Sr Manager, Membership Governance

Flexible/remote location (ideally within commutable distance to a Cascale regional hub - Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Bangalore, or Hong Kong) Full-time position

About Cascale

Cascale is a global, non-profit alliance of 300 leading consumer goods apparel, footwear, and textile brands, retailers, manufacturers, sourcing agents, service providers, trade associations, NGOs and academic institutions.

Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, we are stepping into a new era of impact with a new name, new look, and same enduring vision. The SAC was incorporated as a 501(c) 6 nonprofit organization and launched the groundbreaking Higg Index suite of tools in 2011. In May 2019, the SAC spun-off the Higg Index technology platform to Higg, now Worldly, which delivers tools and services that help consumer goods businesses accelerate transformation for a more sustainable future. As of 26 February 2024, we are now officially known as Cascale. For more information, visit www.cascale.org.

Together, we are working toward a shared vision of an industry that gives back more than it takes — to the planet and its people. Through multi-stakeholder engagement, our mission is to transform business for exponential impact through groundbreaking tools, collaborative partnerships, and trusted leadership for industry sustainability.

To reach this shared vision, we have developed the Higg Index in collaboration with our members, to create a global approach for effectively measuring and evaluating the social and environmental impacts of value chains and products. Our groundbreaking tools enable organizations to identify hotspots, improve sustainability performance, save time and money, and engage with value chain partners to scale systemic change across the industry.

Position Description

The Senior Manager, Membership Governance is a critical role for the organization. A radical change of the industry will only happen if all actors throughout the global supply chain work in equitable partnership to accelerate the necessary transformation of the consumer goods industry. Within this context, through our membership, organizational structure and core values, Cascale has a unique opportunity to deliver lasting meaningful impact at scale. We recognise clearly that this will only happen if Cascale operates with the highest standards of engagement, transparency, accountability, and integrity with our members and key stakeholders throughout global value chains. As the Governance Manager you will be responsible for managing and leading all membership governance activities, including crucially tool and program development, through the development and implementation of effective, efficient governance policies, and processes.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Member & Stakeholder Engagement Governance:

• Develop and oversee implementation of robust governance frameworks, including relevant policies, processes, and procedures (e.g. SOPs, RACIs etc.) for all Cascale member engagement and participation activities, including but not limited to:
  • Member governance voting activities (e.g. Bylaws, Board of Director member nominations and elections)
  • Organization and conduct of all member and stakeholder meetings
  • Membership requirements

Higg Index Tool and Cascale Program Governance:

• Develop and oversee implementation of robust governance frameworks, including relevant policies, processes, and procedures  (e.g. SOPs, RACIs etc.) for all Higg Index tools and Cascale program development and implementation.

Governance Management

• Cooperate and align with relevant Cascale staff (e.g. Senior Leadership, Legal, Membership, Product teams, etc.) to ensure that all member engagement and participation activities and, Higg Index tool and Cascale program development and implementation, policies, processes and procedures:
  • are in line with all relevant internal and external (legal) requirements including Cascale’s  governance (e.g. By-laws, Membership Agreements, MoUs etc.), and industry best-practice
  • support delivery of Cascale’s vision, mission and strategic objectives, 
  • deliver transparency, impartiality, accountability, consistency,  and integrity, while driving equitable partnership and representation throughout Cascale’s membership and with key stakeholders. 
  • have solution-based feedback channels and loops, clearly communicated to all stakeholders, and consistently reinforced across Cascale, so that feedback is addressed by the right people in a fair, transparent, and timely manner
  • are communicated effectively to all stakeholders
• Identify and manage governance-related risks, ensuring appropriate mitigation strategies are in place.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits of governance frameworks to ensure compliance, and alignment with internal and external requirements.

• Stay informed about changes in relevant internal and external governance requirements and best practices and update policies accordingly.
• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of the governance frameworks, and all aspects (policies, procedures etc.) and recommend improvements as needed.

Reporting:

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records on all membership, tool and program development, governance activities.
• Reporting in a timely and consistent manner on effectiveness and efficiency of all membership, tool and program development, governance activities.
• Address membership, tool and program governance-related inquiries from members and provide guidance on compliance with governance policies.

Qualifications & Experience

The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field of study within sustainability or ESG; with a relevant and applicable Postgraduate Qualification being an advantage
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in standards setting or certification, development and management, compliance, membership governance or related work, preferably within a non-profit multi-stakeholder organization.
• Understanding of the complexities and challenges of governing activities within a multi-stakeholder environment
• Strong understanding of ESG issues and the consumer goods industry (notably apparel and footwear industry).
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Project management skills and experience an advantage
• High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism.

Candidate required characteristics

• Mission-driven: Is motivated by sustainability and the mission of the organization.  
• Team player: Has team-oriented experience and approach.
• Tech-savvy: Has the ability to understand and manage a variety of technology and software platforms to support the organization.
• Organized and detail-oriented: Is able to effectively manage many different moving parts (information, projects, software) to help keep the organization running smoothly.
• Excellent communicator: Is able to interact with people of all levels in a confident, professional manner.
• Comfortable working in an ambiguous, matrixed environment, where decisions happen fast and we learn by doing and adapt as needed.

Reporting Structure

This is a full-time role, reporting directly to Director, Membership Engagement, & Governance.
 

Compensation and Location

The Cascale offers a compensation package and salary bands are based on country location and aims to be competitive in each market. Actual compensation will also vary depending on factors including (but not limited to) relevant experience and performance. Salary is just one component of Cascale’s Total Rewards package for employees.
 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Cascale is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well. We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Apply

Maybe you don’t tick all the boxes above— but still think you’d be great for the job? Go ahead, apply anyway. Please. We know that experience comes in all shapes and sizes—and PASSION can’t be learned. To be considered for this position, please apply here.