Full-time position, One-year contract, with an option to extend, flexible/remote in Hong Kong

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 and programs for the standardized measurement of value chain sustainability, the SAC is working to transform business for exponential impact.

The SAC was incorporated as a 501(c)6 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.

The SAC is a fast-paced organization that has an ambitious mission that seeks to reward those who challenge themselves to provide membership and the organization with very high-quality deliverables and engagement in line with our mission. The SAC values trust and strong relationships where team members

collaborate effectively and support each other and the work across the organization.

Position Description 

The Manager, Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP) is a truly exciting opportunity to drive demonstrable progress in decarbonising the apparel and footwear industry. You will be responsible for building, implementing, maintaining, and improving this capacity building program to accelerate the efforts of apparel, footwear and textile manufacturing companies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. and, . The program will deliver crucial support  directly working with manufacturers on setting and validating science-aligned targets (SATs) for scope 1 and 2 emissions where they have direct control of their own greenhouse gas emissions. Through MCAP, you will be responsible for taking manufacturers through  the following steps from program kick off in different key production countries i.e. China, Bangladesh, India and Vietnam, right through to program completion and evaluation:

1. Measuring their GHG emissions
2. Setting company-wide science-aligned targets for scope 1 and 2
3. Disclosing progress publicly
4. Assessing climate risk

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Program Development (30%)

• Develop relevant resources and guidance to support manufacturers to measure climate risks and develop decarbonization plans and participate in opportunities to further engage with companies through webinars and blog posts.

2. Identifying and Actively Recruiting Manufacturers in the Program (20%)

• Actively promote this program to apparel, footwear and textile manufacturers’ and the  wider community
• Recruit manufacturers to the program, tracking and reporting their status on a regular basis
• Provide administrative and technical assistance to manufacturers to commit and disclose their science-aligned targets publicly

3. Manage and Execute Program Implementation and Reporting (50%)

• Develop and implement operational procedures and strategies to execute the program with key program partners
• Organize and deliver training on how to create GHG inventory in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, educate manufacturers to set their own targets and develop their own long-term climate action plans.
• Provide technical advisory service and administrative assistance to manufacturers who seek to commit to, and set science-aligned targets
• Manage the implementation of science-aligned target validation with approved third party organizations to perform technical reviews for participating manufacturing companies on science-aligned target submissions and approval process. Develop and maintain quality assurance mechanisms to ensure the credibility of verification program
• Support participation of manufacturers in clearly communicating and disclosing these requirements to the MCAP webpage or relevant platform.
• Encourage manufacturers to develop action plans that describe how they will reduce GHG emissions and achieve their SATs. Coordinate and convene with external industry experts and partners in offering support to manufacturers to implement such plans in the future
• Measure program success, create and analyze key program impact data and prepare presentations to inform progress to leadership regularly
• Respond to program enquiries from manufactures and external stakeholders
• Liaise with internal and external partners across programs and countries

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.
• 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 honoring SAC’s culture of innovation.

Qualifications, Experiences, and Attributes

• 3-5 years of progressive experience with climate and decarbonization related projects, science-based targets, corporate greenhouse gas management and accounting, corporate sustainability program
• Hands-on working experience with apparel, footwear, home textiles or consumer goods manufacturers preferred
• Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Environmental Sciences, Environmental or Energy Economics, Environmental Policy, Environmental Engineering or related area required. Master’s degree is highly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with teams of individuals and colleagues
• Strong project management and analytical skills;
• Ability to make compelling presentations through PowerPoint
• Experience working with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
• Excellent (English) written and verbal communications skills. Candidate who possesses multiple language skills (Mandarin, Vietnamese, Bengali, Hindi) is a plus.
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office, database management and internet research
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Team player with strong ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Highly organized, proactive, and self-motivated approach to work.
• This position requires travel (30%) for conducting kick off meetings, site visits, attending conferences and team or cross functional meetings with colleagues.

Compensation and Location

SAC offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Salary bands are based on the country of location. SAC is a global organization, and as such, SAC staff sometimes work early or late hours. This position is a full-time flexible/remote position, based in the APAC region.

