Senior Manager of Sustainable Procurement for Colleges and Universities

Position Type: 1.0 FTE. Exempt.

Reports to: Director, Built Environment Program

Overview

The Center for Environmental Health (“CEH”) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that protects people from toxic chemicals and promotes business practices that are safe for public health and the environment. We stop corporations from exposing people to toxic chemicals, collaborate with responsible businesses and industry leaders, and commit to inclusive, community-led solutions that address environmental injustices facing the general public as well as low-income communities of color.

Workplace

CEH is an organization of committed science-driven advocates who work together to keep short-sighted business interests from harming people in the name of profit. We are proud of our work and achieve big wins for people’s health. The organizational culture is one of entrepreneurism and thoughtfully assessed risk taking. CEH believes that to protect the health of all people, we must address the disproportionate health effects of toxic chemicals caused by systemic racism and other social injustices. The movement to eliminate dangerous chemicals must move forward in partnership with environmental justice, reproductive Justice, and other related movements working to address the pressing social justice issues of our day. CEH’s headquarters are in Oakland.

Commitment to JEDI

At CEH, striving for justice, diversity, equity and inclusion (“JEDI”) for all is critical to our mission and values. We know that having a team that is diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, ability, sexual orientation, age, background, and opinions — and fostering inclusion among that team — is core to achieving our organizational goals. CEH strives to recruit talent from a diverse pool of candidates and ensure that those professionals it hires are sufficiently supported so that they flourish. The organization wants everyone to not only have a seat at the table, but to know that their presence and input makes the organization stronger.

Equal Opportunity

CEH is an equal opportunity employer. In keeping with the priority we give to the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), we are committed to gender and racial equity and actively seek to hire those from historically marginalized communities. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.

Learn more about the Center for Environmental Health at www.ceh.org.

The Opportunity

CEH partners with large institutional purchasers to procure safer products and therefore leverage their purchasing power to shift markets toward healthy, sustainable, just, and toxic-free products and materials. Over the past 15 years, these partners have included governmental agencies, healthcare institutions, for-profit corporations, architecture and design firms, and universities and K-12 schools. CEH has strongly influenced the market of product categories, including electronics, foodware, furniture and flooring.  Because colleges and universities are important settings for implementing safe and sustainable practices and provide a unique opportunity to engage students in innovative approaches, CEH seeks to expand our engagement in this sector.

About the Role

The Senior Manager of Sustainable Procurement for Colleges and Universities is responsible for building, maintaining, and supporting a network of purchasers, administrators, faculty, staff, and students toward the widespread adoption of health- and climate-protective, justice-oriented sustainable purchasing and building standards and practices in the higher education sector. Reporting to the Director, Built Environment Program, and working in close partnership with CEH’s Built Environment, Petrochemical, Plastics, and Climate (PPC), and Food Programs, the SMCU provides consultation, technical assistance, resource materials, and training for an evolving portfolio of schools and related associations.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Program Design and Development: Design and execute an environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) and operations program focused on supporting and activating colleges and universities. (20%)
  • Develop and maintain a programmatic work plan for enhanced outreach, advisory and technical support to colleges and universities.
  • Develop resources including presentations, educational and training curricula, model procurement tools, case studies and other critical tools to advance and leverage purchasing and knowledge-sharing power toward the transition to safer products.
  • Provide presentations to and train targeted audiences using programmatic resources
  • Maintain a strong awareness of environmental justice and equity issues and opportunities across and within all engagements.
  • Help universities make tangible changes in their procurement to protect their communities and align with CEH mission of eliminating toxic chemicals. 
  • Track and share measurable changes/improvements to environmental health made at partner colleges and universities. 
  1. Network and Client Cultivation and Management: Cultivate and maintain a broad network of purchasers, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and professional associations to share knowledge and develop and grow a client base for consultation and partnership. (60%)
  • Provide direct and tailored assistance and support and consultative services to higher education clients in both pro-bono and fee-for-service engagements.
  • Conduct targeted outreach to colleges and universities in need of services, using CEH’s fee-for-service model.
  • Develop agreed upon scope of work and fee schedule for necessary projects
  • Actively seek and participate in key existing higher education networks and groups to identify and develop relationships.
  • Establish and nurture collaborations and partnerships with and among colleges and universities leading the industry in EPP, specifically in the realm of built environment, foodware, petrochemicals, and plastics.
  • Keep up to date on news and trends in the sector.
  • Work across a broad range of public and private institutions throughout the United States including tribal, historically Black, low-income serving, and lower-resourced universities.
  • Seek and engage collaborators within the university-setting to forge research and educational partnerships on issues and questions related to toxic-free products and procurement.
  • Cultivate relationships with organizations such as the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) that assist and reach a broad range of higher education institutions to elevate the importance of safer materials and products, align sector interests and activities around eliminating toxics, spread models of success, and strengthen CEH’s visibility as a trusted thought partner and collaborator.
  • Convene ad hoc or on-going conversations or cohorts among universities to enable knowledge sharing and advance EPP.
  1. Participate, as requested, in CEH’s fundraising and communications efforts, including meeting with donors and foundation representatives, contributing to grant reports and proposals, attending fundraisers, and writing blogs, articles, social media posts, etc. (10%)
  2. Participate in and support CEH’s mission in organization-wide efforts including strategic planning and cross-program strategy development. (10%)

