Environmental Sustainability Senior Specialist

BACKGROUND

Our approach to sustainability is inspired by our history and purpose: ‘We Craft the Future’. In FY23, we continued building on our responsible business values and heritage. As a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact since December 2013 we continue to be committed to its ten Principles, while we are using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a compass. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Environmental Sustainability Director, this position requires both freshwater stewardship expertise and demonstrated ability to drive change in environmental sustainability practices.
 

This new role will be responsible for the following responsibilities, including but not limited to:

•    Oversee the evolution of Richemont’s approach to freshwater stewardship, an essential pillar of the Environmental Sustainability management system, integrated with other pillars such as climate mitigation & adaptation or biodiversity conservation.

•    Provide specific water stewardship expert-level advice for all Maisons, Regions and Functions of the group. Deliver guidance on how to measure and improve on water withdrawals, discharges and consumptions, taking into consideration the specific situation of a given water basin in the supply chain.

•    Contribute to water-related risk & opportunity assessments (TCFD & TNFD)
•    Drive broad environmental sustainability performance and continuous improvement on climate, biodiversity, and water across a subset of Maisons.

•    Identify opportunities to accelerate progress on science-based targets.
•    Contribute to ESG reporting with a particular focus on freshwater disclosures.
•    Contribute to environmental data management improvements including through digitalization.
•    Partner with procurement leadership to drive improved environmental performance with suppliers, particularly in the supply chains for precious metals and gemstones.
•    Prepare submissions to CDP Water questionnaires and other third-party sustainability surveys.
•    Contribute to various internal and external communications (stakeholder Q&A, employee newsletters, website updates, etc.).
•    Conceive and help organize sustainability-related employee engagement, including education programs and volunteering activities.
•    Keep abreast of evolving environmental regulations, standards and industry trends, and provide recommendations to inform future programs and initiatives.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

•    Freshwater stewardship expertise

•    Familiarity with water stress or depletion databases

•    Solid understanding of raw material extraction and processing industries
•    Current knowledge of sustainability practices, and applicable laws and regulations (e.g. CSRD)
•    Familiarity with science-based targets and environmental sustainability reporting frameworks (e.g. GRI, SBTN, CDP, etc.)
•    Proven communication and influencing skills
•    Detail oriented self-starter who can influence across functions and diverse stakeholder groups
•    Strong verbal and written communication skills
•    Strong time management and multitasking skills
•    Knowledge or understanding of the luxury sector
•    English and French critical languages

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

•    At least 10 years of professional experience, including 5 years in a similar position
•    Engineering or PhD degree, ideally in environmental science or hydrology
•    Relevant experience in designing and deploying global environmental sustainability strategies
•    Track record of change management processes
•    Experience working in a large, complex global organization

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will:

•    Have sound commercial judgment, strong intellect and the confidence to take the lead in negotiations with both internal and external counterparties.
•    Demonstrate excellent persuasive and negotiation skills.
•    Articulate proposals clearly, balance the requirement for technical expertise, and have the ability to recognise the bigger business picture.

Each of the areas of responsibility will involve a variety of different challenges requiring the person to be both flexible and adaptable whilst demonstrating gravitas in their dealings with internal and external counterparties. 

Benefits include:
An attractive base salary
Bonus & employee share scheme
Generous holiday entitlement
Pension plan, mobility & private healthcare participation