Senior Director, Programs

Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council | Senior Director, Programs

Who are we?

The SPLC leads a global community of purchasers, suppliers, advocates and experts dedicated to driving positive impact through the power of procurement. We envision a world where all procurement is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, and work with our robust community - purchasers, suppliers, advocates and experts - to make that vision a reality.

We are a small team with an outsized reach and impact, made possible by our focus on excellence in execution, communication, and member value. All of us welcome and rely on collaborative input, while taking responsibility for final output in our own area.

We operate on the values of authenticity, interpersonal relationships and mutual support, which are essential to our ability to deliver exceptional quality and value in all that we do. At SPLC, we find joy in the work we do, empowering organizations to drive consequential change.

We honor diversity of all kinds and recognize that systemic barriers may prevent some candidates from historically marginalized communities from meeting all job criteria. We encourage applications from any candidate that meets many, but not necessarily all, of the job requirements.

Who are you?

The individual we are looking for is an experienced sustainable procurement practitioner, versed in the relevant resources, terminology, and change management practices. They are also skilled in being able to think entrepreneurially about both impactful industry-level programs as well as SPLC’s business model and value creation.

The Senior Director will lead SPLC’s general program work and thus should have senior level experience leading, inspiring and managing for results. With a small team, the Senior Director should be able to oversee and run current programs, build new market-facing programs and also look ahead to determine SPLC’s highest and best impact areas of the future.

The breadth of SPLC’s programs (and potential programs) is vast, both in topic area and in structure. A strong candidate for the role will have experience in many of these areas, including multi-stakeholder precompetitive collaborations, educational development, coaching, and technical knowledge to ensure both strong personal work delivery and staff mentorship.

In general, the market transformation work of SPLC attracts individuals who are able to act fast, think strategically and creatively, maintain high standards, and be detail-oriented.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

The following job-specific qualities and skills will be used to qualify candidates:

• 15+ years of experience with sustainability and procurement in a corporate, government, and/or higher education organization. Past experience as a leader within sustainable procurement is essential.
• Documented success in building and leading industry collaborations, including familiarity with governance models and anti-trust parameters in precompetitive work spaces.
• Experience managing staff within a highly collaborative and results-oriented work environment.
• Track record of success in highly collaborative mission-driven work environments, OR success as a change agent in large institutional sustainability or procurement environments.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills, including experience and comfort in public speaking, as well as in leading internal and external meetings/discussions.
• Ability to execute work effectively with minimal supervision - work independently, set own agenda, and track progress against identified key results.
• Comfort with responsibly representing the values and purpose of a mission-driven organization to a wide array of audiences including corporate and government leadership, procurement and sustainability professionals, and the general public.
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited educational institution with a focus on sustainability and/or supply chain, OR equivalent work experience and work products that demonstrate the competencies required and indicated by such a degree.

The following general qualities and skills will also be used to qualify candidates:

• Ability to lean in on both strategic and tactical work on a routine basis.
• Competence with Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Zoom, Teams and other basic software.
• Accurate, detail-oriented, and effective under time pressure.
• Experience with developing and managing to a project plan and budget.
• Strong strategic planning and collaboration skills. Able to form plans and build momentum around new ideas and programs.

SPLC operates in a highly collaborative, but fully virtual work environment. Candidates should be prepared to work from a home office with only infrequent in-person staff interaction.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Strategy & Development

The Senior Director, Programs will partner with the CEO on maintaining and improving current programs while simultaneously building and adapting to meet new market and community needs.

• Support the CEO with continued development and evolution of SPLC’s organizational strategy and lead aligned development of SPLC’s programs strategy. This includes the dynamic process of new program development and possible evolution or sunsetting of prior programs. Strong connection to the SPLC community and beyond is also essential for identifying areas of future programming and impact.
• Lead development and management of new programs, including expected outcomes, scope, team, budgets, and metrics.
• Evaluate program delivery for utilization, end-user satisfaction, and effectiveness in producing real-world impact, including social, environmental, and economic sustainability outcomes and additional benefits.
• Support the organization’s growth strategy by advising on new opportunities for SPLC to host or collaborate on program-related projects, including supporting the development of plans and budgets for partnerships and grants.

Program Team Leadership

The Senior Director, Programs is responsible for supervising designated Program Staff and engaging with volunteer/governance structures as needed to drive deliverables so that educational and collaboration initiatives are delivered on time, to the specified cost, and that quality and performance are met as proposed.

• Hire and manage program staff and program consultants. Provide regular performance feedback in addition to annual reviews.
• Lead the Technical Advisory Committee and participate as appropriate in other governance structures. Ensure all groups follow appropriate procedures and SPLC guidelines.
• Work with all staff to ensure high utilization of programs and resources, strong feedback loops to improve quality and relevance, and high responsivity to community and industry needs.
• Collaborate with non-Programs staff to ensure proper messaging, marketing and market adoption of Program offerings.

Program Execution

The Senior Director, Programs will lead and/or oversee the execution and market update of each of SPLC’s industry agnostic programmatic offerings, including but not limited to Navigator, Accelerator, Coaching, Learning Hub, and Climate Foundations.  

• Lead and/or oversee program-related duties in collaboration with staff, including identifying needs and defining individual program objectives/goals, developing and managing program budgets, content/resource development, release and outreach, and monitoring progress.
• Provide updates and reports to the CEO and other stakeholders on the status of programs.
• Work collaboratively with internal and external staff, management, volunteers, and consultants to ensure the effective and credible delivery of programs.
• Speak publicly about SPLC programs at in-person and virtual events.
• Participate in consultations and assistance with members, as needed.
• Support the Marketing Director with program-related content and strategy for SPLC’s marketing and communication related channels and deliverables.
• Ensure all work products are high quality, solidly messaged, and well adopted.

The Salary Range for the Senior Director, Programs position is  $118,000 - $128,000 for 1.0 FTE, depending on relevant experience.

Travel to SPLC events, staff and board retreats and external conferences up to 20% of working time.

STANDARD SPLC EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

SPLC Employees working at 0.8 FTE or greater (defined as “full-time”) qualify for the following benefits:

Insurance – Medical, Dental, Vision - All SPLC employees qualify for reimbursement of the employee’s monthly premiums (100% for the employee and 50% for family members, subject to a ceiling set annually) for a qualifying health/dental/vision plan. SPLC covers 100% of the employee’s premiums for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), short-term disability, and long-term disability benefits, and up to $750/month reimbursement for eligible childcare expenses.

Retirement accounts - All employees have the opportunity to participate in a SIMPLE IRA tax-deferred retirement savings plan with an employer 3% match for full-time employees.

Paid Time Off - All employees receive 20 days of paid vacation time, 10 paid holidays (2 of which are “floating”), and 10 sick days.

The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council recruits, selects, trains, promotes, transfers, compensates, provides fringe benefits, and terminates employees and contractors without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, gender, age, disability, veteran status, religion or sexual orientation.

SPLC complies with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Title I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces these laws.