DIRECTOR,
SUSTAINABILITY
Appointment brief
September 2025

Giuseppe Di Maria
Principal Consultant, Harris Hill Ltd
020 7820 7327
giuseppe.dimaria@harrishill.co.uk
www.harrishill.co.uk

BACKGROUND

Consumers International is the world’s leading network of consumer organisations,
uniting over 200 Members in more than 100 countries. Together, we work to protect
and empower consumers everywhere, championing their rights and ensuring their
voices shape products, policy and practice.

We collaborate with our Members and partners to tackle critical, systemic issues
that affect people as consumers. As the only independent global advocate for
consumers, we represent their interests in international policy forums and the global
marketplace – helping to shape systems that are fair, safe and sustainable by design.

Joining Consumers International means contributing to bold, cross-border solutions
at the forefront of consumer rights. Explore a selection of our recent achievements
here.

OUR VALUES

The Consumers International team strives to live the following values:

Leadership

• Making tough trade-offs to ensure we deliver against strategy.
• Charting a path forward – listening to other perspectives, while being

independent of those perspectives.

• Self-starting, motivated to put ourselves in leadership positions and

drive forward pieces of work.

• Striving to bring others with us – colleagues understand the direction

we are taking and our reasoning. Viewpoints are sought at key
moments and delivery is orientated around the strategy.

Inclusivity

•

In delivering our strategy, creating the space to listen and understand
views, and diversity of participation and representation.

Caring

• Caring about the career development and success of our colleagues

and how our team collaborates together.

• Caring about the future of consumers and members and achieving

impact for them through our strategy and change agenda.

Innovation

• Pursuing new creative ideas that have the potential to change the

world.

Agility

• Adapting quickly in response to opportunity.

Efficiency

• Generating the greatest impact for the least effort. Keeping it simple

and systemising for efficiencies.

Excellence

• Delivering work to the highest standards with professionalism and

integrity. The quality of work is evident to all.

Passion

• Passion for a safe, fair, and sustainable marketplace for consumers
drives our impact and the achievement of our organisational goals.

• Engaging with energy and excitement.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Director, Sustainability

Location: Remote

Managed by: Director General

Contract: Permanent, full-time

Salary: £85,000 - £120,000 (Dependent on experience)

Deadline: 29th October 2025

Purpose of the role

The Director is a crucial leadership and growth role to shape and build relevant, dynamic
and impactful Consumers International programmes across food, energy, sustainable
consumption and circular economy issues, working closely with our global network of
Members, government, and experts.  This is a leadership role in the organisation to build
and grow the future of Consumers International and consumer advocacy. The role will
have a particular focus on key sustainability challenges in food systems, energy, and
plastics, shaping innovative strategies and partnerships that deliver tangible change in
these critical areas.

Key aspects of this role include:

• Leading and growing a global organisation

• Strategic thinking to focus on the most effective opportunities in line with strategy and

mission

• Securing funding in line with strategy and values

• Building robust insight about consumer attitudes and the role of consumers in system

change; ensuring unique qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation

• Building innovative new programmes for sustainable consumption and circular topics,

often requiring complex project and network management

• Develop strategic collaborations with partner organisations to maximise impact

• Representing Consumers International in key public forums and increasing the public

profile of the organisation and international consumer rights

• Upholding and developing the organisation’s values and brand

• The role is a key part of the Senior Leadership Team and reports to the Director General.

Measured by:

• Quality and impact of Consumers International Change Agenda programmes

• Organisational growth and development

• Positive international brand positioning and awareness of Consumers International

Key responsibilities

Strategy & Innovation
• The Director ensures a clear, effective and unique strategy for Consumers International
in sustainable consumption and circular economy.  They identify the right opportunities
to pursue for real impact in light of long-term goals, organisational strategy and external
context.

Programme Management
• The Director designs and delivers clear and ambitious plans to achieve programme and
project goals within tight timelines and in close collaboration with other members of
the senior team.  This will include a range of intervention types including research,
recommendations, campaigns, and other aspects of our toolkit.

Member & Stakeholder Management
• The Director works closely in collaboration with our Members around the world who are
the leading consumer advocates in every country.  They design and develop stakeholder
networks and partnerships across government, academia, business and all relevant
stakeholder types.

Organisation Growth and Development
• The Director manages and attracts effective resources for programming and activities,
ensuring a pipeline for future impact and growth. The Director holds and develops core
relationships with key foundations, donors and partners ensuring there is a strategic
plan for longer term engagement. The Director will also manage the concept / proposal
development process for existing or new prospects in their area.

Leadership:
• Member of the Consumers International leadership team responsible for growth and
sustainable development of the organisation, taking proactive and entrepreneurial
decisions and action

• Team leadership starting with 6-7 staff, globally distributed and with potential for growth

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted. It is the practice of
Consumers International to review job descriptions from time to time and to update them
to ensure they relate to the job as then being performed, or to incorporate whatever
changes are being proposed.  This will be conducted in consultation with you. It is the
organisation’s aim to reach agreement on changes, but if agreement is not possible,
Consumers International reserves the right to insist on changes to your job description,
after consultation with you.

Consumers International is an equal opportunities employer with a policy to ensure that
no job applicant or employee should receive less favourable treatment on any grounds not
relevant to good employment practice.

PERSON
SPECIFICATION

Essential
Requirements

Criteria

Experience

• Growth and development in entre- or intra-perineurial or start up

environments

• Complex project management
• Attracting funds and resources
• Global and high-level stakeholder relationship management

Skills And
Abilities

• Humble, smart, hungry
• Leadership in remote-working settings
•

Influencing

Knowledge

• Deep understanding of and passion for issues in sustainable

consumption and circular economy

Education /
Training

• Master’s degree in relevant field or equivalent
• Evidence of ongoing personal development

Other
Requirements

• Commitment to the aims and objectives of Consumers International
• Languages an asset
• Travel to connect with stakeholders

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT

Job title:

Located:

Director, Sustainability

Remote

Managed by:

Director General

Contract:

Salary:

Benefits

Permanent, full-time

£85,000 - £120,000 (Dependent on experience)

• Consumers International employee benefits offered
will be in line with the statutory requirements in
effect for the regional location where the applicant
resides. Applicants must have residency rights in
their specified location.

• We offer co-working spaces (up to 2 days at Regus

offices) and an allowance for the pension scheme if
the individual is hired through Globalisation Partners,
our International recruitment partner.

• Holiday entitlement will be specific to each location

and will be dependent on the public holidays
available in the location.

HOW TO APPLY

If you would like to apply, please send the following:
• An up-to-date CV

• A Supporting Statement (no more than 2 x A4 pages) outlining how your skills and
experience relate to the criteria detailed in the person specification of the job
description.

Please submit your completed application to giuseppe.dimaria@harrishill.co.uk

Interview information

First stage interview:

Virtual

Second stage interview:

Virtual, followed by an in-person meeting

Should you be invited to interview, please let us know if you require any reasonable
adjustments so we can support you through the process.

SPECIALISMS

chief executives & directors • data management • fundraising • finance

human resources • marketing, pr & digital • operations, admin & support

policy, advocacy & campaigns • projects & programmes • temporary & interim

020 7820 7300

info@harrishill.co.uk

www.harrishill.co.uk