Reporting Structure and Timeline

This is a full-time role, reporting directly to the Director, Collective Action with a planned start date of as soon as possible in August 2023.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Sustainable Apparel Coalition “SAC” is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

To Apply 

Interested? Please apply by submitting your resume and brief motivation letter here.

Full-time position, flexible/remote, preferred locations –  USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Spain

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 is a fast-paced organization that has an ambitious mission that seeks to reward those who challenge themselves to provide membership and the organization with very high-quality deliverables and engagement in line with our mission. The SAC values trust and strong relationships where team members collaborate effectively and support each other and the work across the organization.

Position Description

The Director, Program Management Office will be responsible for leading a small team of project and program management professionals to: develop and structure standards for managing and reporting on cross functional programs; develop and execute training programs on the standards and tools; mentor staff on project management; develop prioritization processes to select projects based on strategic objectives; and monitor performance across various programs. The PMO team will also conduct organization-wide resource planning exercises and will provide functional oversight to cross-functional projects that are aligned with a specific program or objective. The Director team will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, finance, tools, and impact programs to ensure the successful execution of projects from ideation to launch with agility and speed. In addition, the Director and PMO team will lead broad cross-functional programs that do not clearly belong to one specific department.

The Director is a professional with a strong track record of leading a program management office, and has experience in complex program and project management including industry best practices, process improvement, and executive communication. The ideal Director has a deep understanding of matrixed organizational working, excellent leadership skills, and a strong ability to influence various stakeholders. As a strategic role and key player for the organization, this position will closely collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders in a dynamic global environment.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Standards + training

• Establish and maintain project management methodologies, tools, and templates to ensure consistent, standardized matrixed project delivery in a timely manner
• Develop a culture of continuous project and program improvement by promoting best practices, process improvements, tool usage, and innovation  
• Provide expert guidance and support to project managers throughout the entire project lifecycle, including planning, execution, and monitoring, to ensure successful delivery of projects to achieve organization goals without setbacks
• Facilitate professional development opportunities for the team by identifying and providing training opportunities, encouraging their skill enhancement and knowledge acquisition
• Oversee deployment and usage of Asana

Planning

• Engage with leadership to develop structure for annual OKRs based on CEO goals and collaborate with HR on the development and tracking of OKRs across all staff
• Collaborate with cross-functional program teams to develop organizational calendar of project launches, manage interdependencies among projects, help resolve conflicts
• Oversee resource planning and allocation to optimize project staffing, ensuring the right skills are available at the right time for successful project execution
• Engage with project teams on project budgets, liaising with finance team to provide an overall view of project budgets and expected benefits

Execution

• Oversee, and as necessary manage, selected large cross functional programs that do not tie to one specific department (e.g., rebrand, merger/acquisition or program spin-off, others as identified by leadership)
• Oversee the management of Operations projects as identified by the Global Operations leadership

Reporting

• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for projects, collaborating with program owners to provide regular summarized reports and updates to management, enabling informed decision-making
• Monitor and report on strategic plan progress (via ClearPoint software)

Ideal Qualifications and Experience

• • Demonstrated experience leading a PMO team, preferably from creation
  • Demonstrable ability to lead and deliver strategically important projects through to completion.

• 10+ years of experience working in a complex matrix environment 

• 10+ years of experience leading and driving change processes related to project management across people, process and technology

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience

• • PMP certification (preferred) or equivalent combination of training and experience. 
  • Demonstrates the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide variety of internal and external people, both in formal and informal circumstances, and where necessary to gain their agreement and acceptance. 
  • Ability to communicate effectively to staff at all levels, with all skills and at all stages of their project management journey
  • Ability to multi-task and comfortable with ambiguity and handling complex issues  
  • Ability to analyze and solve problems with innovative, creative solutions. 
  • Ability to communicate effectively with leadership, stakeholders, and delivery teams

• Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint & Excel), GoogleSuite (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Salesforce, Miro, and Asana experience or possesses the ability to quickly master

• • Ability to work with colleagues in a multicultural, multinational context to collaboratively achieve organisational goals
  • Strong interest and knowledge of sustainability issues, ideally in the context of the global apparel and footwear sector
  • Knowledge of the Textile and Footwear Sector (e.g. NGO, retailer, brand, manufacturer, research perspective) is a plus. 

