International Circular Economy Specialist Manager

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

As our International Circular Economy Specialist Manager, you'll be the person driving our circularity agenda within Compliance, Quality, Health, and Safety. This means setting the strategy for how we design, make, use, and recover our products, all while staying on the right side of global regulations. You'll lead a small but mighty team, guiding them to deliver tangible, measurable improvements in our resource use and waste reduction efforts. Truth is, this role sits right at the heart of our operations, influencing everything from R&D to supply chain and even how we talk about our products to customers. When you do this well, we'll see real reductions in our environmental footprint, fewer compliance headaches, and even new revenue streams from circular business models. Get it wrong, and we're looking at regulatory fines, reputational damage, and missed opportunities. The tricky part? You'll need to balance ambitious sustainability goals with the day-to-day realities of product development and budget constraints. It's about getting everyone on the same page, even when their priorities seem to clash. The reward, though, is pretty significant: you'll be building a genuinely more sustainable business, one that's ready for the future.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Director, Circular Economy & Product Stewardship
• Direct reports: Roughly 5-10 direct reports, plus oversight of 2-3 team leads
• Matrix relationships: Manager, Circularity & Sustainability Compliance, Head of Product Stewardship & Circularity, Senior Manager, EHS & Circular Economy,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• Product Management & R&D leadership
• Global Supply Chain & Procurement Directors
• Legal & Regulatory Affairs
• Marketing & Communications
• Finance Business Partners

External:

• External Regulators (e.g., ECHA, national environmental agencies)
• Industry Associations & Working Groups
• Key Suppliers & Waste Management Partners
• External Auditors & ESG Rating Agencies

