salary £Competitive
Reference 17539

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is a global, multi-stakeholder non-profit alliance for the fashion industry. It is made up of over 250 leading apparel, footwear and textile brands, retailers, suppliers, service providers, trade associations, non-profits, NGOs, and academic institutions working to reduce environmental impact and promote social justice throughout the global value chain.

​

The SAC vision is of a global consumer goods industry that gives more than it takes - to the planet and its people.

​

A radical change in the industry can only happen if all sectors, private and public, work together to make the consumer goods industry truly sustainable, with policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders identifying and recognising the work of the SAC and standardised tools, such as the SAC's Higg Index as robust, credible and trusted solutions to enable transformational change.

​

The Manager, Higg Index Verification Programs will be responsible for building, maintaining, and improving verification programs for the Higg Index suite of tools. The goal of the verification program is to ensure that the Higg Index and its related tools are trusted and credible measures for sustainability performance and benchmarking, with scores that can be leveraged for performance improvement and public-facing communications.

​

This role requires an expert in the consumer goods supply chain and a keen understanding of audits and assurance schemes with interest in meeting industry verification needs in a meaningful way. The successful candidate is someone who is a subject-matter expert and is experienced and confident in managing program contractors and facilitating stakeholder engagement.

​

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Facilitate member and stakeholder processes on evolving verification protocols and programs for Higg tools (mainly Higg FEM, Higg BRM and transparency program)

  • Manage the implementation of verification programs by cultivating a close working relationship with the Verification Program Manager

  • Develop and maintain quality assurance for programs to ensure the credibility of verified scores

  • Develop and implement projects from start to finish which drive tangible program improvements

  • Increase program efficacy through training, calibration and other creative solutions

  • Identify innovative approaches to improving data accuracy beyond traditional auditing methods

  • Engage with verifier bodies and verifiers regularly to improve program effectiveness

  • Resolve support enquiries in consultation and input from multiple functional leads

  • Identify user pain points and work closely with technology partner Higg to deliver meaningful platform updates

  • Measure program success and communicate the results

  • Ensure Higg verification programs reduce redundancy in assessments while improving social and environmental results on the ground

  • Present complex messages in a simple way in both formal and informal settings including webinars, full-day workshops, and on-stage to 350+ individuals

​

SAC seeks a candidate who:

  • Is motivated by the mission of the organisation and knows that success comes through teamwork and strong relationships with coworkers and members

  • Is solutions-oriented when navigating change and uncertainty.

  • Thrives in a fast-paced environment and aspires to achieve high levels of performance on a team

  • Ability to delve deep into complex structural and/or situational problems and come up with pragmatic solutions

  • Is comfortable navigating complex relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders.

  • Thinks ahead, creatively, and out of the box and proactively seeks to understand the implications of their actions

  • Contributes to the increased professionalism of the organisation by working collaboratively with teammates and stakeholders to ensure that processes and systems are robust and executed while honouring SAC's culture of innovation

​

Qualifications, Experiences, and Attributes

  • 5-8 years of progressive experience within the apparel, footwear, home textiles industries or consumer goods industries, including supply chain management, audit and assurance programs

  • Experience with management systems audits/certifications (e.g. ISO9001, ISO45001, ISO14001)

  • Experience in working with reporting frameworks such as GRI, SASB, CDP UNGC, National Sustainability reporting mandate by Government or stock exchange, market regulator or other comparable standards

  • Project management and analytical skills

  • Ability to make compelling presentations through PowerPoint and crunch large datasets via MS Excel

  • Adept at working with remote collaborative platforms such as Asana, Slack, etc.

  • Familiarity with SAC and the Higg suite of tools with a clear understanding of the difference in approach between the Higg Index and standard audits

  • Experience working with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds

  • Excellent (English) written and verbal communication skills

  • Familiarity with SAC and the Higg suite of tools and programs

  • Experience working with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds

  • Passion for sustainability

​

If you have the skills and experience above and you are interested in joining a leading non-profit on its exciting mission, please apply or contact Greg Brittian at greg.brittian@acre.com.