Job Title: Assistant Manager, Market Transformation Initiative
Reports to: Head of Market Transformation, Climate and Sustainability Department
About WWF-Singapore
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. WWF Singapore works closely with local stakeholders towards a greener and more sustainable Singapore and the region around us. We work to address key conservation areas, such as climate change, sustainable finance, deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, marine conservation, and sustainable production and consumption, through collaboration, education and outreach efforts involving the community, businesses, and governments. For more information, please visit wwf.sg.
Major Functions:
The Assistant Manager for the Market Transformation Team will play a key role in driving WWF Singapore's initiatives to engage businesses, producers, and consumers in sustainable practices, specifically in preventing deforestation and conversion of ecosystems and reducing waste to landfill. This role involves supporting the implementation of market transformation strategies, fostering partnerships, and promoting sustainable business models to achieve conservation goals.
This position requires strategic thinking, project design, technical knowledge, close collaboration with stakeholders from various backgrounds, and a can-do attitude. The Assistant Manager must have a good understanding of key principles of corporate sustainability, behavioural change and/or responsible sourcing. The role requires strong communication and presentation skills, which can include donor pitching and media engagements with other WWF Singapore teams. The role also demands quick thinking, a high level of initiative, and the ability to remain optimistic and practical when faced with challenges.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
● Project leadership and support
○ Lead and support multiple projects focused on responsible sourcing for agri-commodities (eg. palm oil, cacao), circular economy, and plastics (eg. F&B packaging). Elements of behavioural change would be present in some projects.
○ Design, plan, and execute market transformation projects, ensuring alignment with WWF Singapore's conservation goals and strategies. This can include supporting other teams with corporate fundraising.
○ Coordinate project activities, manage resources, and monitor progress to ensure timely and successful project delivery. This includes preparing regular reports on project progress, outcomes, and lessons learned, and communicating these to internal and external stakeholders.
Technical knowledge and project management
○ The Assistant Manager should have a good understanding of at least 2 out of 3 domains: corporate sustainability, responsible sourcing, and behavioural change.
■ Corporate sustainability: Understand what makes a corporate sustainable, including various benchmarking or assessments, and the challenges of integrating sustainability into business strategy and plans.
■ Responsible sourcing: Apply technical knowledge in responsible sourcing to guide project implementation and stakeholder engagement, including multiple tiers of suppliers. Be familiar with sustainability certification schemes (ideally for agri-commodities and seafood), their pros and cons, and understand traceability to origin.
■ Behavioural change: Have strong knowledge of behavioral change with on-ground experience in developing and managing human-centered design projects, including conducting mixed methods research such as literature reviews, journey mapping, and focus group discussions. Be familiar with data analysis to fine-tune project design.
○ Possess strong presentation and communication skills, capable of communicating succinctly and developing aesthetically-pleasing communication materials such as decks for internal and external presentations.
○ Ability to prepare and manage work plans, projects and budgets in a timely, accurate and realistic manner in accordance with best practice.
○ Stay updated on the latest developments in sustainability practices, market trends, and regulatory frameworks relevant to WWF’s market transformation objectives.
○ Provide technical support and advice to internal and external stakeholders on sustainability issues and best practices.
Strategy, stakeholder management, and collaboration
○ Assist in the development and implementation of comprehensive market transformation strategies aimed at promoting sustainable business practices.
○ Identify opportunities for innovation and improvement and provide recommendations based on industry best practices and trends.
○ Build and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, including within the WWF Network, businesses, industry groups, NGOs, and government agencies.
○ Collaborate with stakeholders to promote responsible sourcing, corporate sustainability, and behavioural change initiatives.
○ Set up and facilitate meetings, workshops, and discussions to drive stakeholder engagement and commitment to sustainability goals.
Team Collaboration and Development:
○ Work closely with the Market Transformation Team and other WWF teams in Singapore and the Network to ensure integrated and cohesive approaches to sustainability initiatives.
○ Support the development and capacity building of team members and stakeholders through training, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.
○ Take a proactive approach to self-development and learning.
○ Contribute to a positive and collaborative team culture, fostering a proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
○ Drive results and achieve targets by setting performance goals, monitoring progress, and taking appropriate action to ensure successful outcomes.
○ Adhere to WWF’s values: Collaboration, Integrity, Respect, and Courage.
Required Qualifications:
● Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in corporate sustainability or consultant roles; candidates with 3 years of direct experience in behavioral change with sustainability knowledge are encouraged to apply.
● A formal degree in sustainable development, sustainable management, behavioral economics, business, social sciences, humanities, or environmental sciences is preferred, but candidates with relevant experience are encouraged to apply.
This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organisational needs and the emergence of other special projects.
Interested candidates are required to submit their cover letter and resume to the HR Department of WWF-Singapore (Email: [email protected]). Please indicate the position being applied for in the subject line.
