Global Head of Market Development – Natural Resources sustainability solutions

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. We are recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 88’000 employees, we operate a network of more than 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.

Reporting to the Global Head of Sustainability Solutions for Natural Resources, you will lead the development and delivery of go-to market and commercial strategy for the new Sustainability Solutions portfolio within the natural resources and commodity sectors.

You will be responsible for the market development for the new portfolio of data-enabled services that will help companies improve the sustainability performance and transparency of their value chains and optimize their use of natural capital assets (water, air, energy). 

To be successful, you will:

• Work with the Head of Sustainability Solutions and the relevant sustainability services Practice Leaders and develop and lead the execution of go to market and commercial strategy for the new Sustainability Solutions services within the natural resources and commodity sectors
• Monitor the evolving regulatory, economic, social and environmental context driving demand and market opportunity for the new SGS services
• Ensure continuous customer needs analysis and segmentation using your own professional network, public sources, industry associations and initiatives
• Leverage customer insights to help the product teams drive the ongoing product and service innovation
• Perform competitor analysis and development of a differentiated SGS market positioning to become a leading player in the target segments
• Work with Practice Leaders, set the relevant market development, customer acquisition and retention and sales KPIs 
• Get to know SGS’ existing customers and build new ones. Provide strategic input into how to leverage all of SGS’s existing and new services to address customers’ sustainability challenges
• Identify target customers and proactively engage with relevant stakeholders within customer organizations to help define their requirements and demonstrate the value added of SGS offerings 
• Analyze the customers` willingness to pay and next best alternative to define the optimal commercial model and pricing strategy for SGS services 
• Build and lead a team of sales professionals across all Sustainability Solutions to ensure the agreed commercial KPIs are met
• Identify opportunities for marketing broader range of SGS Sustainability Services and involve other business representatives as appropriate 
• Engage with appropriate external organisations and industry bodies to shape industry practices in sustainability space (e.g., carbon footprint measurements, traceability, “green” minerals, circular supply chains etc.) and build SGS reputation as a leading player in target segments.

Ideally, we would expect you to have the following line of experience:

• 10+ years of experience within an industry with complex, environmentally-intensive commodity supply chains or environmental, management or technical consultancy with strong focus on these segments
• Strong understanding of resource-intensive industries (automotive, manufacturing, construction, chemical, oil and gas, mining etc.) and their value chains and how the key sustainability issues and opportunities can be addressed by the existing and new SGS services 
• Strong understanding and experience in advising businesses and other stakeholders (e.g., regulators, industry bodies) on sustainability risks and opportunities and their impact on business resilience and value creation
• Deep understand of the evolving regulatory, social and commercial environment shaping the demand for sustainability services and specific opportunities for SGS
• A proven track record of successful commercial leadership and market development 
• Strong executive-level professional network within target customer segments
• Proven success in a customer-facing, high-pressure sales role where you have provided solutions to production, quality or other challenges

You should also leverage the following skills:

• Strong degree of autonomy, ability to work across organisational «silos» and across industries and different stakeholder group
• Ability to engage with senior executive-level stakeholders within customer organisations, market and policy institutions, industry associations on key sustainability opportunities
• Ability to advise customers on commercial benefits of SGS sustainability solutions to help clients generate attractive financial returns on their sustainability investments
• Ability to develop and maintain open collaborative relationships within different stakeholders within target customer organizations (sustainability, strategy, procurement, marketing, operations, digital etc.) and within business ecosystem (suppliers, customers, other service providers)