• Fluent in English, with knowledge of other languages being an advantage

SAC seeks a candidate who is / has: 

• Mission Driven: Is motivated by the mission of the organization and knows that success comes through teamwork.
• Commitment to excellence: Performs duties at the highest level possible on a consistent basis.
• Trustworthy: Demonstrates an ability and temperament to work with sensitive and confidential information.
• Collaborative: Has team-oriented experience and approach.
• Service focused: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations of their role.
• Resourceful: Is quickly adaptable and able to think creatively.
• Tech savvy: Has the ability to understand and fully leverage a variety of technology platforms to ensure effective and efficient communications and work processes.
• Growth minded: Is willing to learn and grow within the role and in the organization.

Reporting Structure, Timeline, and Compensation

This is a full-time role, directly reporting to the Senior Director of Operations  with a desired start date of 11 September, 2023.

SAC utilizes salary bands based on country location and aims to be competitive in each market. Actual compensation will also vary depending on factors including (but not limited to) relevant experience and performance. Salary is just one component of Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Total Rewards package for employees. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Sustainable Apparel Coalition “SAC” is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Interested? Please submit your resume and a brief motivation letter here.

Full-time position, flexible/remote, preferred locations –  USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Spain

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 is a fast-paced organization that has an ambitious mission that seeks to reward those who challenge themselves to provide membership and the organization with very high-quality deliverables and engagement in line with our mission. The SAC values trust and strong relationships where team members collaborate effectively and support each other and the work across the organization.

Position Description

The Director, Program Management Office will be responsible for leading a small team of project and program management professionals to: develop and structure standards for managing and reporting on cross functional programs; develop and execute training programs on the standards and tools; mentor staff on project management; develop prioritization processes to select projects based on strategic objectives; and monitor performance across various programs. The PMO team will also conduct organization-wide resource planning exercises and will provide functional oversight to cross-functional projects that are aligned with a specific program or objective. The Director team will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, finance, tools, and impact programs to ensure the successful execution of projects from ideation to launch with agility and speed. In addition, the Director and PMO team will lead broad cross-functional programs that do not clearly belong to one specific department.

The Director is a professional with a strong track record of leading a program management office, and has experience in complex program and project management including industry best practices, process improvement, and executive communication. The ideal Director has a deep understanding of matrixed organizational working, excellent leadership skills, and a strong ability to influence various stakeholders. As a strategic role and key player for the organization, this position will closely collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders in a dynamic global environment.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Standards + training

• Establish and maintain project management methodologies, tools, and templates to ensure consistent, standardized matrixed project delivery in a timely manner
• Develop a culture of continuous project and program improvement by promoting best practices, process improvements, tool usage, and innovation  
• Provide expert guidance and support to project managers throughout the entire project lifecycle, including planning, execution, and monitoring, to ensure successful delivery of projects to achieve organization goals without setbacks
• Facilitate professional development opportunities for the team by identifying and providing training opportunities, encouraging their skill enhancement and knowledge acquisition
• Oversee deployment and usage of Asana

Planning

• Engage with leadership to develop structure for annual OKRs based on CEO goals and collaborate with HR on the development and tracking of OKRs across all staff
• Collaborate with cross-functional program teams to develop organizational calendar of project launches, manage interdependencies among projects, help resolve conflicts
• Oversee resource planning and allocation to optimize project staffing, ensuring the right skills are available at the right time for successful project execution
• Engage with project teams on project budgets, liaising with finance team to provide an overall view of project budgets and expected benefits

Execution

• Oversee, and as necessary manage, selected large cross functional programs that do not tie to one specific department (e.g., rebrand, merger/acquisition or program spin-off, others as identified by leadership)
• Oversee the management of Operations projects as identified by the Global Operations leadership

Reporting

• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for projects, collaborating with program owners to provide regular summarized reports and updates to management, enabling informed decision-making
• Monitor and report on strategic plan progress (via ClearPoint software)

Ideal Qualifications and Experience

• • Demonstrated experience leading a PMO team, preferably from creation
  • Demonstrable ability to lead and deliver strategically important projects through to completion.

