Manager of Higg Index Product Tools & Life Cycle Assessments

Are you a developed sustainability professional with strong life cycle assessment (LCA) experience looking to make an impact throughout an industry? Acre is partnering with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in the recruitment of a Manager of Higg Index Product Tools and LCA to be based remotely with a preference for Europe or North America.

​

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an industry-wide group of more than 250 leading apparel, footwear and textile brands, retailers, suppliers, service providers, trade associations, nonprofits, NGOs and academic institutions working to reduce environmental impact and promote social justice throughout the global value chain. Leveraging the Higg Index suite of tools for the standardized measurement of value chain sustainability, the SAC is working to transform business for exponential impact.

​

The SAC was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and launched the groundbreaking Higg Index suite of tools in 2011. In May 2019, the SAC spun off the Higg Index technology platform to Higg, which delivers tools and services that help consumer goods businesses accelerate transformation for a more sustainable future. For more information, visit www.apparelcoalition.org.

​

The Opportunity:

The SAC is seeking a respected industry professional with the experience and mindset to drive large-scale, global impact through industry-wide environmental and social sustainability programs. The Manager of Higg Product Tools & LCA will play an essential role in driving the vision, direction, and implementation of the Higg Product Tools, which include the Material Sustainability Index (MSI), the Higg Product Module (PM), and the underlying life cycle assessment (LCA) data through MSI Contributor. These tools enable brands, retailers, and manufacturers worldwide to measure and track their progress in improving their product environmental impacts through better design and development decisions.

​

In this role, you will have a unique opportunity to take industry experience and LCA knowledge and use it to drive and develop the standards, programs, and collective action across the entire global industry. This role will provide critical insight and management across many stakeholder groups in the advancement of this important suite of tools, and it provides an opportunity to help define and shape how product environmental footprint requirements evolve now and in the future.

​

As the industry evolves rapidly toward true product-level sustainability assessment and performance, the SAC must continue to integrate the input of stakeholders into its tools and resources. This role presents an opportunity to engage with leaders across the industry, with diverse needs and perspectives, and work toward aligning on the measurement of product environmental impacts and identifying design and development decisions that will enable the industry to achieve its impact reduction targets.

​

The ideal candidate will be an expert project manager who is experienced and confident in facilitating conversations among stakeholders with diverse perspectives and has experience developing and using LCA data in the apparel, footwear, and textile industries and/or other consumer goods industries.

​

Key Responsibilities:

• Project manage Higg Product Tool workstreams, including tool updates and program development through to successful launch and completion

• Support in the development and maintenance of Higg Product Tool methodology and content to ensure the tools are meeting member needs, including the facilitation of Member Expert Team conversations

• Continue to expand training materials that support the adoption and scale of Higg Product Tools, including "How to Higg" guidance, training and implementation guidance, and other program resources

• Facilitate and coordinate the SAC's members' involvement process through the Strategic Council and Member Expert Teams in order to gather input and feedback to complement internal expertise in the development of the Higg Product Tools and programs

• Collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, members, and SAC staff to gather and synthesize feedback, prioritize initiatives according to SAC's vision and strategy, and work with technical developers to implement improvements and enhancements to the platform, tools, and methodologies

• Support quality assurance (QA) testing in cooperation with the technical teams on new tool features

• Support industry education around life cycle assessment and Higg Product Tool methodology

• Support industry stakeholders in submitting data into the Higg Product Tools through the MSI Contributor by working with members to identify the most prominent data gaps and opportunities to solicit high-quality LCA data and supporting data submitters by answering questions about the submission process and Higg Product Tool methodology

• Be an expert and representative on Higg Product Tools and Product Tool methodology for SAC staff, members, and external stakeholders

• Support the tracking and analysis of Higg Product Tool adoption and performance data, including internal and member data reporting and the creation of communications, case studies, and white papers on the Higg Product Tool insights

​

Qualifications, Experiences, and Attributes Required:

• Demonstrable experience of 5+ years or similar with developing and using LCA data and related standards (such as ISO 14040, ISO 14025, ISO 14044, and EU PEF), including direct experience with primary data collection and creating LCA insights

• Familiarity with product design and/or development at a brand or manufacturer in the apparel, footwear, sporting goods, or home textiles industries. Experience with other adjacent consumer goods industries will also be considered

• Demonstrated project management, leadership, and analytics skills

• Ability to analyze technical environmental assessment methodologies, including life cycle impact methods, and explain them to stakeholders with varying degrees of LCA knowledge

• Experience with multi-layered, complex projects with multiple stakeholders and a solution-oriented approach

• Familiarity and experience working with the Higg Material Sustainability Index and Product Module

• Experience and confidence in convening, facilitating, and leading conversations with diverse groups of stakeholders with a wide range of perspectives, and consensus building

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills

​

Reporting Structure and Location:

This is a full-time role reporting directly to the Director of Higg Product Tools.

​

The SAC's members and partners are global organizations, and, as such, the SAC's staff sometimes work early or late hours.

​

If you've realized this is the opportunity for you to bring significant impact, please apply directly. If you have any questions, please contact Thaddeus Tan at thaddeus.tan@acre.com to enquire further. Please note that only applications directly through Acre's website/link will be considered.