SVP Corporate Engagement

Overview

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has an ambitious conservation mission: to create a future where humans and nature thrive. It is an audacious undertaking — and we know we won’t be successful on our own. We know that success requires collaboration with many essential partners, including the private sector. As market demand for energy, water, food and fiber increases in the coming decades, so will the impact on our planet’s natural resources.

Following the establishment of the new Sustainable Development Goals and the climate agreement reached in Paris, humanity has committed to accelerate a transition toward a more sustainable, ecologically sound and habitable future. The pace and scale of this transition will dictate success or failure. As the largest conservation organization in the world, WWF is determined to capitalize on this momentum. So we are re-inventing our practice of conservation, pursuing measurable results and thought partnerships that help shift humanity to a more sustainable footing.

By engaging corporate leaders, and with an eye to relevant policy and government frameworks, we are influencing the transformation of multi-billion dollar industries, helping facilitate the production of goods and services in ways that reduce damage to natural systems on which we all depend.

We are seeking an SVP to lead a team of corporate engagement professionals to work with corporate partners in finding solutions that are smart, sustainable and scalable. In addition to the requirements outlined on the following page, qualified candidates will demonstrate vision and imagination; they will lead through influence, not authority; and they will be courageous.

Major Duties

The SVP Corporate Engagement will be responsible for the following:

Strategic Development of Corporate Engagements: Set the overall strategic vision for WWF US Corporate Engagements. Work with the WWF US Markets leader and Goal leads to identify the key companies and industry targets for advancing sustainable business practices. Develop strategies for engaging targeted industry groups and individual corporations in advancing sustainable initiatives. Develop performance metrics and dashboards for engagements and conduct semi-annual evaluation of progress. Liaise with WWF’s Global Markets Practice Team and represent WWF US on WWF’s Global Partnership Committee, assisting in evaluating the merits of proposed partnerships and helping to establish key conservation targets and partnership terms.

Build Relationships with Corporate Partners: Lead in the outreach and development efforts for corporate partnerships, including oversight of WWF corporate engagement principles. Engage with corporate partners in developing and measuring progress against targets. Connect leaders, platforms and innovations in corporate sustainability with our conservation priorities.

Thought Leadership and Collaboration: Work with corporate leaders to create platforms for change that make sustainability a pre-competitive requirement. Bring and share best practices, knowledge and innovation from the corporate sector that will accelerate shifts to sustainability, spur change, expand our thinking and enhance our programs. Identify opportunities for WWF and partner colleagues to share thought leadership and influence targeted industries and corporations. Represent WWF at major conferences (BSR, GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands) and platforms.

Manage the Corporate Engagement Team: Establish goals, priorities and objectives for the Corporate Engagement team and be accountable for annual goals and commitments. Monitor all corporate engagements and progress on partnerships. Sit on the Senior Management Team, sharing expertise and ideas relating to corporate sustainability efforts. Participate in the Fundraising Steering Committee to help identify opportunities for meaningful public/private and NGO partnerships, to include funding opportunities, as appropriate. Support new partnerships and maintain quality of relationships over time.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills and Abilities

WWF is looking for a dynamic and savvy leader who will help shape and elevate our corporate engagement program. This SVP will possess the following skills and abilities:

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience
• 15 years corporate sustainability experience, including at least 10 years leading and managing teams and project-focused work
• Recognized leader within sustainability circles, with a sizeable network of key influencers within Fortune 200 US companies
• Working knowledge of conservation, markets and sustainable development in the broad sense
• Strong communication skills, including media and public speaking
• Strong management skills
• Experience influencing C-level executives around a sustainability platform
• Demonstrated leadership and credibility building the business case for sustainability
• Ability to drive change in industries, companies, etc.
• Leadership experience with multi-stakeholder multi-sector platforms
• Experienced in a global business environment, supply chain issues, etc.

As an EOE/AA employer, WWF will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and veteran or disability status.

To Apply

Please submit resume and cover letter on or before June 10th to the search firm, Weinreb Group, via the following: weinrebgroup.com/jobseeker/resume. The cover letter should include information on salary history and available start date.

All applications will be treated with strict confidence.