Organisational Impact

Scope: This role directly shapes our organisation's environmental performance, regulatory compliance, and long-term sustainability strategy. Your decisions will influence product design, material selection, manufacturing processes, and end-of-life management across our entire portfolio, significantly impacting our brand reputation and financial resilience.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: Waste Diversion Rate
2. Desc: The percentage of operational waste diverted from landfill through recycling, reuse, or energy recovery.
3. Target: Increase company-wide waste diversion from 75% to 90% within 3 years.
4. Freq: Quarterly, reported annually to the Board.
5. Example: If we generate 100 tonnes of waste, 90 tonnes must be diverted from landfill. You'll be tracking this across all our sites.
6. Metric: Cost Savings/Revenue from Circular Initiatives
7. Desc: Tangible financial benefits generated from circular economy projects, such as remanufacturing, material substitution, or waste valorisation.
8. Target: Generate £5M in new revenue or verifiable cost savings from circular initiatives over 3 years.
9. Freq: Annually, tracked against project budgets.
10. Example: Identifying a new market for a manufacturing byproduct that previously went to landfill, bringing in £1M in sales, or switching to a cheaper recycled input saving £500K annually.
11. Metric: ESG Rating Improvement
12. Desc: Our score in key external Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings, which are crucial for investors and brand perception.
13. Target: Improve the company's score in major ESG ratings (e.g., DJSI, MSCI) by 10 points within 2 years.
14. Freq: Annually, following rating agency assessments.
15. Example: Moving from a 'B' to an 'A-' rating in a critical ESG index by demonstrating leadership in circularity and compliance.
16. Metric: Regulatory Compliance Audit Pass Rate
17. Desc: The percentage of internal and external audits related to environmental and product compliance that pass without major non-conformities.
18. Target: Achieve a 100% pass rate on all major regulatory and ISO 14001 audits.
19. Freq: Per audit event (typically annually or bi-annually).
20. Example: Successfully navigating an ECHA inspection or an ISO 14001 recertification audit with zero critical findings related to circularity data or processes.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: Team Development & Retention
2. Desc: The growth and engagement of your direct reports, ensuring we're building a strong, knowledgeable team.
3. Evidence: High team morale scores in internal surveys; successful internal promotions from your team; positive 360-degree feedback on your leadership and mentorship; clear development plans for each team member.
4. Metric: Cross-functional Influence & Collaboration
5. Desc: Your ability to get other departments to adopt and support circular economy initiatives, even when it means changing their established ways of working.
6. Evidence: Circular economy considerations routinely included in early-stage product design reviews; R&D teams proactively seeking your input on new materials; supply chain partners actively participating in circularity workshops; positive feedback from peer managers on collaborative projects.
7. Metric: Strategic Foresight & Risk Mitigation
8. Desc: Your knack for spotting emerging regulatory trends or market shifts related to circularity and proactively preparing the business.
9. Evidence: Early identification of new plastic taxes or EPR schemes, leading to pre-emptive strategy adjustments; proposals for new circular business models based on market analysis; successful mitigation of potential compliance risks before they become issues; regular contributions to executive strategy discussions.
10. Metric: External Representation & Thought Leadership
11. Desc: How effectively you represent our company in external forums, enhancing our reputation and influencing industry best practices.
12. Evidence: Speaking slots at industry conferences; active participation in relevant trade association working groups; positive feedback from external partners on your contributions; successful engagement with regulators on policy development.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Systems Thinker (at Scale)
• Manifestation: You're the one who can see how changing a single component in a product affects its entire lifecycle—from raw material sourcing, through manufacturing, logistics, customer use, and eventually, end-of-life recycling. You'll build mental models (or actual flowcharts) that connect the dots between product design, supply chain resilience, regulatory compliance, and even our carbon footprint. You don't just solve a problem; you understand its ripple effect across the whole organisation.
• Benefit: A circular economy isn't just about 'being green'; it's a fundamental shift in how we operate. As a manager, you're not just executing tasks; you're designing and overseeing these complex systems. Without this holistic view, we'd end up with siloed initiatives that don't actually move the needle, or worse, create new compliance headaches down the line.
• Trait: Pragmatic Influencer & Change Agent
• Manifestation: You won't just tell people what to do; you'll show them why it makes business sense. This means building rock-solid business cases for circular initiatives, presenting not just the environmental benefits, but also the cost savings, market differentiation, and risk reduction. You'll be able to get engineers to rethink their designs, procurement to challenge their suppliers, and sales to understand the value of a take-back scheme. You're comfortable challenging the status quo, but always with data and a clear path forward, not just idealism.
• Benefit: As a manager, you've got to lead change without always having direct authority over the teams who need to make those changes. Your success hinges entirely on your ability to persuade, negotiate, and build consensus across departments like R&D, Supply Chain, and Finance. You're the bridge-builder, translating complex circularity concepts into language that resonates with different business priorities.
• Trait: Forensic Detail-Orientation (with Oversight)
• Manifestation: While your team handles much of the day-to-day data, you're the one who spots the pattern in audit findings that indicates a systemic issue, or questions the 0.01% discrepancy in a material flow analysis that could have huge implications. You instil a culture of meticulous record-keeping and data validation within your team, knowing that regulatory bodies won't accept 'close enough'. You'll review critical reports with an eagle eye, catching errors before they ever leave your department.
• Benefit: In Compliance, Quality, Health, and Safety, small errors can lead to massive consequences – think product recalls, multi-million pound fines, or severe reputational damage. As a manager, you're ultimately accountable for the accuracy and integrity of your team's outputs. Your ability to ensure robust processes and catch critical details is our primary defence against these risks.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Resilience & Persistence
• Desc: You'll hear 'no' a lot. Budgets are tight, priorities shift, and changing established processes is hard. You'll need to be able to pick yourself up, re-strategise, and keep pushing for progress, even when it feels like you're hitting a wall.
• Trait: Inherent Curiosity & Continuous Learner
• Desc: The circular economy space is constantly evolving. You're someone who proactively researches new recycling technologies, biomaterials, emerging regulatory frameworks, and innovative business models, staying ahead of the curve and bringing fresh ideas to the table.
• Trait: Structured & Empathetic Communicator
• Desc: You can explain complex topics like 'chemical recycling mass balance' to an executive in three clear bullet points, but also listen carefully to an engineer's concerns about material performance. You adapt your communication style to your audience, ensuring clarity and understanding.
• Trait: Empowering Leader
• Desc: You're not just delegating tasks; you're developing people. You give your team members autonomy, provide constructive feedback, and create opportunities for them to grow, understanding that their success is your success.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Driving Tangible Environmental Impact
2. Daily: You'll get a real buzz from seeing a product redesigned with recycled content, or a new take-back scheme successfully launched, knowing your work is making a measurable difference to our planet. This isn't just theory; it's about real-world change.
3. Motivator: Building & Mentoring a High-Performing Team
4. Daily: You thrive on coaching your direct reports, helping them develop their skills, solve tricky problems, and grow in their careers. You'll enjoy seeing your team members step up and take ownership, knowing you've helped them get there.
5. Motivator: Shaping Organisational Strategy & Innovation
6. Daily: You're motivated by the opportunity to influence how the company operates at a strategic level, proposing new circular business models or integrating sustainability into core decision-making processes. You want to be part of the solution, not just reacting to problems.

