Wood Sustainability Specialist

Wood Sustainability Specialist - (Global)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is recognized as a leader in responsibly sourced materials in home furnishings including being listed as one of Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies for 6 years running. We’ve had strong policies and standards in place and set ambitious public targets to drive more sustainable practices in the industry. As the regulatory landscape and customer demand for ethically made products evolve, WSI is looking to enhance the visibility and traceability of materials in the products we sell. To help achieve this goal we’ve developed the Wood Sustainability Specialist role to be our “boots on the ground” in our wood supply chain. This role will create wood supply chain maps, review and evaluate chain-of-custody (COC) documentation, and travel to forests to ensure the materials used in our products meet our high standards for social and environmental responsibility.

In addition to performing tactical supply chain investigations, this new position will help develop the processes and engagement strategies needed to create a risk analysis framework, achieve evidence-based assessments, and establish highly credible reporting for various wood supply chains. The ideal candidate will build strong relationships with our manufacturers and their supply chain partners, as well as NGOs, certification and standards setting organizations, and local forest authorities.

The Wood Sustainability Specialist will report to VP Southeast Asia and be a part of the wider global Sustainability team.

Candidates in Indonesia ( Surabaya preferred or Jakarta) or Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) are welcome to apply. The role will be based in Southeast Asia but have global responsibility.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop a risk assessment framework to evaluate wood supply chains from legal, social, and environmental perspectives with consideration for various regulatory requirements.
• Establish wood supply chain mapping and analysis tools to determine conformity with WSI’s wood standards.
• Create reporting templates for due diligence needs (both internal and external)
• Prioritize supply chain investigations based on business needs, risk factors, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop supply chain investigation plans including budgets and timelines.
• Execute supply chain investigations.
• Review reporting/findings with internal stakeholders.

Key competencies

• Embodies the highest level of professional integrity and ethics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Self-directed and creative problem solver
• Influences key members of the organization at all levels.
• Passionate about sustainability and environmental impact
• Adept at conflict resolution and negotiations
• Maintains a global perspective and is culturally sensitive and aware.
• Builds relationships based on trust and mutual respect.
Pays close attention to detail.

Skills and Experience

• Strong understanding of timber processing and timber trading industry
• 5+ years in supply chain auditing role (or similar experience)
• Audit (FSC) experience preferred.
• Understanding of various wood traceability techniques and technologies
• Highly adaptable and comfortable in a wide range of environments
• University degree (preferably in forestry, biology, environmental management, or related field)

Founded in 1956, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the premier specialty retailer of home furnishings in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, United Kingdom and the rest of the world with franchise partnerships. Our family of brands are Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm, Williams-Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham. Our passion for high-quality products, functional design, outstanding customer service, enhancing the lives of our customers and the communities remains as our core values.

Today, we are a USD 5 billion company, with a multi-brand, multi-channel, global enterprise supported by state-of-the-art technology and some of the most talented teams in retailing - and were always looking for new energy and ideas. The South East Asia team is an inclusive employer where we recruit and provide employees with fair opportunities on the basis of merit, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability.