Senior Manager, Sustainability & CSR

Are you a developed sustainability professional with experience and looking to make a further impact within the apparel, fashion and/or textile space? An exciting opportunity for a Senior Manager responsible for the Higg Brand & Retail Program has come up with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

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About the Sustainable Apparel Coalition

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an industry-wide group of more than 250 leading apparel, footwear and textile brands, retailers, suppliers, service providers, trade associations, nonprofits, NGOs and academic institutions working to reduce environmental impact and promote social justice throughout the global value chain. Leveraging the Higg Index suite of tools for the standardized measurement of value chain sustainability, the SAC is working to transform business for exponential impact.

The SAC was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and launched the groundbreaking Higg Index suite of tools in 2011. In May 2019, the SAC spun off the Higg Index technology platform to Higg, which delivers tools and services that help consumer goods businesses accelerate transformation for a more sustainable future. For more information, visit www.apparelcoalition.org.

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The opportunity

The Senior Manager, Higg Brand and Retailer Program will play an essential supporting role in the management of the SAC's Higg Brand and Retailer Program, which enables hundreds of apparel, footwear, and textile brands and retailers worldwide to track their progress in improving environmental performance and protecting the well-being of workers.

This is a full-time role, reporting directly to the Director, Higg Brand and Retailer Program, preferably joining the team/office in Barcelona, Spain, Amsterdam, or remotely within the EMEA region.

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Position Description

Brands and retailers play a key role in driving sustainable practices across the apparel, footwear, and textile industry. The Higg Brand & Retailer Program guides them on their sustainability journeys and identifies hotspots and opportunities for improvement along their global value chain.

At the crossroads of global apparel brands, retailers, NGOs and other experts, you, as the Senior Manager, Higg Brand and Retailer Program, will be responsible for supporting the management, adoption and growth of the Higg Brand and Retailer Program and its suite of resources. This includes managing the feedback processes related to the Higg Index development, providing support across the SAC organization and to members, and working cross-functionally across the Higg ecosystem to ensure successful and scalable program implementation and iteration.

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Your Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the development of the Higg Brand and Retailer Program in close collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders, as well as of strategies that contribute to the adoption and growth of the Program in the industry.

• Support in the project management of the Higg Brand and Retailer Program to successful launch and completion.

• Use of your strong understanding of the industry to support the development of the Brand & Retailer Program that demonstrably leads to impact improvement.

• Facilitate and coordinate the SAC's member involvement process through the Strategic Council and Member Expert Teams.

• Track and analyze the Higg Brand and Retailer Program adoption and performance data, including the development and review of data exports, and internal and member data reporting.

• Liaise with the Higg Co team to support the development and testing of the Higg Brand and Retailer tool on the Higg.org platform.

• Cooperate with policy bodies to engage government officials to align the Higg Brand and Retailer Program with the European Union and international regulation and legislation.

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

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To be successful in this position, you would require the following:

• Strong familiarity working with corporate environmental and/or social/labour program implementation.

• Working knowledge of the global apparel industry, supply chain and key sustainability initiatives.

• Strong familiarity working with ESG frameworks such as GRI, CDP, CHRB, etc

• Deep knowledge of the current sustainability landscape in our industry.

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SAC seeks a candidate who:

• Is motivated by the mission of the organization 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.

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

• Thinks ahead and proactively seeks to understand the implications of their actions.

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

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Qualifications, experiences, and attributes:

• At least 5-8 years of professional experience or able to demonstrate similar experience within the sustainability program of a Brand or Retailer in the apparel, footwear, or home textiles industries.

• Project management and analytical skills.

• Experience with multi-layered, complex projects with multiple stakeholders and a solution-oriented approach.

• Technology and/or survey development and/or implementation experience.

• 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.

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If you've realised this is the opportunity for you to bring significant impact, please apply directly. If you have any questions, please contact Thaddeus Tan at thaddeus.tan@acre.com to enquire further.

Please note that only applications directly through Acre's website/link will be considered.