Potential Demotivators

Honestly, this role isn't for everyone. You'll often find yourself in situations where the ideal circular solution clashes with immediate business pressures like cost or speed-to-market. You'll spend a fair bit of time trying to get accurate data from suppliers who aren't always keen to share. You might design a brilliant circular initiative only for it to be shelved due to a shift in corporate priorities. And yes, you'll have to manage team members who aren't always as motivated as you are. If you need every single one of your ideas to be implemented perfectly and immediately, you'll probably get frustrated here.

Common Frustrations

1. The supply chain is still a bit of a black box; getting accurate, full material declarations from Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers is a constant, exhausting battle, even as a manager.
2. Trying to justify the long-term ROI of a circularity initiative to a leadership team that is bonused exclusively on quarterly profits – it's a tough sell sometimes.
3. Dealing with internal resistance to change, especially from established departments who see circularity as 'extra work' rather than core business.
4. Navigating the contradictory patchwork of international regulations; a product compliant with California's packaging laws might be non-compliant with Germany's, and you're accountable for it all.
5. Being viewed as the 'compliance police' and a cost centre, rather than a strategic partner who can unlock new value streams and mitigate future risks.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. A purely hands-on technical role; you'll be managing and strategising more than doing the deep-dive analysis yourself.
2. A static, predictable environment; the regulatory landscape and market expectations for circularity are constantly shifting.
3. Unlimited budget for every circular initiative; you'll need to be savvy about prioritisation and building strong business cases.
4. Direct authority over all operational teams; success relies heavily on influence and collaboration.

ADHD Positives

1. The constant need to juggle multiple projects, shift priorities, and respond to emerging regulatory changes can be a real strength for someone with ADHD. Your ability to hyperfocus on complex problems when engaged, and your knack for innovative, 'outside the box' solutions (when given the space) could be invaluable for circular economy challenges.
2. Leading a team means less routine, more dynamic problem-solving and strategic thinking, which often aligns well with ADHD strengths.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. Managing detailed compliance documentation and ensuring meticulous data accuracy for your team can be challenging. We can help with robust project management tools, clear templates, and dedicated support for administrative tasks.
2. Long, unstructured meetings might be tough. We encourage shorter, focused meetings with clear agendas and action points. Feel free to stand, pace, or use fidget tools if it helps you concentrate.
3. We can offer flexible working hours to allow you to optimise your peak productivity times.

Dyslexia Positives

1. Often, individuals with dyslexia excel at big-picture thinking, spatial reasoning, and connecting disparate ideas—all crucial for 'systems thinking' in the circular economy. Your ability to simplify complex information for others can be a huge asset when communicating strategy.
2. Your strengths in problem-solving and visual thinking can help us design clearer processes and visualisations for circularity data.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. Reading and writing extensive compliance reports or detailed policy documents might be more time-consuming. We can provide access to assistive technologies like text-to-speech software, dictation tools, and proofreading support.
2. We'll ensure critical information is also conveyed verbally or visually, not just in written form. We're happy to discuss any specific software or tools that help you work most effectively.

