Sustainability Specialist, Circular Economy

NetApp is seeking a Sustainability Specialist, Circular Economy, to enhance its sustainability initiatives in North Carolina and other locations. This role involves implementing circular economy principles across operations, products, and supply chains, focusing on storage hardware technology. Responsibilities include developing strategies for material reuse, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and assessing sustainability risks. Candidates should have expertise in life cycle assessments and strong analytical skills.
If you run toward knowledge and problem-solving, join us

About NetApp

NetApp is the intelligent data infrastructure company, turning a world of disruption into opportunity for every customer. No matter the data type, workload or environment, we help our customers identify and realize new business possibilities. And it all starts with our people.

If this sounds like something you want to be part of, NetApp is the place for you. You can help bring new ideas to life, approaching each challenge with fresh eyes. Of course, you won't be doing it alone. At NetApp, we're all about asking for help when we need it, collaborating with others, and partnering across the organization - and beyond.

Sustainability Specialist, Circular Economy

North Carolina, United States; New York, New York, United States; Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States; Southfield, Michigan, United States; Vienna, Virginia, United States; Wichita, Kansas, United States; Santa Clara, California, United States; Hillsboro, Oregon, United States; San Jose, California, United States; Boulder, Colorado, United States

Job category: Business Operations

Job ID: 130143-en_US

Job summary:

This role is a key part of NetApp’s Sustainability Team. The Circular Economy Specialist will be crucial to advancing NetApp’s sustainability initiatives, promoting a culture of innovation, and driving systemic change towards a circular economy. Reporting to the Chief Sustainability Officer, this role will be responsible for designing and implementing strategies to embed circular economy principles across the organization’s operations, products, and supply chains, with a specific focus on storage hardware technology.

As a Circular Economy Specialist at NetApp, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams (Hardware, Software, Operations, and Procurement) to drive decarbonization initiatives, including energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and circularity in hardware component design. Serving as a subject matter expert in key sustainability domains, you will assess risks and resolve sustainability-related challenges in the storage and data management industry. You will work with diverse data sets, engage with senior business leaders, and collaborate with LCA stakeholders to advance NetApp’s sustainability goals. A deep understanding of circularity practices, regulations, and trends is essential, along with the ability to provide guidance to internal stakeholders, customers, and partners. The ideal candidate will have experience in life cycle assessments (LCAs) or material flow analysis (MFA), and strong analytical skills to address complex, fast-moving challenges while managing uncertainty and data gaps.

Role responsibilities:
• Establish a long-term vision and strategy for integrating circular economy principles into NetApp’s operations working with internal stakeholders across multiple functions
• Set methodologies to measure key circular economy metrics and establishes baselines
• Develop and implement circular strategies, including material reuse, recycling and remanufacturing
• Collaborate with product design and sourcing teams to integrate sustainable materials and processes into product development
• Identify and assess innovative technologies for closed-loop manufacturing, waste reduction and resource optimization
• Prepare the company for future circularity mandates like CSRD, extended produce responsibility policies, product eco-label, etc

Job requirements:
• 12+ years of experience in engineering, product management, or technical consulting in sustainability science-related fields
• Practical experience in conducting product carbon footprint assessments following international standards (e.g., ISO 14067, PAS 2050, GHG Product Protocol Standard). Experience with product life cycle assessment (LCA) and sustainable product design
• Experience working with stakeholders across both technical and business functions
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to apply systems thinking to complex problems. Experience managing complex datasets using tools like Excel and/or SQ
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of engaging with senior business leaders
• Experience with high-volume storage hardware technology products preferred
• Experience with commercial LCA software and data preferred

Education:
• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Engineering, or related field with 5+ years of relevant industry experience. Advanced technical degrees preferred (e.g., MS, PhD)

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is $158K - $235K. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off (PTO), various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why NetApp?

We are all about helping customers turn challenges into business opportunity. It starts with bringing new thinking to age-old problems, like how to use data most effectively to run better - but also to innovate. We tailor our approach to the customer's unique needs with a combination of fresh thinking and proven approaches.

We enable a healthy work-life balance. Our volunteer time off program is best in class, offering employees 40 hours of paid time per year to volunteer with their favorite organizations. We provide comprehensive medical, dental, wellness, and vision plans for you and your family. We offer educational assistance, legal services, and access to discounts. Finally, we provide financial savings programs to help you plan for your future.

If you want to help us build knowledge and solve big problems, let's talk.

Submitting an application

To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team only reviews applications submitted through our company website. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.