Director, Sustainability (Social)

Description

At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning and to our talented team who makes it all possible. From bringing lectures vividly to life to turning textbooks into laptop lessons, we are always re-examining the way people learn best, whether it’s one child in our own backyard or an education community across the globe. We are bold thinkers and standout innovators who motivate each other to explore new frontiers in an environment that supports and inspires us to always be better. By pushing the boundaries of technology — and each other to surpass these boundaries — we create seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations, personal and global, large and small.

We are transforming sustainability at Pearson to respond effectively to the world’s biggest challenges and increase our positive impact on society. The Sustainability & Social Innovation team’s role is to work collaboratively with teams across Pearson to ensure our business practices and processes contribute to addressing the social, economic and environmental needs of society in a way that also creates business value.

Summary of Role

The Sustainability Director will provide long-term vision and thought leadership that challenges conventional practices and positions Pearson as a global leader in Sustainability. He/she will be responsible for significantly raising the profile of Pearson’s 2020 Sustainability Plan both internally and externally. The Director will also develop and help execute the strategy for delivering on the Sustainability Plan, driving progress on key social issues and sustainability reporting. He/she will work across the entire company to ensure a consistent and coherent approach to sustainability.

Main activities/responsibilities

Strategy

• Lead the evolution and strategic implementation of Pearson’s new 2020 Sustainability Plan, to drive innovation and impact Work in consultation with internal stakeholders (at HR, business unit, and regional levels) to: define appropriate multi-year goals across focus areas identified in our 2020 Sustainability Plan; develop plans for reaching goals/targets; and track and report on progress.
• Build relationships and strategic alliances with key sustainability institutions, organizations and constituency groups whose work is aligned with our priorities, working closely with our Government Relations teams.

Communications

• Act as a public ambassador for Pearson’s sustainability agenda, representing the company on key social sustainability issues (eg, girls/women, human rights, economic empowerment), and engaging targeted stakeholders in bilateral meetings and in public forums.
• Drive sustainability communications, working with corporate affairs and marketing to bring our 2020 Sustainability Plan to life for key stakeholders including employees, customers, and business partners.
• Oversee execution and production of the annual Sustainability Report to drive a step-change in the effectiveness and impact of the Report, and demonstrate Pearson’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Project management

• Research and communicate the potential impact of emerging social sustainability trends on corporate practices (eg in the workplace, marketplace, supply chain), including by: assessing the reputational and strategic impacts of business initiatives, benchmarking activities against other companies, leading issue-specific outreach, and identifying best practices.
• Support the development of internal initiatives (both globally and regionally) that mitigate sustainability-related risks and enhance the value of Pearson’s brand and reputation.
• Oversee efforts to collect, organize and disseminate social and environmental data on a quarterly and/or annual basis.

Management

• Direct line management of the Sustainability Manager. Work collaboratively with the Sustainability Director (Environment) and the Social Innovation Director (leading on social innovation partnerships and models)
• Maintain oversight of sustainability budgets and expenditure
• Ensure an effective working environment, employee commitment and consistently high performance

Qualifications

• The successful candidate will have:
• A Bachelor’s Degree (Master’s preferred)
• 7+ years of progressive experience managing a CSR program or related program/function inside a large company, including reporting on sustainability efforts
• Inspirational leadership and strategic thinking skills, with a proven ability to bring new ideas and perspectives to existing practices in order to drive change
• Specialist / technical expertise in one or more social sustainability issues
• Strong understanding of the global sustainability landscape, including: strong networks and relationships, knowledge of key issues and best practices; and experience working with relevant tools and standards (such as the Global Reporting Initiative)
• Excellent written communication and verbal skills – including public speaking, meeting facilitation, and presentations – and the ability to communicate complex issues to a range of audiences and constituencies.
• Track record of working with and influencing colleagues across cultures, in different departments (eg HR, Marketing, Operations, Finance), and at all levels of management
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously from conception to implementation
• Ability to travel as required

To Apply

Please visit the Pearson careers website.