Autism Positives

1. Your strong logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and ability to dive deep into complex regulatory frameworks or data sets can be incredibly valuable. A preference for clear, direct communication and a focus on facts over ambiguity is a real asset in compliance.
2. The systematic nature of circular economy frameworks and compliance processes might align well with a preference for structure and order.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. Navigating complex social dynamics in cross-functional influence can be challenging. We foster a culture of direct, respectful communication. We can provide clear expectations for collaboration and support you in navigating internal politics.
2. Sudden changes in priorities or unexpected social interactions might be difficult. We aim for clear communication of changes and respect for personal space. We can discuss preferences for meeting formats and social events.
3. A quiet workspace can be arranged if preferred, and we support the use of noise-cancelling headphones.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: International Circular Economy Specialist Manager (L5)
2. Responsibilities: Define and set the strategic direction for our circular economy programmes within the Compliance, Quality, Health, and Safety department. This means figuring out where we need to go and how we're going to get there, aligning with the overall business strategy.
3. Lead, manage, and mentor a team of Circular Economy Specialists and Leads. You'll be responsible for their professional development, performance reviews, and making sure they're set up for success (and hiring new folks when needed).
4. Own the departmental budget for circular economy initiatives, ensuring resources are allocated effectively and we're getting the best bang for our buck. This includes approving spend up to roughly £500K for projects and vendor contracts.
5. Drive the integration of circular economy principles into product design, manufacturing processes, and supply chain operations. You'll be the one pushing R&D to use more recycled content or working with Procurement to find circular suppliers.
6. Ensure our organisation maintains full compliance with all international environmental and product-related regulations, including emerging circular economy policies like new EPR schemes or digital product passports. This is about staying ahead of the curve.
7. Represent the company externally in industry working groups, regulatory discussions, and conferences. You'll be our voice, sharing our progress and learning from others, and sometimes even influencing policy.
8. Develop and maintain robust reporting frameworks and dashboards to track our circularity performance against key metrics. You'll be presenting these insights to senior leadership, showing our progress and highlighting areas for improvement.
9. Supervision: You'll be largely self-directed, working towards quarterly objectives agreed with the Director. We'll check in regularly, but you're trusted to manage your own workload and your team's. You're expected to provide strong guidance and oversight to your direct reports, empowering them while ensuring quality and compliance.
10. Decision: You'll have full authority for your function, including budget allocation up to £500K, hiring decisions for your team, and vendor selection up to £100K. Strategic decisions that impact multiple departments or require significant capital investment will require alignment with the Director and relevant executive peers. You'll make day-to-day operational and technical decisions for your team autonomously.
11. Success: Success in this role means you've built a high-performing team that consistently delivers on circularity targets, ensuring our products are compliant and our processes are efficient. It means you've successfully influenced other departments to adopt circular practices, leading to measurable improvements in our environmental footprint and contributing to our financial performance. Ultimately, you'll be seen as the go-to expert and leader for circular economy within the organisation.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Strategic Direction for Circular Economy Programmes
• Entry: Supports by gathering data and preparing initial reports for review.
• Mid: Proposes specific project ideas and methodologies within existing strategy.
• Senior: Leads the development of workstream strategies, making recommendations to leadership.
• Type: Budget Allocation & Spend Approval
• Entry: No authority; requests specific tools or training through supervisor.
• Mid: Proposes project expenses up to £5K for manager approval.
• Senior: Recommends budget allocation for specific projects up to £50K; requires Director approval.
• Type: Team Hiring & Performance Management
• Entry: No involvement.
• Mid: May participate in interview panels for junior roles; provides informal feedback to peers.
• Senior: Mentors 0-2 junior team members; provides input on performance reviews.
• Type: Regulatory Interpretation & Compliance Approach
• Entry: Applies established compliance procedures to specific tasks; escalates any ambiguity.
• Mid: Interprets routine regulations for specific product lines; proposes compliant solutions for standard scenarios.
• Senior: Leads the interpretation of complex regulations for specific product groups; designs and implements compliance processes.

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

These are the bedrock skills, the ones that help you lead, communicate, and solve problems effectively. As a manager, you're not just applying these yourself, but also fostering them within your team.

