PSC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, accelerates environmental and social sustainability in the pet industry through education, tools, project support, and collaboration. The organization works closely with companies ranging from brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers. We help companies identify strategic impact opportunities that drive increased profitability. PSC’s awards and programs are highly rated across the industry and include sustainable packaging, sustainable proteins, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Type: Full-time
Ideal Start Date: By June 1, 2024
Starting Salary: $95,000
Reporting to: Executive Director
# of Directs: 1-3
Travel: 15-20% 
Location: Denver/Boulder Metro area - ability to be in the Boulder office 2x per week - relocation assistance provided
Apply By: This role is open and looking to be filled by June. The first round of applications will be reviewed on May 03, 2024, and additional applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled.

Summary
The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) was founded in 2013 as the only independent, not-for-profit organization bringing together a coalition of pet companies that are committed to integrating environmental and social practices. PSC is uniquely positioned to serve as the epicenter of collaborative solutions by bringing together competitors at the same table to work towards scalable industry-wide change. Pets bring us joy and are much-loved members of many families, yet they lag behind in making sustainable changes that impact the environment long-term. Pet food accounts for an estimated 25% of the total animal proteins consumed in the U.S. creating approximately 64 million tons of CO2- equivalent greenhouse gasses.  More than 300 million pounds of nonrecyclable packaging is produced by the US pet industry each year. The pet industry is estimated to double by 2030, intensifying our impact and need for change. Working at PSC is your opportunity to engage with a highly-reputable, solutions-focused, action-oriented non-profit, making a real difference in the lives of people, pets, and the planet.

The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) seeks an impact-driven, action-oriented, and solutions-focused Director of Sustainability and Innovation to further our industry leading efforts on sustainable packaging, sustainable ingredients, corporate member projects and climate action. This is a full-time hybrid role position based near our Boulder, CO headquarters.  We operate in a fast-paced, high growth environment, and this position will play an integral role in shaping the future of sustainability in the pet product industry. 

The ideal candidate will have been previously in a leadership role that allowed them to engage with and convene industry stakeholders to advance sustainability objectives.  They have an established network in the sustainable business arena and a strong understanding of leading sustainable businesses, NGO’s, nonprofits, and collaborative organizations. The ideal candidate is a confident public speaker and will lead PSC’s pioneering efforts in a collaborative and inclusive fashion with a strong prioritization for impactful and scalable solutions.  The candidate must be a team player, good with managing partnerships, and a self-starter who can work cross functionally in a startup environment.

The Responsibilities
The Director of Sustainability and Innovation will work directly with both our internal and external partners supporting our overall strategy in the following key areas: 

Program Vision, Development, and Management (55%)

• Provide strategic vision for PSC’s key strategic initiatives, and corporate member project department.  
• Continually evaluate sustainability trends and opportunities, and ensure the internal PSC team is educated and informed.  Oversee the development and ongoing management of new and existing cross-industry collaborative programs to advance sustainability in ingredient and material sourcing, sustainable packaging, and climate action, and corporate social responsibility/DEI  (GGRASS Grant, Return-to-Retail, Supplier Marketplaces, Four-Factor Blueprint, Legislative Tool, etc.)
• Collaborate with PSC’s marketing and member services team to refine member engagement opportunities and develop product/service specific marketing strategies to attract and retain corporate engagement
• Ensure corporate sustainability project deliverables provide value to corporate members, meet high quality expectations, and support actionable advancement of environmental and social impact 

Partner Management (15%) 

• Drive inbound and outbound partnership generation through industry research, in-person meetings, industry networking events, and external events 
• Identify and lead external partner evaluation and engagement process including negotiation of contracts supported by outside legal counsel and internal team support 
• Oversee PSC’s key partnerships across each of our initiatives, ensuring strong and mutually beneficial outcomes, clear communication guidelines, and high quality deliverables 
• Guide and direct strategic initiative task forces composed of PSC team members, board members, corporate members, and industry partners

People Management (15%)

• Lead, manage, and hold accountable a team of specialists focused on PSC’s primary strategic initiatives and corporate sustainability project team
• Evaluate and lead department growth plans and serve as hiring manager for future positions on the Sustainability and Innovation team (target size: 3-4 directs by 2025)

Thought Leadership (15%) 

• Develop subject matter expertise in sustainable packaging, sustainable ingredients, climate action, corporate social responsibility/DEI, and corporate sustainability services. 
• Represent PSC's work within the industry (speaking at industry events) and serve as a primary external representative with external industries to connect the dots on key initiatives 
• Lead development and preparation for PSC’s monthly educational series of webinars and develop content ideas for other member education opportunities
• Represent PSC in larger cross-industry collaborative groups (US Plastics Pact, Better Chicken Project, etc)

Qualifications: 
Don’t meet each and every requirement listed? Studies show that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they do, so we encourage you to apply anyway.

• Master’s degree, or equivalent experience, in sustainability or environmental science
• 5+ years of corporate sustainability experience
• 3+ Years in sustainable program development and management
• 2+ years of people management experience
• Experience in a client-facing consulting role with C-suite and senior business professionals 
• Experience building coalitions across sectors, industries, and sizes of organizations

Desired Skills, Qualifications, and Experience: 

• Ability to make thoughtful, actionable recommendations under minimal structure, and quickly build consensus with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong decision making skills, creative problem solving ability, and desire to build innovative solutions for the corporate sector that have never been done before
• Prior experience with collaborative group participation, management, or facilitation
• Comfortable generating new business relationships through research and outbound outreach
• Demonstrated knowledge and interest in PSC’s key strategic areas of focus: sustainable packaging, sustainable ingredients, corporate responsibility, or climate action
• Interest and ability to undertake travel 10-20% of the time.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision in a hybrid work environment while contributing to a thriving team culture.  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as a confident and charismatic public speaker
• Poise and professionalism in engaging business leaders and experience in building and maintaining networks with key decision-makers
• Ability to work a minimum of two days a week in our Boulder, CO office headquarters