Director of Corporate and Public Partnerships

~ For over twenty years, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH)  has protected children and communities from toxic chemicals in food, water, air, and consumer products. ~

Our programs protect people from endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), stop illegal toxic threats to people’s health, and halt the federal government’s all-out assault on people’s health and the environment.

Who We Are

We’re the ones who forced global companies to remove lead from children’s products. We’ve also won scores of other far-reaching victories that the media continues to hide from but the geekiest of enviro-geeks. A few examples:

• We worked with corporate partners to create a $700-billion annual market for non-toxic furniture.
• We helped end the government’s requirement for toxic, ineffective, flame-retardant chemicals in furniture. (Some scientists have dubbed these chemicals “the new lead.”)
• We forced Coke and Pepsi to eliminate a cancer-causing chemical from their products nationwide.
• We wrote the health studies that helped push NY Governor Mario Cuomo to ban fracking in the state.
• We’re holding big tobacco accountable for its false assurances about the safety of e-cigarettes, which in truth expose children and other users to cancer-causing chemicals.
• We went to court to eliminate another carcinogen from over a hundred shampoos sold nationwide.

The Job

We are looking for a Director of Corporate and Public Partnerships to harness the advocacy and purchasing power of major institutions to eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products. One of the important ways s/he does this is to enlist large-volume, public- and private-sector procurement partners to increase demand for safer products and processes. 

The ideal candidate will be a keen strategist, a seasoned leader, and a committed advocate for people’s health. This person will also have experience in sustainability initiatives in the corporate, public, and/or NGO sectors. 

CEH is an intermediary environmental health organization.  We strive to honor the Principles of Environmental Justice. The person we select for this role will have a keen awareness of and clear commitment to environmental and social justice.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop strategy that harnesses the purchasing power of major institutions to broaden the market for products free of toxic chemicals
• Recruit private and public procurement partners to help broaden the market for safer products
• Direct and oversee CEH’s outreach to and collaboration with potential and established partners in the public and private sectors
• Create and implement business development strategies so that partners compensate CEH for its work when appropriate
• Provide educational presentations to partners
• Provide technical assistance to partners
• Conduct market research/surveys on the availability of healthier products in specific product categories
• Collaborate with CEH’s public policy team to recruit partners who champion strong public policies for environmental health
• When appropriate, collaborate with CEH’s science team to develop concepts for and help implement product testing projects, e.g. collect samples from corporate/institutional partners
• Develop communications tools such as:
  • Reports and factsheets
  • Consumer guides
  • Website content
  • Blogs
  • Action alerts
• Raise the public profile of CEH’s work with potential corporate and public partners
• Keep CEH’s board updated on the status of this work
• Collaborate with CEH’s allies and participate in relevant state and national NGO coalitions
• Partner with development team to write grant proposals and reports to foundations, and attend meetings with foundation representatives and donors
• Hire and supervise junior program staff as needed
• Conceive and/or consider options for projects that (1) relate to CEH’s market-based work with partners and (2) are relevant to environmental justice communities

Qualifications

The successful candidate will meet the following qualifications:

• Commitment to protecting people from toxic chemicals
• At least three years’ experience working in a field related to corporate sustainability, procurement, and/or environmental health with at least two years directing a program or project
• Experience conceiving, developing and implementing strategies that use the power of public and private partners to reduce toxic chemicals in products and our surroundings
• Experience inspiring and motivating public and corporate decision makers to change markets and reduce the use of toxic chemicals
• Experience implementing effective environmental health strategy for an NGO or a sustainability effort for an institution in the public or private sector
• Experience participating in committees of NGO coalitions
• Ability to master and communicate the human health hazards associated with certain toxic chemicals
• Bachelor's degree; Master’s degree in related field preferred
• Experience in business development in the private sector and/or fundraising
• Commitment to the principles of environmental justice
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills
• Experience supervising staff
• Ability to excel in and contribute to a supportive, collegial working environment
• Experience reviewing or participating in environmental-standards-development processes a plus

Compensation and Benefits

CEH offers a competitive salary that is commensurate with experience.  We also offer an excellent benefits package, including paid time off, a generous group health insurance package, and 401(k) matching program.

The Best Benefit We Offer: Our Workplace:

• CEH’s victories are the handiwork of the twenty-five(ish) single-mindedly dedicated, science-driven advocates who gather every day to keep short-sighted business interests from harming people in the name of profits. 
• We are protective of our workplace community and cautious about issuing invitations to join it.  We support each other, we push one other to improve, we work hard, we win landmark victories for people’s health, and we have a pretty decent time doing it all.  The people who land jobs at CEH are quintessential teammates.
• They also understand the effect of: race and racism, gender and patriarchy, homophobia, poverty, wealth, wealth disparities, organized labor, corporate hegemony, and other dominant institutions and prevailing social dynamics of our day.  We celebrate diversity, not because we like to quote bumper stickers, but because diversity sharpens our perspective and strengthens our work every day. 

Application Process

• Please click "Apply" below to email the following materials: cover letter, resume, writing sample (two pages maximum) along with contact information for three references (please describe your relationship with each.)
• Merge these documents into a single PDF whose file name includes your surname. Make sure your subject line is: Director of Corporate and Public Partnerships.
• If you wish, please click here to fill out and submit CEH’s voluntary EEOC form. 
• We acknowledge receipt of all employment applications, and when we decide a candidate is no longer in the running, we inform her/him promptly.
• We will accept applications until the position is filled.

Needless to Say

• The Center for Environmental Health is an equal opportunity employer.
• We strongly encourage people of color and women to apply.