• Category: Strategic Leadership & People Management
• Skills: Team Development & Coaching: Building a high-performing team, mentoring individuals, and fostering a collaborative environment.
• Performance Management: Setting clear objectives, providing constructive feedback, and managing individual and team performance.
• Change Leadership: Guiding the organisation through transitions, overcoming resistance, and embedding new circular economy practices.
• Delegation & Empowerment: Effectively assigning tasks and empowering team members to take ownership and make decisions.
• Category: Advanced Communication & Influence
• Skills: Executive Presentation Skills: Communicating complex circularity strategies and performance metrics clearly and concisely to senior leadership and the Board.
• Cross-functional Negotiation: Building consensus and influencing decisions across diverse departments (e.g., R&D, Supply Chain, Finance) to adopt circular practices.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Building strong relationships with internal and external partners, including regulators and industry bodies.
• Active Listening & Empathy: Understanding diverse perspectives and concerns to build effective solutions.
• Category: Complex Problem Solving & Decision Making
• Skills: Systems Thinking: Analysing complex interdependencies within the product lifecycle and organisational structure to identify root causes and holistic solutions.
• Strategic Prioritisation: Evaluating multiple circular economy initiatives against business objectives, resources, and risk to determine the most impactful path forward.
• Risk Management: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating compliance, reputational, and operational risks associated with circular economy programmes.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Guiding your team to use data and analytics to inform strategic choices and measure programme effectiveness.
• Category: Adaptability & Resilience
• Skills: Navigating Ambiguity: Operating effectively in situations where information is incomplete or goals are evolving, providing clarity for your team.
• Dealing with Setbacks: Maintaining focus and motivation for the team in the face of resistance, budget constraints, or unexpected challenges.
• Continuous Learning: Staying abreast of rapidly evolving circular economy concepts, technologies, and regulatory landscapes.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

These are the specific skills and tools you'll need to lead our circular economy efforts within the CQHS domain. As a manager, you'll be setting the direction and ensuring your team has the capabilities to execute.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) & Hotspot Analysis
• Desc: You'll need deep expertise in ISO 14040/14044 standards, not just to perform LCAs, but to strategically interpret results, identify the most significant environmental hotspots across our product portfolio, and guide your team in applying these insights to product design and process improvement. This is about using LCA as a strategic decision-making tool.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Material Flow Analysis (MFA)
• Desc: The ability to design and oversee MFAs at an organisational or product line level. You'll use these analyses to identify key opportunities for resource efficiency, waste reduction, and circular material loops, then translate those insights into actionable strategies for your team and other departments.
• Level: Advanced
• Skill: Circular Business Model Design & Implementation
• Desc: Knowledge of frameworks like Product-as-a-Service (PaaS), remanufacturing, refurbishment, and industrial symbiosis. More importantly, you'll need the ability to assess their feasibility within our business context, build a compelling business case, and lead cross-functional teams in piloting and implementing these models.
• Level: Advanced
• Skill: Product Stewardship & End-of-Life (EoL) Management
• Desc: Expertise in designing, implementing, and managing comprehensive product take-back, recycling, and responsible disposal programmes. This includes ensuring full compliance with all EoL regulations (e.g., WEEE, EPR schemes) and optimising these systems for both environmental and economic outcomes.
• Level: Expert