• 10+ years of experience working in a complex matrix environment 

• 10+ years of experience leading and driving change processes related to project management across people, process and technology

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience

• • PMP certification (preferred) or equivalent combination of training and experience. 
  • Demonstrates the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide variety of internal and external people, both in formal and informal circumstances, and where necessary to gain their agreement and acceptance. 
  • Ability to communicate effectively to staff at all levels, with all skills and at all stages of their project management journey
  • Ability to multi-task and comfortable with ambiguity and handling complex issues  
  • Ability to analyze and solve problems with innovative, creative solutions. 
  • Ability to communicate effectively with leadership, stakeholders, and delivery teams

• Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint & Excel), GoogleSuite (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Salesforce, Miro, and Asana experience or possesses the ability to quickly master

• • Ability to work with colleagues in a multicultural, multinational context to collaboratively achieve organisational goals
  • Strong interest and knowledge of sustainability issues, ideally in the context of the global apparel and footwear sector
  • Knowledge of the Textile and Footwear Sector (e.g. NGO, retailer, brand, manufacturer, research perspective) is a plus. 

• Fluent in English, with knowledge of other languages being an advantage

SAC seeks a candidate who is / has: 

• Mission Driven: Is motivated by the mission of the organization and knows that success comes through teamwork.
• Commitment to excellence: Performs duties at the highest level possible on a consistent basis.
• Trustworthy: Demonstrates an ability and temperament to work with sensitive and confidential information.
• Collaborative: Has team-oriented experience and approach.
• Service focused: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations of their role.
• Resourceful: Is quickly adaptable and able to think creatively.
• Tech savvy: Has the ability to understand and fully leverage a variety of technology platforms to ensure effective and efficient communications and work processes.
• Growth minded: Is willing to learn and grow within the role and in the organization.

Reporting Structure, Timeline, and Compensation

This is a full-time role, directly reporting to the Senior Director of Operations  with a desired start date of 11 September, 2023.

SAC utilizes salary bands based on country location and aims to be competitive in each market. Actual compensation will also vary depending on factors including (but not limited to) relevant experience and performance. Salary is just one component of Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Total Rewards package for employees.

If this role is hired in the US, the starting salary band is $120,000 – $128,000.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Sustainable Apparel Coalition “SAC” is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Interested? Please submit your resume and a brief motivation letter here.

Full-time position, flexible/remote location preferably in North America or Europe

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 501(c)6 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.

The SAC is a fast-paced organization that has an ambitious mission that seeks to reward those who challenge themselves to provide membership and the organization with very high-quality deliverables and engagement in line with our mission. The SAC values trust and strong relationships where team members collaborate effectively and support each other and the work across the organization.

The Opportunity

The SAC is seeking a respected industry professional with the experience and mindset to drive large-scale, global impact through industry-wide environmental and social sustainability programs. The Manager of Higg Product Tools will play an essential role in driving the vision, direction, and implementation of the Higg Product Tools, which include the Material Sustainability Index (MSI), the Higg Product Module (PM), and the underlying life cycle assessment (LCA) data through MSI Contributor. These tools enable brands, retailers, and manufacturers worldwide to measure and track their progress in improving their product environmental impacts through better design and development decisions. 

For the right candidate, the Manager of Higg Product Tools role poses a unique opportunity to take industry experience and LCA knowledge and use it to drive and develop the standards, programs, and collective action across the entire global industry. This role will provide critical insight and management across many stakeholder groups in the advancement of this important suite of tools, and it provides an opportunity to help define and shape how product environmental footprint requirements evolve in the near- and long-term.

As the industry evolves rapidly toward true product-level sustainability assessment and performance, the SAC must continue to integrate the input of stakeholders into its tools and resources. This role presents an opportunity to engage with leaders across the industry, with diverse needs and perspectives, and work toward aligning on the measurement of product environmental impacts and identifying design and development decisions that will enable the industry to achieve their impact reduction targets. The ideal candidate will be an expert project manager who is experienced and confident in facilitating conversations among stakeholders with diverse perspectives, and has experience developing and using LCA data in the apparel, footwear, and textile industries and/or other consumer goods industries.

