Daily Sustainability Job Post

* The link and job description provided was active on April 2, 2021 – the date this was posted. Please refer to the employer’s website for up to date information. This is not our search, we are providing these links as a service to the community of sustainability and ESG jobseekers.

Position Overview:

Job Description
As a senior-level leader you will be partnering with senior level executives to skillfully develop strategy and plans that will contribute to the achievement of our brand promise, business goals, drive value and deliver on our Nordstrom 2025 Environmental Sustainability commitments. The ideal candidate has a unique blend of subject matter expertise, public company experience, stakeholder management, project management, and problem-solving skills. They take ownership and move with speed to deliver value to our customers, employees industry partners and community-based organizations. Additionally, they bring our commitments and goals to life for our customers, helping our external stakeholders understand our commitment to sustainability as a key pillar of how our company operates. This individual is motivated, results-oriented and committed to providing outstanding customer service every day. This individual is data driven, collaborative, and finds value in working in a cross functional and matrixed environment.

As the Senior Manager, you are a key player on the CSR team and responsible for leading and executing on Nordstrom’s environmental sustainability strategy with a special focus on our three impact areas of climate, products & services and circularity. You manage a team of environmental experts and spear head the company’s position on climate action, sustainable packaging and other relevant environmental sustainability topics.

Responsibilities

• Sustainability Strategist – has skills and deep expertise in our three impact areas but also related topics such as waste reduction or sustainable styling.
• People Leader – can lead a functional team of sustainability expertise while also seamlessly moving through other parts of the company to build engagement and support.
• Drives Vision – ability to interpret business goals/vision and translate into a strategy and executional plan that is grounded in a deep understanding of our Nordstrom brand, CSR goals, business, people and culture.
• Thought Leadership – seen as the sustainability expert, provides an informed opinion and is seen as a trusted advisor. Connects the dots on the external landscape and makes recommendations on how Nordstrom should show up. Can inspire others with innovative actionable approaches and knows how to replicate success.
• Consult Leaders – can influence the most senior levels of leadership and has the courage to provide direct and actionable sustainability counseling to executives.
• Impact Measurement – has skills and the ability to identify intended impact of operational decisions and process changes. Can track progress overtime through quantitative and qualitative measurement.
• Manages Complexity – can understand complex ideas or problems, works to identify the root cause and can synthesize and formulate an understandable and executable CSR solution.
• Operates at Multiple Levels – can operate at a strategic big picture level and has the curiosity to understand, coach and manage the fine details. Can seamlessly work with a variety of teams on a single project to bring together complex programs and projects.
• Develops and manages direct reports and expects excellence – understands team’s individual skills, contributions and areas of development. Provides direct feedback, coaching, inspiration and motivation to engage and retain talent.
• Change Leadership – can navigate, lead and drive cross-functional change and business transformations.
• Commitment to Social Justice – has deep appreciation for the diversity of the communities we serve and the programs that we operate and fund. Brings a lens of equity to and social justice to investments and programs for partners and employees.

A day in the life of…

• Drives, implements and oversees programs, plans and measurable goals to support current and future Nordstrom corporate social responsibility efforts with specific focus on environmental sustainability.
• Manage a team of sustainability program and project managers.
• Manages initiatives, reports results, and makes recommendations based on risk mitigation, brand building, media opportunities, opportunities to drive sales, generate impact and other factors.
• Leads engagement with business leaders and subject matter experts on specific projects relating to CSR to coordinate strategies, plans and follow through on tactical efforts.
• Builds and supporting connections across teams to create buy-in and drive programs and projects.
• Advises and guides efforts by other teams to incorporate sustainability into projects and planning.
• Responds to business leaders, customer and stakeholder inquiries about sustainability efforts.
• Manages all company sustainability partnerships and collaborations, information and data and acts as resource for team and company leaders; takes complex information and develops clear stories and outcomes.
• Derives value for Nordstrom through relationships and opportunities identified through increased external partners and events.
• Leads measurement and evaluation process for annual reporting and benchmarking surveys.
• Provides support to Executive briefings and governance needs for JWN board of directors re: CSR goals and priorities
• Manage program budgets for JWN, expense journals and forecasting, ensuring accuracy and compliance

You own this if…

• A Bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability or related field/equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in sustainability, climate impacts, waste reduction, circularity, or similar field preferred.
• You have strong knowledge of climate, circularity and the impacts of the business on the natural environment with a clear track record of successfully implementing sustainability strategies and road maps across large businesses that are public companies.
• Strong business acumen with exceptional strategic thinking and project management skills.
• Adept at prioritizing and planning multi-stakeholder initiatives, providing direction when needed and removing obstacles to get work done.
• Proven experience in partnering with Diversity and Inclusion leaders to delivery against company priorities and support partner organizations in their impact.
• Ability to create effective relationships, influence, and collaborate at all organizational levels.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to lead, facilitate, and present to large groups.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint required.