Digital Tools

• Tool: SimaPro, GaBi, or OpenLCA (LCA Software)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: You won't be building every model yourself, but you'll be evaluating and selecting the right LCA software for the team, interpreting complex results, and integrating LCA data into strategic decision-making and reporting. You'll guide your team on advanced modelling techniques and methodology choices.
• Tool: SAP S/4HANA for Product Compliance / Sphera Product Stewardship
• Level: Architect
• Usage: You'll be designing the enterprise-wide processes for substance compliance and circularity data management within these platforms. This means overseeing module selection, configuration, and ensuring data integrity for all regulatory submissions and internal reporting. You'll be the go-to person for complex compliance data challenges.
• Tool: Enablon, Cority, or Intelex (EHS & GRC Platforms)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Leading the module selection and configuration for circular economy reporting within our enterprise GRC/EHS platform. You'll ensure the platform effectively tracks circularity KPIs, manages corrective actions, and provides auditable data for board-level reporting. You'll also oversee training for operational teams on data entry and use.
• Tool: Microsoft Power BI or Tableau (Data Analysis & Visualization)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Defining the data architecture for sustainability reporting and circularity dashboards. You'll present insights from these dashboards to executive leadership, using them to drive strategic decisions and communicate performance to external stakeholders. You'll guide your team in building advanced visualisations.
• Tool: Microsoft SharePoint, MS Teams, Confluence (Collaboration & Doc Control)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Setting the governance policy for all EHS & Circularity documentation. You'll design the information architecture for managing project documentation, ensuring auditability, version control, and seamless cross-functional collaboration. You'll also ensure your team uses these effectively for project management.
• Tool: Diligent Boards or Workday Adaptive Planning (Executive & Board Reporting)
• Level: Architect
• Usage: Preparing and packaging sustainability and circularity performance data for board books using tools like Diligent. You'll use planning tools like Adaptive to model the financial impacts of circular initiatives, ensuring our executive team has the insights needed for strategic investment decisions.

Industry Knowledge

• Area: International Environmental Regulation & Policy
• Desc: An in-depth, expert-level understanding of global regulatory frameworks like EU REACH, RoHS, WEEE, the EU Green Deal, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, and emerging plastic taxes. You'll interpret complex legal texts and translate them into actionable compliance strategies for the business.
• Area: ISO 14001/50001 System Ownership
• Desc: Practical experience in owning, developing, implementing, and auditing Environmental and Energy Management Systems. You'll ensure these systems provide a structured, auditable approach to achieving our circularity goals and maintaining certifications.
• Area: Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Processes
• Desc: A strong understanding of sustainable material properties, alternative materials (e.g., bio-based, recycled), and manufacturing processes that support circularity (e.g., additive manufacturing, modular design). You'll advise R&D and Procurement on material selection from a compliance and circularity perspective.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: EU Green Deal & Circular Economy Action Plan
• Usage: You'll be responsible for translating the strategic objectives of the EU Green Deal and its Circular Economy Action Plan into actionable programmes and compliance requirements for our products and operations, anticipating future legislative changes.
• Reg: REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
• Usage: You'll oversee the strategy for managing chemical compliance, particularly concerning Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) and their implications for material selection and product design. You'll ensure our SCIP notifications are robust and accurate.
• Reg: RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) & WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
• Usage: You'll lead our compliance programmes for these directives, ensuring our products meet substance restrictions and that we have robust take-back and recycling schemes in place for electrical and electronic equipment across relevant markets.
• Reg: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes (Global)
• Usage: You'll manage our global EPR obligations for packaging, batteries, and electronics, overseeing fee calculations, reporting, and ensuring we partner with approved compliance schemes in each country. This includes anticipating and preparing for new EPR regulations.
• Reg: National Plastic Taxes & Single-Use Plastic Directives
• Usage: You'll monitor and ensure compliance with national plastic taxes and single-use plastic regulations in key markets, advising product development and procurement on material alternatives and reporting requirements.

Essential Prerequisites

• Demonstrable experience (at least 5-8 years) leading complex circular economy projects or workstreams, ideally within a manufacturing or consumer goods environment.
• Proven ability to manage and mentor junior team members, fostering their growth and ensuring their success.
• A track record of successfully influencing cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders to adopt new processes or strategies.
• In-depth knowledge of at least one major LCA software (e.g., SimaPro, GaBi) and experience interpreting results for business decisions.
• Strong understanding of international environmental regulations and product compliance frameworks (e.g., REACH, RoHS, WEEE, EPR).
• Experience managing project budgets and resources effectively.