Required Qualifications:

The successful candidate will be an experienced and self-motivated leader with a profound commitment to the principles of environmental health/justice and a core understanding of healthy procurement policies and practices, preferably in higher education settings

  • Bachelor’s degree, plus 4-6 years of relevant professional experience. Additional years of work experience may be substituted for the degree requirement.
  • Strong alignment with CEH’s mission, goals, and values and willingness to be a part of a high energy, impact-oriented organizational culture.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of successful strategies for adopting sustainable or environmentally preferable purchasing policies and practices within a college or university setting.
  • Client and/or project management experience.
  • High emotional intelligence and proven skills in leading client outreach, cultivation, and retention.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and to work independently, successfully managing assigned projects from design through implementation and evaluation.
  • Strong communication skills, especially in terms of delivering professionally prepared presentations and explaining complex concepts and strategies to diverse audiences.
  • High attention to detail, proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines, and solid track record in successful project management.
  • Ability to complete projects in a timely manner.
  • Clear commitment to the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI):
  • Knowledge of communicating with diverse groups, working with a multicultural workforce, and sensitivity and appreciation to cultural differences is required.
  • Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and justice
  • Commitment to environmental justice, environmental health, diversity, and inclusion.

Location

Preference will be given to qualified candidates located in the Oakland//Bay Area. However, strong candidates seeking to work remotely from other parts of the continental U.S will be considered.

All CEH staff are currently working remotely, but this is expected to change as conditions improve. We anticipate that the Oakland Office will reopen using a hybrid structure that will require some part-time, in-person work in the office and some part-time remote work at home.

Salary

The base salary for this position is $75,000. This salary is negotiable, commensurate with experience. Base salaries are set based on living expenses in the San Francisco/Bay Area; CEH uses an adjusted pay scale to determine the base salaries for permanent remote positions stationed in other parts of the country. The job comes with full benefits, including medical, dental, and vision, employer contributions to a 401K, and generous paid time off.

Working Conditions and Job Setting

  • Physical ability to type (or use voice keyboarding software) and use a computer is essential.

Applying for this job

Please submit the following materials in a single PDF:

  • Cover letter, highlighting your qualifications
  • Resume
  • A recent presentation, writing sample, training curriculum, or comparable item that you’ve developed related to environmental health/justice concerns.

Please merge these documents into a single PDF whose file name includes your surname and “SeniorManagerSPCU.” Then email it to: [email protected] with the subject line: Senior Manager of Sustainable Procurement for Colleges and Universities.

We acknowledge receipt of all employment applications, and when we decide a candidate is no longer in the running, we inform her/him/them promptly.  (Note: this sometimes can take a while.)

Position open until filled. Applications submitted before April 15, 2022, will be given priority.