Corporate Affairs & Responsible Business

 Associate Director, Sustainability

Do you want to join a team that specialises in building and protecting the reputations of brands seeking to transform our world for the better?

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic Associate Director of sustainability communications to join our Corporate Affairs & Responsible Business (CRB) team. The successful candidate will become one of the agency’s go-to sustainability communications specialists, drawing from their deep, multi-sector ESG expertise to deliver senior client counsel, shape innovative communications programmes and spearhead growth of the agency’s sustainability proposition.

The CRB practice offers first-class corporate, sustainability and public affairs advisory to clients spanning fast-growth businesses to household name brands. We create, we campaign, we counsel, we connect. From recasting corporate strategies through to rethinking environmental and societal impact, we deliver the stakeholder confidence required to propel organisations forward and give them the license to transform our world.

We are a dynamic and creative team and know what it takes to transform complex ESG strategies into actionable communications plans and powerful, engaging narratives. From purpose articulation and executive sustainability communications strategies, through to Green Claims compliant campaigns and managing sustainability-related crises, we offer a breadth of expertise to position our clients as responsible businesses. Clients in our team include multinational businesses such as ARUP, global FMCG brands like Tetra Pak and Sodexo, as well as pioneering technology businesses such as Adyen.

Integration is in our DNA and we pride ourselves on cross-agency collaboration. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work alongside Brands2Life colleagues in the UK and internationally on campaigns and accounts that span a range of disciplines including Digital & Social, Consumer PR and Marketing & Creative Services.

As an Associate Director, Sustainability, your responsibilities will include:

• Senior client management & consultancy
  • Understand client business strategies, brand purpose and ESG strategies to develop communications programmes attuned to commercial and sustainable goals
  • Own senior client relationships, offering senior advisory on corporate and sustainability communications, aligned with regulatory, industry and commercial considerations
  • Manage agency team to deliver corporate and sustainability communications activations aligned with client objectives. Lead on measuring business impact and augmenting campaigns to see greatest ROI
  • Manage reputational issues, applying crisis and issues management experience to anticipate and mitigate corporate and sustainability issues
  • Demonstrate deep sustainability, regulatory and industry knowledge to deliver authentic thought leadership content and innovative client counsel
  • Experience of fee planning, forecasting and managing teams to deliver work within budget
• Planning, Strategy & Creativity
  • Collaborate with the Strategy Team to deploy the agency toolstack and proven methodologies to shape sustainability communications strategies
  • Work with CRB team MD to constantly evolve Brands2Life’s sustainability proposition, ensuring it remains competitive and relevant in response to client demands
  • Work with clients across the agency to identify opportunities for sustainability communications projects and campaigns, using your expertise and creative flair to sell and shape potentially award-winning work that helps clients get closer to their sustainability goals
• New business
  • Act as one of the agency’s primary sustainability representatives on new business pitches, using your in-depth knowledge and experience to drive differentiation
  • Leverage your network to bring in new business opportunities and swiftly build strong client relationships to unlock organic growth
  • Work cross-agency to develop compelling new business proposals and deliver them with gravitas in pitches and presentations
  • Take responsibility for the CRB team’s sustainability marketing collateral, working in conjunction with the SLT to deliver the sustainability marketing plan
• Media and key opinion leader relations
  • Have good relationships with tier one and trade journalists, with a solid understanding of what is required for sustainability-led stories to land in the media
  • Demonstrate connections with wider opinion leaders, from academia, NGOs, think tanks and industry, which you can leverage for client advantage
  • Experience of shaping newsworthy, integrated campaigns and stewarding the development of assets for a range of stakeholders
  • Write brilliant content, with the ability to apply technical sustainability knowledge to craft differentiated content for clients
• Team management and development
  • Run cross-functional account teams, responsible for delivering for clients in a fast-paced environment
  • Play a visible, senior role across the wider business, contributing to the company’s Senior Management Team and leading company-wide initiatives that enrich our culture.

We love what we do and are looking for a vibrant, ambitious candidate with solid sustainability knowledge and client experience, a great track record with sustainability storytelling, a passion for leading teams and a hunger to grow Brands2Life’s burgeoning sustainability business.

All employees at Brands2Life are offered a fantastic working environment, excellent long-term career opportunities and highly competitive range of benefits. We offer regular internal and external training (at all levels), 360 reviews, personal development plans, health and dental insurance, flexible working, and plenty of company socials. As well as all of that, we offer a two-month sabbatical after four years (paid!!).

If you would like to apply to this position, then please send your CV to [email protected]. Alternatively, if this role is not for you but you like the sound of working at Brands2Life then you are welcome to contact us at [email protected]

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*Brands2Life is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all backgrounds. We believe a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances our ability to be creative, innovative and entrepreneurial. We do not discriminate against applicants or employees because of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status or citizenship status.