Programme Director: Climate Activator Certification

DescriptionAbout Anthesis
Anthesis is the sustainability activator. Proud to be a B Corp, we seek to make a significant contribution to a world which is more resilient and productive. We do this by working with cities, corporates, investors and other organisations to drive sustainable performance. We develop financially driven sustainability strategies, underpinned by technical expertise and delivered by innovative collaborative teams across the world.   

Anthesis has clients across all industry sectors and supports some of the world’s largest multinationals such as Reckitt, Cisco, Tesco, The North Face, and Target. The company brings together 1,300+ experts operating in 42 countries around the world and has offices in Andorra, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Middle East, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, and the US.  

At Anthesis Group, we are truly committed to putting people and our planet at the heart of all we do.

We encourage all employees to contribute their ideas, perspectives, and experiences to help us create an inclusive and equitable workplace. By embracing diversity and providing equal opportunities, we believe we can drive innovation, foster creativity, and achieve our shared goals. So, if you’re ready to be a part of something truly extraordinary, then we want you Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Together, we can continue to build a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to your application process, or need this job advert in a different format, just let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

Summary of Role & Key ResponsibilitiesSummary of Role 
About the Certification Programme Anthesis’ office in the Netherlands (previously operating as the Climate Neutral Group) has developed the Climate Neutral Certification Programme. The Programme went live on the 1st of January 2021 and has since then grown rapidly. With over 60 mio certified products sold annually to consumers in 14 countries, the Programme is creating real impact. We put the bar high: we require our certified clients to make substantial GHG emission reductions every year in line with the Paris Agreement, and what cannot be reduced yet shall be to compensated with the most credible offsets. Certified clients need to go public with their obliged targets and need to report how they have achieved and intend to achieve the targeted reductions. And, all of this is all verified through 3rd party audits by (proxy) accredited Certification Bodies (CBs). For more information on the Programme, see here. 

With this Certification Programme, we have acquired ‘Topkeurmerk’ (Toplabel) status in the Netherlands, and we were endorsed by ISEAL, the overarching organisation overseeing certification schemes, requiring us to implement the ISEAL Codes of Good Practise.

Continuous reflection and improvement are core to our Programme and the impact we wish to make. We continuously build capacity and provide internal support to our Client Managers and Consultants, and we have set up an extensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning System as well as a CB Support & Oversight System. An Advisory Committee composed of external stakeholder representatives, as well as an internal Content Standardization Committee have been appointed to oversee consistent implementation of the Programme. In addition, the Certification Team is developing an additional Programme on Insetting to help (certified) clients achieve their reduction targets.

With the continuously changing Voluntary Carbon Market in which we operate, and with major upcoming changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate (a.o. the (draft) Green Claims Directive and Empowering Consumer Directive) the Programme is up for content revision in 2024/25, also to explore and facilitate new upscale opportunities via the global Anthesis network and client portfolio. We have made a first start already, with a full rebranding of the Certification Programme, including a new name, logo and trademark, narratives, claims, website, marketing material, etc becoming operational in Summer 2024.

Summary of the role Anthesis currently has a vacancy for a Certification Programme Director to oversee the performance of the Certification Team, the credibility and effectiveness of the Certification Programme as well as the international growth of the client portfolio. This person will be the driving force behind the Programme, leading it into the next phase of maturity. 

We are very ambiguous – by 2028 we aim to be the global leading programme through which climate claims can be substantiated in accordance with (green) claims regulation. To achieve this, we must start preparing ourselves rapidly and embrace this new era of change and momentum. This requires us to continuously align with the trends and needs of the market in which we operate. One important aspect of this is the revision of the entire content of the Programme (including the Standard, Assurance Protocol and Trademark & Claims Policy and all supporting guidance documents and tools), following the ISEAL Code including multiple stakeholder consultation rounds. For this, the establishment of multiple Technical Committees and the expansion of the external Advisory Board are pivotal. Also, we aim to roll out the Programme across the global Anthesis network, meaning client managers, consultants and 3rd party auditors around the globe need to be trained and supported throughout the upscaling process. In addition, we need to further improve the governance and credibility of the Programme. We are for instance considering the Programme to be fully recognised as an ISO 17065 sub-scope with a National Accreditation Body, so that the 3rd party Certification Bodies can be formally accredited to audit against our Programme. And, for all of this, adequate quality and performance management systems as well as processes and procedures need to be developed.

You will be in the driving seat and lead the team that is tasked to execute all of this. You will build and expand the programme step by step, but it will go fast. We anticipate investing in new hires, resources, tools and systems, such as a digital public platform to store client compliance evidence, or the development of an automated audit and certification data. Yet, continuous reflection is needed on the required investments versus the forecasted revenues, and that all in a continuously changing external and internal environment with ambitious performance targets.  

Key Responsibilities
Concretely, the scope is two-fold, to oversee 1) Programme development and improvement (strategic) and assure adequate Programme implementation and execution (operational) & 2) The international growth of the client portfolio via the global Anthesis network and via partners (business development: marketing & sales). 

