Director Sustainability Innovation

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Sustainability Innovation will be responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction to identify, innovate, evaluate, and validate   emerging business opportunities that can be operationalized and commercialized to drive integrated growth across Republic’s three business segments, Recycling & Solid Waste, Environmental Solutions, and Sustainability Innovation.  This position will operate with a high degree of cross-functional agility using outstanding influencing and interpersonal skills to conceptualize, develop and lead the innovation roadmap that will help the Company evolve from incremental improvements in our existing businesses to high impact value emerging growth opportunities and innovative technologies using continuous discovery and delivery.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Lead a team responsible for monitoring the external environment and market assessment of new technology ensuring awareness and identification worldwide while developing innovative partnerships with external partners.
• Create business cases for programs and projects to drive the Company’s Sustainability Innovation business growth and overall integrated growth strategy, including financial returns, capital requirements, project risks and project management.
• Identify, develop and execute new partnership opportunities.
• Manage proforma development, due diligence, and integration process for emerging businesses as a lever for market/industry entry and to support the Company’s decarbonization and plastic circularity goals.
• Manage the continued development of our network of Polymer Centers, collaborating with subject matter experts in Construction, Procurement, Operations and Finance.
• Serve as the primary liaison to our joint venture partners, ensuring strong strategic connectivity and alignment to our organization.  Specifically functions as the designated board liaison to our Blue Polymers joint venture.
• Report to the board of directors and senior leadership on Sustainability Innovation initiatives and project development.
• Establish an active and actionable global network of internal and external subject matter experts to collaboratively innovate and co-innovate existing and new offerings with speed to market, optimum design and to maximize efficiency.
• Assess macro trends, technology innovation data, customer insights and business objectives to identify unmet customer needs and underserved markets to drive innovation and enhanced sustainability opportunities and priorities.
• Develop technology innovation governance structure to fit in line with program delivery methodologies to screen and validate opportunities though use cases, testing and rework.
• Partner with Business Development to manage Emerging Business Development acquisition pipeline and Business Case Development.
• Partner with R&D to lead the discovery of emerging technologies. Identify and evaluate to leverage Republic’s core competencies and solve customer needs.
• Nurture a culture of customer obsession, entrepreneurism, and innovation.
• Promote the Company’s innovation agenda; influence and obtain support from business leaders and senior management for successful execution of the agenda.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned or apparent.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• 3+ years executive-level exposure (i.e. comfort in front of and experience working directly with executive and board-level committees) is preferred.
• Experience in progressively responsible roles that required the analysis of data, budgeting, planning, proforma development, analysis of growth opportunities, processes to determine investment strategy and project management.
• Excellent negotiation skills, communication, presentation and interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally across various levels of the organization and with key external customers, vendors and consultants.
• Excellent knowledge of key trends in technology and innovation (i.e. Clean Technology).
• Excellent analytical, financial acumen, project management and influencing skills;
• Proven ability to take projects from idea to commercial success.
• High ambiguity tolerance and interest in developing adjacent businesses.
• Cross-functional relationship skills with experience of leading in a matrix organization highly desired.
• Ability to travel: Up to 50% (domestic and potential for international).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ten years of relevant work experience in innovation identification and investment, corporate strategy and/or strategy consulting experience, and/or business development expertise working experience.
• Five years of management experience.