Senior Sustainability and Advocacy Manager

Nexus Circular is hiring a Senior Sustainability and Advocacy Manager in Atlanta, GA. This role focuses on developing strategies for enhancing the legislative environment for plastic recycling, engaging stakeholders, and leading sustainability certifications. The ideal candidate should have advocacy experience, relationship development skills, and knowledge of the plastic recycling market. Responsibilities include creating advocacy plans, collaborating with industry associations, and tracking environmental performance metrics.
Nexus Circular is seeking a Senior Sustainability and Advocacy Manager in Atlanta, GA. This role involves developing strategies to enhance the legislative environment for plastic recycling technology, engaging with industry stakeholders, and leading sustainability certifications and metrics. The ideal candidate will have experience in advocacy, relationship development, and knowledge of the plastic recycling market. Responsibilities include creating advocacy plans, collaborating with associations, and tracking environmental performance metrics.
Description

Role Objective

The Senior Sustainability and Advocacy Manager is responsible for developing and executing strategies and initiatives that manage risk and drive a favorable legislative and regulatory environment to facilitate scaling and growth of Nexus Circular's plastic recycling technology.

This role will proactively interact with a diverse set of external stakeholders, including but not limited to industry associations such as the ACC, PLASTICS, and OPLN as well as strategic contacts and companies across the plastics value chain, to collaborate and align on key issues that impact the sustained growth and long-term viability of advanced recycling technologies, such as mass balance and environmental impact assessments, responsible production guidelines, extended producer responsibility and recycling classification and definitions. This role will also identify, vet and then develop engagement and resource plans for the relevant recycling and sustainability standards organization (ASTM, ISO) that are developing the foundations for advanced recycling legislation.

This role will define, lead and drive Nexus' sustainability certifications, such as ISCC PLUS, and measure and track environmental performance metrics such as cumulative diversion from landfill, GHG emissions, carbon footprint and others that align with the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The ideal candidate has a passion for creating programs that drive positive change, experience with business and relationship development and knowledge of plastic recycling market dynamics.

Primary Responsibilities
• Develop and execute advocacy engagement plans with specific strategies and tactics to drive a favorable legislative and regulatory environment:
• Proactively educate and advocate the ACC and PLASTICS industry associations to leverage their networks for positive change.
• Create consortiums and coalitions with strategic contacts and companies across the value chain, specifically CPGs and brands, to drive favorable alignment on mass balance and EPR legislation.
• Define opportunity and develop and execute strategies to engage with brands through other industry associations like the OPLN, SPC, CBA, FPA and Circular Action Alliance.
• Develop comprehensive advocacy communications strategy with supporting collateral. Collaborate with marketing communications to execute and implement.
• Identify and vet recycling and sustainability standards organization (ASTM, ISO) and associated work groups who are developing foundations for advanced recycling legislation:
• * Define level of engagement level and resources required for effective industry leadership and influence.
• * Manage and coach technical resources as appropriate effectively to ensure consistent, coordinated approach for regulatory advocacy across stakeholder groups.
• Lead the development of Nexus' sustainability certifications and metrics such as ISCC PLUS, and measure and track environmental performance metrics such as cumulative diversion from landfill, GHG emissions, carbon footprint and others that align with the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals:
• Subject matter expert for sustainability metrics, monitoring trends and communicating and educating all stakeholders on sustainability topics.
• Develop detailed strategies for proactive, positive reporting of Nexus progress vs established goals (LCA, carbon footprint, waste diversion from landfill, UN SDGs).
• Coordinate sustainability metrics and reporting with Cox Enterprises, as appropriate.

Position qualifications:
• Technical degree / bachelor degree (chemistry, engineering or environmental sciences). MBA preferred but not required.
• 10+ years of experience ideally across a range of functional roles (examples are business and market development, technical service, product quality, product management).
• 5+ years of experience in plastics supply chain, plastics recycling and sustainability (preferred)
• Excellent influencing, interpersonal, communication and presentation skills across wide range of audiences along with the ability to construct and leverage a network of business resources
• Commitment to learn new concepts and industry best practices
• Organizational skills, time management skills, self-motivation, project management experience, and priority setting skills
• Working knowledge of plastic sustainability and recycling market dynamics, emerging legislative issues, and key sustainability metrics (LCA, GHG emissions, UN SDG goals)