Strategic tasks:

• Oversee the development of a new version of the Theory of Change, the Standard, Assurance Protocol, Claims Policy and other Core Programme Documents, supporting Guidances, Systems and Tools, keeping in mind the right balance between:
  • Ambitiousness: a programme that is distinctive and sets a high (enough) standard to make an actual difference;
  • Scalability: a programme that is sufficiently attractive, practical and flexible for (prospective) clients, allowing for rapid uptake;
  • Credibility: a programme with a certain degree of rigidity, strictness, transparency and consistency, to protect the trustworthiness of the programme;
  • Cost-efficiency: a programme that gives ‘value for money’ for all actors involved, with reasonable verification and certification costs, while allowing Certification Bodies (CBs) and Anthesis to cover their own operating costs.
• Oversee the international growth of the client portfolio via the global Anthesis network and partners: an international Business Development Plan including marketing & sales in cooperation with Anthesis marketing and the Anthesis communities (especially carbon & purpose communities (green claims working group) as well as with partners such as certification bodies, ISEAL members etc.
• Extensive dialogue with Anthesians in leadership positions, both in the domain of corporate strategy and agency, as well as in the domain of sales and account management, in order to be able to adopt this programme as an “Anthesis Certification Programme’.
• Stakeholder management in line with the ISEAL Codes, including internal and external stakeholder definition, the organisation of (public) stakeholder consultation rounds and the review and transparent management of stakeholder feedback. 
• Build out and institutionalise stakeholder groups, the Advisory Committee, the Technical Working Group and any other entities pertaining to the governance system of the Programme. 
• Following trends and developments of the Voluntary Carbon Markets and the continuously changing regulatory environment and upcoming legislation, and align with/ provide stakeholder feedback to key players in these domains.

Operational tasks:

• Assure consistent and adequate implementation of the Core Programme Documents in line with ‘the spirit of the Programme’, by facilitating that Certification Bodies conduct high quality audits, Consultants are well equipped to provide effective services and Client Account Managers manage client expectations adequately;
• Training and capacity building of all current stakeholders, including Consultants, Client Managers and CB staff, but also new stakeholders (e.g. resulting from the upscaling via the Anthesis network) so that they are all aligned;
• Further improve and institutionalise our Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning System and Data Management System including the improvement of data input and output flows, KPI management and annual impact reporting;
• Detect compliance issues and inconsistencies and initiate, implement and oversee process improvements throughout the entire audit and certification process;
• Further improve and implement our Quality Management System, comprised of quality manuals and tools as well as Standard Operating Procedures;
• Annual internal assessment to check compliance with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice, and where not, initiate and implement improvements;
• Complaints handling and grievance management;
• Management of complex claim approval requests;

Note that the content of this role may be re-shaped, once the  Certification Programme scales up further.
Key Requirements, Skills Knowledge & ExpertiseKey Requirements
Skills, experience, technical knowledge, etc are all important advantages, but we really seek one individual that has the right and bright mind-set, attitude, dedication and character. The right candidate: 

• has a natural leadership style of humour combined with authority;
• is able to train and lead a team of dedicated professionals in a coaching-type-of-way;
• is a real relationship-builder, and culturally and strategically sensitive; 
• is an analytical thinker who can quickly absorb and own a lot of complex information and make meaningful sense out of that;
• is always just one step ahead, foreseeing where issues may occur or things may ‘fall between the cracks’;
• is willing to travel occasionally;
• can prioritise tasks and feels at ease with a fast-moving, dynamic environment.

Desirable:

• Acquired 10+ years of relevant working experience for a corporate or another certification scheme;
• Track record that proves you understand the world of corporate (sustainable) communications, public affairs/relations, and/or marketing;
• Track record that proves you understand the world of auditing and certification, e.g, ISEAL Code of Good Practise, CB accreditations (ISO accreditation norms);
• Knowledge of GHG footprinting and Life Cycle Assessments (GHG Protocol, PAS 2060, ISO 14064-1,2,3, ISO 14044, etc);
• Understanding of the (upcoming) green claims legislation.

 More information and application procedure

• In January 2024, Anthesis has implemented a new organizational structure, and the Certification Programme has moved to a new business entity called ‘Purpose’. In this new structure, the Certification Programme Director directly reports to the Global Purpose Lead who directly reports to the Board Member representing the Purpose Community. 
• This role is for 32-40 hours a week and is based in the Dutch, Swiss or one of the other EU/UK Anthesis offices.  
• Please note your application will only be considered when you are authorized to work in the EU/Switserland/UK and you are in possession of a valid working permit. 
• Anthesis offers a competitive salary and benefits as well as excellent options for further personal development. 

BenefitsYour Benefits

• Work within a highly motivated team in an innovative and rapidly growing global company
• Opportunity to have a direct impact and be a key part of the growth and development of the business and the team
• Work solely on projects that have an impact on the sustainability and climate change goals/challenges for clients
• Opportunity to work with, collaborate with and learn from sustainability SME’s who are passionate about the work they do and the impact Anthesis can have
• Exposure to a wide range of clients and projects on a global basis
• Competitive salary in line with education, experience and skills
• An opportunity to participate in the Anthesis Employee Participation Plan (EPP), an industry-pioneering employee incentive plan that allows all employees to be rewarded for the growth in the equity value of Anthesis. 
• Cooperative, supportive and open working atmosphere.

Anthesis is the sustainability activator. We seek to make a significant contribution to a world which is more resilient and productive. We do this by working with cities, companies, and other organisations to drive sustainable performance. We develop financially driven sustainability strategies, underpinned by technical expertise and delivered by innovative collaborative teams across the world.

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