Key Responsibilities

• Project manage Higg Product Tool workstreams, including tool updates and program development through to successful launch and completion
• Support in the development and maintenance of Higg Product Tool methodology and content to ensure the tools are meeting member needs, including the facilitation of Member Expert Team conversations
• Continue to expand training materials that support the adoption and scale of Higg Product Tools, including “How to Higg” guidance, training and implementation guidance, and other program resources
• Facilitate and coordinate the SAC’s members involvement process through the Strategic Council and Member Expert Teams, in order to gather input and feedback to complement internal expertise in development of the Higg Product Tools and programs
• Collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, members, and SAC staff to gather and synthesize feedback, prioritize initiatives according to SAC’s vision and strategy, and work with technical developers to implement improvements and enhancements to the platform, tools, and methodologies
• Support quality assurance (QA) testing in cooperation with the technical teams on new tool features
• Support industry education around life cycle assessment and Higg Product Tool methodology 
• Support industry stakeholders in submitting data into the Higg Product Tools through the MSI Contributor by working with members to identify the most prominent data gaps and opportunities to solicit high-quality life cycle assessment data and supporting data submitters by answering questions about the submission process and Higg Product Tool methodology
• Be an expert and representative on Higg Product Tools and Product Tool methodology for SAC staff, members, and external stakeholders
• Support the tracking and analysis of Higg Product Tool adoption and performance data, including internal and member data reporting and the creation of communications, case studies, and white papers on the Higg Product Tool insights

Qualifications, Experiences, and Attributes

The ideal candidate has:

• 5+ years of experience with developing and using life cycle assessment (LCA) data and related standards (such as ISO 14040, ISO 14025, ISO 14044, and EU PEF), including direct experience with primary data collection and creating LCA insights;
• Familiarity with product design and/or development at a brand or manufacturer in the apparel, footwear, or home textiles industries. Experience with other adjacent consumer goods industries will also be considered;
• Demonstrated project management, leadership, and analytics skills;
• Familiarity and experience working with the Higg Material Sustainability Index and Product Module;
• Ability to analyze technical environmental assessment methodologies, including life cycle impact methods, and explain them to stakeholders with varying degrees of LCA knowledge
• Experience with multi-layered, complex projects with multiple stakeholders and a solution-oriented approach;
• Experience and confidence in convening, facilitating, and leading conversations with diverse groups of stakeholders with a wide range of perspectives, and consensus building;
• Experience working with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds;
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
• Passion for environmental and social sustainability;
• Has a Bachelor’s degree, with a Master’s degree preferred, in an environmental or an apparel/footwear or industry-related field

Reporting Structure and Timeline

This is a full-time role reporting directly to the Director of Higg Product Tools

Compensation, and Location

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition offers a competitive salary and compensation package commensurate with experience. The SAC’s members and partners are global organizations, and as such, the SAC staff sometimes work early or late hours. The successful candidate may work remotely, with a preference for North America or Europe. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Interested? Please submit your resume and a brief motivation letter here.

Flexible/remote: APAC region  – preferred location – Hong Kong

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, industry/trade associations, nonprofits, (non)governmental organizations 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 501(c)6 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.

The Opportunity

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is seeking a highly respected professional to serve as Manager, Global Membership Development. The successful candidate will support the SAC to further expand and further build our corporate membership base to the next level. The Manager, Global Membership Development is a crucial role to the organization. A radical change of the industry can only happen if all actors, private and public, work together to make the apparel and footwear industry truly sustainable, and if civil society identifies SAC solutions as robust, credible, and trusted. The Manager, Global Membership Development will develop and foster proactive engagement with target industries, educating and convincing non-member companies of the value of membership and its associated benefits, so that they join and further strengthen our coalition. 

Ultimately, the goal of this position is to grow the SAC’s corporate member base to meet both income and impact targets. But this is much more than a straight-forward sales role. We’re looking for someone who can see the bigger picture; developing and implementing a membership development plan which enables the SAC to identify which organizations it needs amongst its membership in order to have the leverage we need to deliver on our vision. They’ll utilize industry contacts to optimize opportunities, and once secured, will give a thorough handoff to ensure those new members’ success. 

