Global Circularity and Sustainability Certification Manager

SGS; Remote; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global Testing, Inspection and Certification company is seeking a Global Circularity and Sustainability Certification Manager. This role involves leading the certification services ensuring compliance and quality. The position requires a minimum of 5 years in certification roles, a degree in a relevant technical subject, and strong understanding of Circularity concepts. The manager will oversee product strategies and work with global teams to foster sustainability initiatives. The role supports flexible scheduling and offers a fully remote work option.

Benefits

Flexible schedule

Supportive work environment

Continuous learning options

Benefits platform

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in certification roles within a Certification or accredited body.
• Strong understanding of Circularity and Circular economy concepts.
• Experience in management systems and performance assessments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global management of Circularity and Sustainability Certification services.
• Manage a team of Product Managers and act as Accreditation Manager.
• Ensure compliance with global technical documents and procedures.

Skills

Technical certification competency

Fluent in English

Organizational skills

Customer focus

Interpersonal skills

Education

University degree in a relevant technical subject

Job description

The role sits within the Global Sustainability and Supply Chain Services that leads the innovation development and maintenance of the key resources within the Circularity pillar to enable the adoption Circularity and Sustainability Certification products and in line with the best-available knowledge and following best-practice for certification bodies.

The Global Circularity and Sustainability Certification Manager is a key pillar of the Global Sustainability strategy and responsible for the development and maintenance of Circularity products and guidance within the network. The manager acts as products owner for the key procedures and processes including coordination across different affiliate and regional teams to ensure a successful development and growth.

The role reports to the Global ESG Assurance Climate and Circularity Manager (CEO‑3).

Primary Responsibilities

• Ensure and lead the global management of Circularity and Sustainability Certification services (accredited or non‑accredited) guaranteeing technical and commercial success across the affiliate network while ensuring quality of service delivery compliance with accreditation or scheme owner requirements and alignment with business needs.
• Maintain or extend the scope of accreditations / approvals in line with the Circularity and Sustainability Certification strategy and business needs.
• Work proactively with the BA Global Accreditation Manager and Global ESGACC Manager to maintain impartiality and prevent / resolve potential conflicts of interest when they arise.
• Ensure global internal and external KPIs are met and that all relevant approvals and accreditations are maintained to safeguard the SGS business and reputation.
• Manage a team of Product Managers (currently 2 based in India) and acting as an Accreditation Manager for the key Social Certification schemes.
• Participate in the definition of product strategies policies and internal systems for Circularity and Sustainability Certification services.
• Support the commercial strategy and provide guidance to affiliates to facilitate product growth globally.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activities to strengthen business growth strategy through the network.
• Represent SGS externally in relevant forums including standardization committees and interprofessional working groups (e.g. IIOA TIC Council WBCSD etc.) to maintain influence and visibility in the sustainability and circularity certification landscape.

Specific Responsibilities

Technical

• Maintain a constant accurate and up to date knowledge of the product regulatory and / or market evolution.
• Act as the Technical Lead contact for the network of Affiliates and communicate effectively with ability to clearly convey key messages to executive stakeholders within the network and management demonstrating pragmatism whilst maintaining the integrity of the scheme.
• Support and provide subject matter expertise as needed.
• Ensure compliance with all generic global technical documents and procedures as defined by the BA Global Operational Excellence Team.

Business

• In line with the segment strategy provide commercial strategy and business plan for the growth of the products art global level and support affiliates with their strategies in key countries and regions.
• In collaboration with the affiliates establish global and local pricing strategies.
• In co‑operation with the Global Marketing Services develop and support the relevant specific marketing materials to support business growth.
• Develop an intimate knowledge of customer and market needs by defining and overseeing the relevant market researches.
• Develop an intimate knowledge of the competition by constantly overseeing competitive activities.
• Support the sales marketing business development and account activities including sales visits events / seminars and co‑operation with the International Sales Managers and International Account Managers.
• Actively participate in relevant scheme owner committees or working groups to ensure SGS maintains influence and exposure in the area.
• Constantly ensure proper level of communication and interaction with other Global Product Managers to evaluate common business development and possible synergies.
• For future development be the Voice of the Customer and develop business requirements for new products and solutions; drive alignment of feature / function prioritization to maximize the value proposition.

Operational

• Ensure overall responsibility for the successful management of the given products ensuring the global operation is efficient and meets the expectations of internal customers (Affiliates) external clients scheme owners and accreditation bodies.
• Lead cross functional teams to constantly enhance the product related operational processes to ensure optimal service delivery turnaround times.
• Maintain full knowledge and understanding of SGS IT systems procedures and external approval criteria to conduct audit report reviews and allow efficient management of technical review and certification decision process.
• Develop relevant internal and external KPI and constantly monitor them to facilitate decision making and drive continuous improvement. Ensure global internal and external KPIs are met to safeguard the SGS business and brand reputation.
• At all times adopt a safe behavior by exercising due regard for the health and safety of SGS employees and clients in line with SGS policies and procedures.
• At all times comply with SGS Code of Integrity and Professional Conduct.

Qualifications : Profile

• Extensive knowledge and experience in Certification processes (for accredited or non‑accredited schemes) Management systems and Performance assessments principles with a solid expertise in Social Certification schemes (notably SA8000 or alternatively FSSC 24000).
• Strong understanding of Circularity and Circular economy concepts; good knowledge of existing Circularity certifications and schemes developed for the Plastic and Packaging industries for Construction sector for the Textile or Automotive industries.
• Minimum 5 years in certification roles within a Certification / Accredited body or a sustainability‑focused organization (ideally in a similar role for a TIC industry player) or alternatively
• Minimum 3 years in a technical role at industry level involved in circularity processes and for example in supporting Circular economy transitions in the plastics or packaging industry.
• University degree in a relevant technical subject (environmental science engineering sustainability).
• Fluent in English is a must

Required Skills

• Excellent technical certification competency (associated with a good understanding of accreditation requirements); a relative knowledge of Circularity schemes used at industrial level (Recyclass PPRS Operation Clean Sweep etc) is a plus.
• Imperative knowledge of ISCC certifications processes.
• Strong organizational skills and capacity to adapt.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision in a mostly virtual environment.
• Results oriented ability to handle multiple tasks and work in a culturally and geographically diverse and constantly evolving organizational culture.
• Ability to communicate effectively both internally (at all levels within the company including senior management technical and commercial teams) and externally (representing SGS expertise).
• Good people management skills notably in an international environment (remote team management).
• Complete integrity and understanding of the need for risk management of SGS activities.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Customer focus.
• Thinks Strategically
• Influences Internally & Externally
• Collaborates Effectively

Additional Information

• SGS ambition is to become the TIC Industry world leader
• The position is fully remote (but can be office based).
• Preferred location : Europe or India . The incumbent must possess a valid work permit for the given country.
• Flexibility to travel (short and long distance) up to 25%.

Why SGS

• Global and very stable company world leader in the TIC (Testing Inspection and Certification) industry.
• Flexible schedule and hybrid model.
• SGS university and Campus for continous learning options.
• Multinational environment where you will work with colleagues from multiple continents.
• Benefits platform.

Join Us

At SGS we believe in innovation collaboration and continuous improvement. We offer a supportive and inclusive work environment that encourages professional growth and personal development.

Remote Work

Yes

Employment Type

Full‑time

Key Skills

Program Management,Data Collection,Environmental Services,Industrial Cleaning,Root cause Analysis,OSHA,Project Management,Team Management,EPA,Leadership Experience,EHS,Manufacturing

Experience

years

Vacancy

1