Director, Sustainability

Sysco, the largest foodservice distributor globally, has ambitions to drive value creation through being at the center of the sustainable food systems transformation, and has set ambitious goals across people, product, and planet pillars. This is not just because it’s the right thing to do, aligned with our purpose and values – it also offers significant value creation through new revenues and cost reductions. This Director will be a critical member of the global Sustainability Function, directly supporting our North America business – as well as enabling our global businesses and functions. They will report to the global VP Sustainability and will be responsible for a broad set of responsibilities as part of our global sustainability strategy. Main Responsibilities: Delivery of key elements of our strategy: People & Communities: Overall ownership of our Global Good Goal (giving $500M by the end of 2025), and delivery of the communities, gifting, and volunteering elements. This includes our Nourishing Neighbors program, the Sysco Foundation, defining and owning relationships with NGOs and other non-profit organizations that we support, the strategy and delivery of giving and volunteering in our communities. Additionally, partner with Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) on our human rights strategy and partnerships. ESG Regulatory & Reporting: Responsible for the strategy and delivery of our Annual Sustainability report and global ESG reporting and regulatory requirements which include inputs to financial reporting, but also all external ESG reporting frameworks (SASB, GRI, CDP, TCFD, etc), and other regulations (plastics, human rights, EU taxonomy). Includes ownership of our digital tools and our materiality assessments. This will involve deep partnership with the Financial Reporting, Regulatory Compliance, and Legal business partners. Embedding Sustainability: Partner with the VP Sustainability and other Directors to develop and execute a long-term strategy to embed sustainability throughout the business. This includes developing a toolkit and roadmap to enable all parts of the sustainability team to establish business partnerships, track and report on KPIs in the business functions, set up governance to oversee cross-functional planning and achievement of results, and regular reporting of results across sustainability and relevant business metrics to the business. Future strategy and special Projects: Lead rotating special projects on an ongoing basis as aligned with the VP Sustainability. Examples include the development of our future sustainability strategy, leading efforts to remove virgin plastics and packaging with our supply base, leading the creation of a Climate Transition Plan, and creating and aligning new climate/emissions targets with the organization. Market & function coordination: Manage & coordinate the sustainability leaders in our global businesses (e.g., Canada, Europe), driving the implementation of the strategies set by the Global Sustainability Center of Excellence, customizing where necessary. Education Required: Bachelor's Degree in Science, Environmental Studies, Agriculture, or related discipline. Education Preferred: Master’s Degree or equivalent experience. Experience Required: 5 years of sustainability experience in a business setting, particularly in ESG regulations, people & communities topics, embedding sustainability into the business. 3 years managing multiple large projects simultaneously. 2 years leadership experience, managing professionals (Manager level and above) and subject matter experts. Experience Preferred: Experience in Fortune 500 corporate environment. Food sustainability experience including CPG, grocery retail, foodservice, or related industries. Experience with digital sustainability platforms, carbon accounting, and reporting. Experience in a multi-channel, matrixed environment. Skills and Abilities: Collaboration and partnerships: Ability to foster strong working relationships that achieve results across a diverse range of partnerships and influence change without control across the business (including senior stakeholders) and externally with partners. Sustainability expertise: Broad range of sustainability topics covering Environment and Social. Specifically, deep knowledge of ESG reporting frameworks and relevant sustainability regulations, and how they apply to our global markets. Team leadership: Experience in leading, growing, and developing people. Ability to inspire, motivate, and delegate to a diverse team, set clear goals, objectives, and plans – and hold the team accountable. Strategic thinking & vision: Ability to develop and implement a comprehensive sustainability strategy that aligns with the company's long-term business goals. Business acumen: Financial literacy and ability to assess cost/benefit of sustainability initiatives. Change & project management: Strong leadership skills and courage to inspire and drive organizational change. Data-driven decision making: Proficient in conducting analytics and using analytical tools to guide business decisions. Communication: Proficient in verbal and written communication including executive presentations. Delivering results: Track record of delivering business and sustainability results. Physical Demands: Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job. Travel: 25% Work Environment: Standard Corporate office environment. #J-18808-Ljbffr