Career Pathway Context

To step into this Manager role, you'll need to have moved beyond just executing tasks. We're looking for someone who has already led significant initiatives, managed small teams or mentored extensively, and has a proven ability to influence without direct authority. You should be comfortable with ambiguity and ready to take on accountability for a whole function's performance. Essentially, you've been a Senior Specialist or Lead Strategist who's ready for that next big leap into people and programme leadership.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: Digital Product Passports & Blockchain for Traceability
• Why: The EU is pushing for Digital Product Passports (DPPs) across various sectors, meaning every product will need a digital twin with detailed material, repair, and end-of-life information. Blockchain offers a secure, immutable way to manage this data across complex supply chains. This isn't just a compliance exercise; it's a game-changer for transparency and circularity, and it's coming fast.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements', 'description': 'Understanding the specific data points, interoperability standards, and implementation timelines for DPPs across different product categories.'}, {'concept_name': 'Blockchain fundamentals for supply chain traceability', 'description': 'How distributed ledger technology can securely track materials, components, and products through their lifecycle, ensuring data integrity for circularity claims.'}, {'concept_name': 'Interoperability standards for data exchange', 'description': 'Learning about protocols and platforms that allow different systems to share DPP data seamlessly across the value chain.'}, {'concept_name': 'Data privacy and security in digital product information', 'description': 'Understanding how to manage sensitive product and material data securely within a public or semi-public digital passport system.'}]
• Prepare: This month: Read the latest EU proposals on Digital Product Passports for relevant sectors. Understand the core requirements.
• Next quarter: Attend a webinar or online course on blockchain for supply chain traceability. Get a basic grasp of the technology.
• Month 3-6: Work with our IT team to explore potential pilot projects for a DPP, perhaps starting with a single product line or component.
• Month 6-12: Develop an internal strategy for integrating DPP data collection and management into our existing compliance and product lifecycle systems.
• QuickWin: Start by identifying one or two key product components where better traceability would immediately improve circularity or compliance. Research existing DPP pilot projects in our industry to learn from others.
• Skill: Advanced Data Science for Predictive Compliance & Circularity
• Why: We're moving beyond just reporting historical data. The ability to use advanced analytics and machine learning to predict future regulatory changes, identify potential material compliance risks, or forecast the impact of circular interventions will give us a massive strategic advantage. This means less reactive firefighting and more proactive planning.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Machine learning basics (regression, classification)', 'description': 'Understanding how these models can be applied to predict outcomes, such as the likelihood of a new substance being regulated or the success rate of a take-back scheme.'}, {'concept_name': 'Natural Language Processing (NLP) for regulatory intelligence', 'description': 'How AI can scan vast amounts of legal texts and news to identify emerging regulatory trends and changes, summarising key impacts.'}, {'concept_name': 'Predictive modelling for material risk assessment', 'description': 'Using historical data and external factors to forecast potential supply chain disruptions or compliance issues related to specific materials.'}, {'concept_name': 'Data visualisation for complex predictive insights', 'description': 'Translating complex model outputs into clear, actionable visualisations for executive decision-makers.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Take an online course on 'Data Science for Business Leaders' or 'Machine Learning Fundamentals'.
• Next quarter: Identify one specific area where predictive analytics could significantly improve our circularity or compliance (e.g., forecasting waste streams, predicting material availability).
• Month 3-6: Work with a data scientist (if available) or a consultant to pilot a predictive model for your chosen area.
• Month 6-12: Develop a roadmap for integrating predictive capabilities into our existing EHS/GRC platforms and reporting.
• QuickWin: Start using AI tools (like those in Section 4B) for regulatory horizon scanning. Even basic summarisation can give you a predictive edge by highlighting trends earlier.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Circular Economy Financial Modelling & Investment
• Why: The business case for circularity is becoming more sophisticated. You'll need to understand how to model the financial implications of circular initiatives (e.g., remanufacturing revenue, material cost savings, carbon credit value) and articulate these to finance and investment teams. This includes understanding green bonds and impact investing.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Lifecycle Costing for circular products', 'description': "Calculating the total cost of ownership and value creation over a product's entire lifecycle, not just upfront costs."}, {'concept_name': 'Green finance instruments', 'description': 'Understanding concepts like green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, and impact investing as funding mechanisms for circular projects.'}, {'concept_name': 'Valuation of intangible circular benefits', 'description': 'Quantifying the financial value of improved brand reputation, supply chain resilience, and reduced regulatory risk.'}, {'concept_name': 'Return on Investment (ROI) for circular business models', 'description': 'Developing robust financial models to demonstrate the profitability and scalability of new circular ventures.'}]
• Prepare: This month: Read up on 'Circular Economy Finance' reports from institutions like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
• Next quarter: Take an online course on financial modelling, specifically looking for modules on sustainability or ESG.
• Month 3-6: Work closely with our Finance Business Partner on one of your team's circular projects, focusing on building a detailed financial case.
• Month 6-12: Present a financial model for a new circular initiative to senior leadership, clearly articulating ROI and funding requirements.
• QuickWin: Start by adding a 'long-term cost savings' or 'new revenue potential' column to all your team's project proposals. Even rough estimates get people thinking financially.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: A Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sustainability Management, or a closely related technical field.
• Alts: We're open to candidates with extensive, demonstrable professional experience (15+ years) in circular economy and compliance management, even without a specific degree, if you can prove you've got the knowledge and leadership chops.
• Level: Preferred
• Req: A Master's degree (MSc, MBA) with a specialisation in Sustainability, Circular Economy, Environmental Management, or Business Administration.
• Alts: Relevant professional certifications (see below) combined with significant practical experience can sometimes be considered equivalent to a Master's.

