4.01.2008 - 11:25am ET

(CSRwire) April 1, 2008 - SustainAbility is a London-based company with offices in New York, Washington and Zurich. The company specializes in helping private businesses understand and respond constructively to the challenges of sustainable development.

We combine working as consultants with alternative means of influence through our research and campaigning work. At this time, SustainAbility is seeking to recruit a high-quality professional to the role of Manager in our Washington, DC office. The role will focus on the Food & Beverage sector and the Healthcare sector.

The main priority will be to support the marketing, development and delivery of client work at SustainAbility with a view to:

− Convincing companies themselves to make substantive and long-lasting commitments to becoming more sustainable enterprises

− Influencing underlying drivers promoting more sustainable business behavior (e.g. customer pressure, NGO campaigns, government action).

The successful candidate will be asked to participate in a wide range of SustainAbility's activities. A brief job description is provided below.

SustainAbility client projects – 65%

SustainAbility's strategy focuses on key sectors and program areas. The main responsibility for this position will be to manage delivery to key clients and research programs in the Food & Beverage sector and the Healthcare sector. This includes:

− Negotiating terms of projects with potential clients and research partners

− Developing and implementing project management plans for all projects

− Developing relationships with clients and partners

− Overseeing other team members' contributions to projects, both superiors and subordinates, as well as external partners, if any

− Direct involvement in project delivery e.g. meetings, interviews, site visits, research, drafting of findings, analyses and reports

− Demonstrating care and responsibility for the quality and timeliness of deliverables

− Holding day to day responsibility for management of project budgets

− Presenting findings and deliverables to clients as agreed in project plans

− Leading project follow up (including exploration of new business opportunities)

− Disseminating learning to the rest of SustainAbility's team as appropriate.

Other responsibilities will include providing project support and input on an ad hoc basis to projects managed by other SustainAbility team members.

New business development and profile building – 20%

Most SustainAbility new business development is undertaken in the context of a sector or program. The Manager will be responsible for helping to strengthen SustainAbility's offerings in the Food & Beverage and Healthcare sectors by:

− Identifying opportunities for new project work

− Drafting project proposals – taking the lead but involving Directors and Vice-Presidents as appropriate

− Playing a key role to help improve our understanding of the sectors and increase the relevance of our service offering

− Identifying opportunities for new projects and services

− Participating at conferences, workshops and seminars

− Writing articles for publication

− Helping to develop and nurture press contacts and external relationships.

Internal and teamwork – 10%

Responsibilities include:

− Contributing to SustainAbility knowledge management

− Sharing experiences and insights with other team members

− Supporting other team members where appropriate

− Undertaking a limited number of sustainability report benchmarks

− Team-building activities.

Development – 5%

Responsibilities include:

− Identifying and pursuing opportunities for professional growth to enable the above to be carried out with increasing effectiveness.

Key requirements

− Excellent understanding of business and sustainable development, with particular focus on the Food & Beverage and Healthcare sectors

− At least four years of business consulting experience, or having worked in a relevant capacity within business. Experience in Food and Beverage and/or Healthcare is highly desirable.

− An advanced degree preferably in business, corporate responsibility, environmental studies, policy studies or economics

− Proven track record of business development and maintaining client relationships, including working with senior decision makers in companies

− Proven self-starter, who can lead and deliver projects at a high level

− Experience in managing projects to deadlines

− Demonstrable commitment to producing quality work product

− Excellent team player

− Experience in supervising or managing people or teams

− Excellent written and spoken English

− Knowledge of another language and/or insight into another country or region is desirable

− Prepared to work in Washington, DC but also willing to travel

Other information

This is a full-time position and will be based in our Washington DC office.

SustainAbility provides competitive salaries and a generous benefits package to all employees, which includes: 22 days annual leave, profit-share, health insurance, long-term disability insurance, sabbatical, enhanced maternity / paternity benefit, and company contribution to 401K.

We seek to have the successful candidate in position on or around June 1, 2008.

Contact and Deadline

Please submit a cover letter and CV with a 3-5 page writing sample to Washington@sustainability.com. Deadline for applications: April 30, 2008

SustainAbility believes that diversity adds value to our business. We hire associates who reflect the rich array of diverse cultures, ideologies, and values that are part of the broad global workforce. SustainAbility does not discriminate on the basis of race, religious beliefs, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship status, marital status, political beliefs/affiliation, disability, or social or cultural background.