Material Sustainability Strategy Manager

Volvo Cars – driving change together
Volvo Cars’ success is the result of a collaborative, diverse and inclusive working environment. Today, we’re one of the most well-known and respected car brands, with around 43,000 employees across the globe. At Volvo Cars, your career is designed around your skills and aspirations, so you can reach your fullest potential.

And it’s so exciting – we’re well on our way on our journey towards full electrification. We have five fully electric cars already on the market, and five more on the way. Our fully-electric and plug-in hybrid cars combined make up almost 50 per cent of our sales. So come and join us in shaping the future of mobility. There’s never been a more rewarding time to play your part in our inspiring and creative teams!

What’s in it for you

We are seeking a strategic leader to serve as the Material Sustainability Strategy Manager. This role is crucial for steering the company’s sustainability objectives, focusing on driving cross functional initiatives, guiding material lifecycle considerations to align with Volvo's pioneering sustainability ambitions and being ahead of regulations. This is a chance to take leadership internally and to represent Volvo Cars externally about this important topic. 

What you’ll do

In this role, you will drive the development and implementation of Volvo Cars' material sustainability strategies  to ensure the ongoing prioritisation of activities required to achieve our ambitions. The strategies cover Climate, Circular Economy, Responsible Sourcing, Human Rights and Biodiversity related topics. You will collaborate with R&D, procurement, manufacturing, design and business development teams to ensure the integration of materials sustainability balancing in decision making and business case development. Plus, support the understanding of the benefits from product and material selection with sustainability included.

On top of the above, your key responsibilities include:

•    Instigate initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of our products from conception through to end-of-life and recirculation.
•    Establish, support and maintain partnerships with suppliers to ensure compliance with our sustainability standards and to encourage joint sustainability efforts.
•    Steer, monitor and report on sustainability performance metrics, providing insights and strategic recommendations to senior management.
•    Stay abreast of regulatory developments and industry trends in sustainability to ensure Volvo Cars remains a leader in automotive environmental practices.
•    Coordinate and lead engagement with 3rd parties on advocacy & amplification, certifications, standards and collaborative projects.

The location for this role is Gothenburg.

What you’ll bring

We are looking for someone with a background in a combined skills set across strategy & project management with materials engineering & science in an applied setting. We need to lead the company in the right direction and support the implementation. While it is important you are able to engage internally with key stakeholders it is also important to have experience with external organisations, NGOs, suppliers and value chain actors. It is important you are comfortable with the technical details and the business considerations including circular economy, value chain dynamics and understand CBAM & ETS. You will be the go-to person on material sustainability while working closely with technical experts across the company on materials and technical or commercial aspects. 

The following skills will be required:

•    Master’s degree in Material Science, Engineering, Sustainability, or an MBA or related field.
•    Solid experience in sustainability within the automotive or related manufacturing industries.
•    Proven track record of leading material sustainability strategies and practices preferably related to products with long lead times and complex material compositions.
•    Experience balancing technical, commercial and sustainability pressures.
•    Understanding of the current and new regulatory and reporting requirements.
•    Strong leadership skills and the ability to inspire and influence across all levels of the organization.
•    Excellent communication skills for internal and external engagement.
•    Preferably a strong network of sustainability and materials experts

Want to know more? We hope so

We’re excited to receive and review your application. Kindly apply for this position through our jobs portal, enclosing your CV in English by no later than 23rd of October 2024. We will not accept applications via email. 

For questions about the position, you are welcome to contact hiring manager Owain Griffiths at owain.griffiths@volvocars.com. For requestions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Senior Recruiter Jonathan Allirol at jonathan.allirol@volvocars.com. 

Welcome with your application!