Sustainability Manager for Strategy & Operations

Trellis Group; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sustainability consulting firm is seeking a Sustainability Manager for Strategy & Operations. This role involves shaping and executing sustainability strategies, enhancing operational processes, and engaging key stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have strong project management skills and experience in corporate sustainability, along with exceptional communication abilities to influence diverse audiences. Join us to make a meaningful impact in shaping sustainable practices.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise in project management within corporate sustainability.
• Highly organized with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead change management and improvements to sustainability processes.
• Manage sustainability strategy execution and track progress.
• Coordinate preparation of report-ready data for audits.
• Conduct benchmarking assessments of sustainability performance.
• Engage and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Collaboration

Job description

Position Overview

As Sustainability Manager for Strategy & Operations, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing Ralph Lauren’s sustainability strategy and delivering on our goals. You will focus on both strategic planning and operational implementation, collaborating with the Sustainability team and cross-functional partners to oversee large-scale projects, streamline processes, and manage key relationships with internal and external stakeholders. This role prioritizes projects, facilitates cross-functional collaboration, and supports the implementation and performance management of new processes aligned with Ralph Lauren’s evolving sustainability strategy and goals.

A partnership-driven mindset is essential for building and maintaining relationships, emphasizing collaboration, communication, and project management. You are a passionate, quick-learning, organized, and purpose-driven professional who excels at finding creative solutions to emerging challenges. Your ability to navigate the organization and effectively manage stakeholder expectations sets you apart.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Sustainability Operational Excellence: Lead change management by overseeing and prioritizing improvements to sustainability team processes and systems, ensuring the right operating model is in place, and driving continuous improvement.
• Strategy & Goal Tracking: Lead sustainability strategy execution, managing processes and tools for tracking progress toward goals, facilitating partnerships among key stakeholders, and ensuring accountability for delivering on commitments.
• Delivery of Report-Ready Data: Strategically coordinate the preparation of report-ready data for the Sustainability team and share it with the reporting team. Partner with data owners to ensure data is prepared in accordance with established processes and controls and can withstand internal and external audit reviews.
• Close Disclosure Gaps: Strategically coordinate the closure of voluntary and regulated reporting gaps for all disclosures owned by the Sustainability team.
• Benchmarking: Regularly conduct and maintain benchmark assessments of the company’s sustainability performance, goals, and strategy relative to peers in our industry and leading brands in other industries.
• Reporting to Leadership: Coordinate sustainability strategy progress updates for key leadership groups to ensure awareness, alignment, and effective implementation of strategic initiatives.
• Internal & External Stakeholder Engagement: Coordinate inbound and outbound information for the Sustainability team to support the management of key relationships, including external investors, NGOs, and other internal cross-functional and external stakeholders.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

• Demonstrated expertise in project management, with a proven track record of effectively coordinating and prioritizing multiple overlapping workstreams to drive impact. Strong preference for experience in corporate sustainability setting.
• Structured thinker capable of navigating between high-level strategy and tactical project execution, balancing big-picture vision with near-term priorities.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy; excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills to assess gaps and identify necessary actions to achieve strategic goals.
• Strong history of collaborating with multiple stakeholders, gathering diverse perspectives, and developing recommended approaches.
• Superior interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships and credibility with stakeholders while influencing to build consensus.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts clearly and concisely, and adept at tailoring messages to diverse audiences.
• Passion for sustainability, innovation, creativity, and continuous learning, with a strong desire to make a meaningful impact.