Head of Corporate Sustainability

Press Tab to Move to Skip to Content Link

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Requisition ID:
Career Group: Corporate Office Careers
Job Category: Corporate Sustainability
Travel Requirements: 0 - 10%
Job Type: Full-Time

Country: Canada (CA)
Province: Ontario; Alberta; Nova Scotia
City: Mississauga

Embark on a rewarding career with Sobeys Inc., celebrated among Canada's Top 100 employers, where your talents contribute to our commitment to excellence and community impact.

Our family of 131,000 employees and franchise affiliates share a collective passion for delivering exceptional shopping experiences and amazing food to all our customers. Our mission is to nurture the things that make life better - great experiences, families, communities, and our employees. We are a family nurturing families.

A proudly Canadian company, we started in a small town in Nova Scotia but we are now in communities of all sizes across this great country. With over 1,600 stores in all 10 provinces, you may know us as Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, Lawtons Drug Stores or another of our great banners but we are all one extended family.

As the Head of Corporate Sustainability, you will be responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing sustainable business strategies and initiatives that align with our corporate goals and strategy. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Sustainability, you will play a pivotal role in integrating sustainability into all aspects of our business operations while driving positive environmental and social impact. This role also requires a strong leader who is capable of leading and driving growth of a team of high performing individuals each with subject matter expertise.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategy Development: Develop and execute a comprehensive corporate sustainability strategy aligned with the company's overall strategy and values. This includes setting and/or executing on ambitious business focused sustainability goals and targets across material topic areas such as climate action, food waste, plastics & packaging, and ethical and sustainable sourcing.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including supporting materials for board of directors, executives, leaders and individual contributors to foster a culture of sustainability and ensure alignment with company objectives. Additionally, where needed, engage with external stakeholders such as suppliers, customers, NGOs, industry associations and regulatory bodies to drive collaboration and advance sustainability initiatives.
• Environmental Impact Management (Planet Pillar): Lead efforts to assess, monitor, and mitigate the environmental impact of company operations. This involves creating and executing on strategy to influence current and emerging initiatives to decarbonize our operational footprint (Scope 1 and 2 emissions), deliver on waste reduction targets, and drive food rescue.
• Sustainable Sourcing (Products Pillar): Work closely with procurement and supply chain teams to work towards decarbonizing our supply chain (Scope 3) and to embed and promote responsible sourcing policies and practices, including sourcing products from sustainable and ethical suppliers, supporting local producers, and ensuring compliance with environmental and labor standards throughout the supply chain.
• Reporting and Compliance: Prepare or contribute to regular reporting and disclosures to communicate progress towards goals and performance metrics to internal and external stakeholders. Stay abreast of relevant regulations and industry standards related to sustainability and ensure compliance across all operations.
• Innovation and Research: Stay informed about emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in corporate sustainability. Continuously explore opportunities for innovation and improvement, leveraging new technologies and partnerships to drive positive impact and enhance the company's competitive advantage.
  

• Bachelor's degree in sustainability, environmental science, business management, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Proven experience 8+ in a leadership role overseeing corporate sustainability initiatives, preferably within the retail or food industry.
• Strong understanding of environmental issues, sustainability frameworks, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles.
• Strong leadership skills having successfully lead a team of individuals. Preference will be given to those experienced with performance management and goal setting acumen.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strategic thinker with demonstrated experience in developing and executing sustainability strategies that drive measurable results. This includes a demonstrated ability to anticipate current and emerging risks, challenges and opportunities and to proactively propose solutions.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement.
• Passionate about sustainability and social responsibility, with a commitment to making a positive impact on people and the planet.

If you are passionate about sustainability and possess the skills and experience to lead our corporate sustainability efforts while providing exceptional leadership to an established team, we invite you to apply by submitting your resume and a cover letter outlining your qualifications and interest in the role.

At Sobeys we require our teammates to have the ability to adhere to a hybrid work model that requires your presence at one of our office locations at least three days per week. This requirement is integral to our commitment to team collaboration and the overall success of our office culture.

We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package, which varies by role and designed to help our teammates to live better - physically, financially and emotionally.

Some websites share our job opportunities and may provide salary estimates without our knowledge. These estimates are based on similar jobs and postings for general comparison, but these numbers are not provided by our organization nor monitored for accuracy.

We will consider factors such as your working location, work experience and skills as well as internal equity, and market conditions to ensure the selected candidate is paid fairly and competitively. We look forward to discussing the specific compensation details relevant to this role with candidates who are selected to move forward in the recruitment process.

Our Total Rewards programs, for full-time teammates, goes well beyond your paycheque:

• Competitive Benefits Package, tailored to meet your needs, including health and dental coverage, life, short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Access to Virtual Health Care Platform and Employee and Family Assistance Program.
• A Retirement and Savings Plan that provides you with the opportunity to build and add value to your savings.
• A 10% in-store discount at our participating banners and access to a wide range of other discount programs, making your purchases more affordable.
• Learning and Development Resources to fuel your professional growth.
• Parental leave top-up
• Paid Vacation and Days-off

We are committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process and will work with applicants requesting accommodation at any stage of this process.