This position is key in supporting the SAC to articulate and demonstrate the business benefits of membership and its associated services. The successful candidate will utilize their deep understanding of the corporate landscape and individual business needs and operations to show how joining the SAC generates value. 

Key Responsibilities

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.
• 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 honoring SAC’s cultures of innovation.
• Understands the nuances of growing an organization’s membership base in the sustainability industry and the broader global context, preferably with experience in the apparel or footwear industry.
• Can ruthlessly prioritize work, acting on the projects that will drive the greatest impact and influence.
• Is a self-starter and has an excellent ability to proactively identify opportunities to pursue, and challenges to overcome, putting in place action plans accordingly.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Manager, Global Membership Development will take the lead in the following areas: 

1. Membership pipeline development
   1. Utilize and optimize Salesforce
      • Record all material interactions with leads, prospects and members in Salesforce and complete all required fields prior to the hand-off to member manager
   2. Inbound and outbound outreach
      • Successfully convert inbound leads by demonstrating the value of membership and efficiently answering queries
      • Collaborate with SAC’s MarComms team on outreach campaigns
      • Direct approach to target companies
      • Support in Prospective planning
   3. Adjacent product / industry research and development
      • compile, identify and analyze potential new adjacent markets 
      • Internal and external landscape mapping
   4. Educate prospective members on membership requirements
      • Ensure a smooth and successful transition to membership
   5. Financial forecasting
      • Provide accurate forecasts in support of SAC’s financial operations
2. Represent the SAC in public outreach
   1. Seek opportunities to represent the SAC at the right public events to meet our strategic objectives in member growth
   2. Deliver polished presentations which effectively demonstrate the value of membership
3. Support the Senior Manager, Global Membership Development in the development and implementation of membership development plan and strategy
   1. Develop plan
      • Undertake research and analysis identifying opportunities for growth and diversification
      • Gain a wide range of perspectives and inputs, internal and external
      • Draw conclusions and in collaboration with Director, Membership Development, finalize into a written, communicable plan
   2. Implement plan
      • Socialize amongst staff and relevant members, gaining buy in and support
   3. Operationalise plan 
      • By means of execution, systems, workflow records and handbooks
4. Support the development of the SAC value proposition
   1. Quantify the business case for Higg Index use through case studies and best practice guides derived from membership
5. Generate and maintain relevant business development tools
   1. Deck & brochure
   2. Legal contracts, logos and documents
   3. Membership Marcomms benefits materials and toolkits
6. Staff communication and training
   1. Ensure staff are aware of and well versed in relevant tools and key messages to grow the pool of staff who are able to engage in new membership conversations

Qualifications, Experiences, and Attributes

The ideal candidate is / has:

• Commensurate experience of significant accomplishments in business development or a related field
• Deep operational knowledge and understanding of Salesforce or other CRM systems, and how they are used to manage pipelines and provide organizational data
• Successful track record of managing, developing and growing a pipeline of prospective clients 
• Knowledge of and contacts within the apparel and footwear industry, or in adjacent industries such as homeware (home furnishings), sporting goods and accessories
• Experience and confidence in networking, with an ability to leverage contacts to meet targets
• Proven experience of developing strategies to meet organizational goals
• Ability to negotiate in a highly challenging and fast-paced environment
• Clear thinking and a focus on problem solving
• Excellent social skills to interact and engage with the variety of SAC staff, members and stakeholders
• Track record for working in a team-based, fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, with the ability to multitask and handle changing priorities 
• Excellent communication skills: experience working across multiple levels, functions and regions; able to deliver messages effectively verbally and in writing
• Experience in manufacturing countries is a big advantage 
• Fluent English skills (speaking and writing) –additional language is a plus
• Ability to work collaboratively with other parts of the SAC organization, to treat others with respect and care, and a willingness to work as part of a global, multicultural organization

Reporting Structure and Timeline

This is a full-time role, reporting directly to Senior Manager, Global Membership Development and joins part of the globally based Membership team.

Compensation, and Location

SAC offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Salary bands are based on the country of location. SAC is a global organization, and as such, SAC staff sometimes work early or late hours. This position is a full-time flexible/remote position, based in the APAC region.  

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Sustainable Apparel Coalition “SAC” is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

To Apply 

To be considered for this position, please apply here.