Senior Director, Marketing/Communications at Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) job in Amsterdam

About the Organization

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) was founded by a group of sustainability leaders from the global apparel and footwear industry who recognize that addressing our current social and environmental challenges are both a business imperative and an opportunity. Today, it 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 the environmental and social impacts of products around the world.

Through multi-stakeholder engagement, the SAC seeks to lead the industry toward a shared vision of sustainability built upon a common approach for measuring and evaluating apparel and footwear product sustainability performance, spotlighting opportunities for technological innovation and priorities for action. The Higg Index, our common measurement tool, is currently in use by thousands of brands, retailers, and facilities within our industry.

The SAC was incorporated as a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization and launched the groundbreaking Higg Index suite of tools in 2011. It is a fast-paced organization with an ambitious mission that values trust and strong relationships, with a strong spirit of collaboration across the organization.

About the Opportunity

The SAC seeks a strategic marketing and communications trailblazer. This is an enviable opportunity to put your creative stamp on the communications of an impact-focused organization that influences the sustainability of an entire industry. As a member of SAC’s Leadership Team, this individual will have the ability to influence the direction of the SAC and how it is perceived, bringing fresh ideas and new thinking to the table. This person will join the organization at a critical time as it expands its focus to incorporate more consumer-facing external communications, and will have the opportunity to partner with some of the biggest brands in the world on revolutionary initiatives driven by the SAC.

The Senior Director will develop and foster proactive engagement to maintain and elevate all organizational communications. This individual will create, refine, and operationalize a compelling overarching communications strategy and messaging while continuing alignment on a more coordinated approach for the ecosystem, our Alliance partners, and our broader stakeholders.

The Senior Director of Marketing/Communications 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. It can only happen if civil society identifies SAC solutions as robust, credible, and trusted. In this manner, the Senior Director’s work is directly linked to driving this collective action as she/he builds and grows SAC’s reputation and increases brand awareness through compelling storytelling and member engagement.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

1. Marketing & Communication Strategy

• Develop and manage organizational communications and an annual marketing plan that strategically aligns with SAC’s priorities
• Develop and execute a plan to engage each target audience with measurable objectives, and develop KPIs related to marketing and communication activities
• Develop strategy and engagement plan for media and influencers; Develop and grow media outreach activities to increase awareness of SAC’s progress and impact
• Own strategy and execution for website and social media

2. Brand Management

• Maintain and evolve brand identity
• Equip membership with creative assets that articulate the SAC value proposition
• Proactively engage influencers and stakeholders to share SAC’s organizational narrative

3. Communications Collateral and Messaging

• Develop and own crisis communication plan and execution
• Develop and evolve key themes, topics, and messages for strategic SAC storytelling, including executive coaching and media training for SAC leaders
• Develop and publish external communications, including press releases, related to Higg Index tool releases and launches
• Publish the annual year in review and ongoing industry reports

4. Ecosystem and Alliance Partner Engagement

• Support ecosystem and Alliance partners with joint messaging, storytelling, materials development, and consumer-facing communications
• Support external Alliance communications to position the partnership as meaningful and progressive; Lead internal Alliance communications to ensure SAC staff understand the value of the partnership in furthering SAC objectives
• Support development of grant proposals and funding presentations as well as grant and impact reporting

5. Events

• Develop and execute events strategy, including types of events, locations, pricing, and financial implications
• Develop the content strategy and key themes, secure keynote speakers, and manage event logistics
• Support SAC staff in content development and presentation skills

6. Team Leadership

• Participate fully on the SAC Leadership Team, engaging on topics specific to the Marketing/Communications team as well as cross-functional, organizational issues
• Support the growth and development of marketing/communications team members
• Collaborate with HR in hiring team members as needed to deliver team objectives, and in constructing and structuring team development and manager plans
• Develop and manage annual and forward-looking marketing/communications budgets

Qualifications

The ideal candidate:

• 15+ years of significant accomplishments in Communications, Public Relations, and/or Marketing
• Strong understanding of the sustainability industry and the broader global context; ability to facilitate this knowledge into well-articulated arguments and messaging
• Experience in the apparel, footwear, or analogous global supply chain related industry
• Significant experience influencing, driving, and managing Media Relations
• Proficient in social media & other digital marketing strategies
• Strong leadership skills with successful track record of managing, developing, and growing an internal team; ability to develop culture and partner with human resources on team development
• Exceptional oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with ability to switch between formal and informal written tone. English required; additional language is a plus.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment, both within the SAC and in partnership with ecosystem organizations, as well as managing external agencies and consultants
• Solutions-oriented and results-driven; high attention to detail; ability to multitask and meet deadlines in a demanding, fast-paced environment
• Comfortable with ambiguity, leads with curiosity, and operates with a growth mindset; able to ruthlessly prioritize and remain calm in high-stress situations; optimistic, yet plans for the worst

SAC offers a competitive salary and benefits, commensurate with experience. SAC's team members are globally located, and as such, the SAC staff sometimes work early or late hours. The successful candidate may work remotely, with a preference for Europe or the US East Coast. Travel may be required to execute events and participate in key leadership team and membership meetings.

Structure & Reporting

The role reports to the Executive Director of the SAC, serves as a member of the SAC leadership team, and oversees a team of four to seven marketing and communications and events staff.

How To Apply

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition, disability, or sexual orientation. As an equal opportunity employer that values the organizational benefits of a diverse staff, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition is committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people with a variety of backgrounds and attributes.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition has retained Schaffer&Combs, a certified B Corporation, to support this search. In order to apply, please submit a current resume and thoughtful cover letter here that explains your interest and outlines your relevant skills and experience.
Please refrain from contacting the Sustainable Apparel Coalition directly. All inquiries should be directed to Schaffer&Combs at SACMarComms@schaffercombs.com. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.