Experience Requirements

You'll need roughly 12-16 years of progressive experience in environmental compliance, product stewardship, or circular economy roles. This should include at least 5-8 years in a leadership capacity, managing teams, and owning significant programmes or workstreams. We're looking for someone who has genuinely driven change and managed complex projects across international markets, not just supported them.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: ISO 14001 Lead Auditor
• Prod: Various accredited bodies (e.g., BSI, LRQA)
• Usage: Demonstrates a deep understanding of environmental management systems, which is critical for implementing and auditing circular economy programmes within a structured framework.
• Cert: Circular Economy Specialist / Practitioner Certification
• Prod: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Circular Economy Institute, or similar
• Usage: Validates your understanding of core circular economy principles, business models, and implementation strategies, showing you're up-to-date with the latest thinking.
• Cert: Project Management Professional (PMP) or PRINCE2
• Prod: Project Management Institute (PMI) / AXELOS
• Usage: Given the need to lead complex, cross-functional circular economy projects, strong project management skills are invaluable for ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery.
• Cert: Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM)
• Prod: Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)
• Usage: If our products involve complex hazardous materials, this certification demonstrates expertise in managing their lifecycle, which is crucial for both compliance and circularity.

Recommended Activities

• Active participation in relevant industry associations (e.g., WEEE Forum, European Environmental Bureau) to stay abreast of policy developments and network with peers.
• Regularly attending conferences and workshops on circular economy, sustainable materials, and product compliance to bring back fresh ideas.
• Subscribing to key regulatory intelligence services and environmental law updates to ensure you're always aware of emerging legislation.
• Mentoring junior professionals in the field, which helps solidify your own knowledge and leadership skills.
• Undertaking online courses or executive education programmes in areas like sustainable finance, AI for sustainability, or advanced data analytics.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: Senior Circular Economy Specialist (Internal Promotion)
• Time: 3-5 years as a Senior Specialist (L3) or Lead Strategist (L4)
• Path: Circular Economy Manager (from another company)
• Time: Coming in with 2-4 years of prior management experience in a similar role.
• Path: Lead EHS/Sustainability Specialist (from another department/company)
• Time: 5-8 years in a senior EHS or Sustainability role, with a strong focus on circularity.

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: Director, Circular Economy & Product Stewardship (L6)
• Time: 3-5 years in the Manager role (L5)

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: VP, Global EHS & Circularity
• Time: 5-10 years from the Manager role
• Title: Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
• Time: 10-15 years from the Manager role
• Title: Head of ESG & Investor Relations
• Time: 8-12 years from the Manager role

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.