Vice President Public Affairs and Sustainability

The client is a leading manufacturer of innovative and sustainable films which enable customers to improve the daily life of consumers all over the world. Moreover, the company supplies films and nonwovens for the chemical and processing industries as well as the medical, automotive and construction sectors. It is an independent family-owned company and employs approximately 2,800 people across 19 locations worldwide.  

About the role: Duties & Responsibilities 

Directly reporting to the CEO and in close liaison with the Executive Vice President for Strategy and EVP Legal, the function oversees Public Affairs and Sustainability, which includes leading a team of dedicated experts in areas such as Circular Economy and Eco-conception, Recycling, ESG and UN SDG goals and Regulatory Affairs. 

With the support of your team, you will be responsible for: 

• Leading the company’s advocacy strategy in Germany – which will include targeting a variety of stakeholders at national level (Government administration, Parliament, relevant administrations, media outlets, NGOs, etc.) as well as at local level (senators, MPs, mayors and administrations of the group’s plants) – in Brussels (at EU level) – engaging with German MEPs, the German Permanent Representation and other German stakeholders – as well as in other Member States / Countries where the company is present  
• Representing the company in German and EU professional associations. 
• Defining, building and subsequently leading and steering the Public Affairs and Sustainability strategy including new and existing areas covering topics such as Public Affairs, Sustainability, Recycling, Circular economy and Eco-conception and Regulatory Affairs  
• Providing sustainability and regulatory updates and insights to the CEO and company representatives  
• Preparing written responses to legislative consultations in German and supporting group level responses to EU consultations 
• Acting as the lead point of contact on sustainability policy, regulatory and local stakeholder issues in Germany and broadening RKW’s network in Germany and towards EU Institutions 
• Liaising closely with customers’ policy teams to strengthen public affairs / advocacy capabilities on down-stream topics with an impact on reputation 
• Representing the company in cross-segment trade associations and technical level working groups 
• Monitoring, analyzing and managing national policy dossiers in Germany, keeping the company fully up to date on all current and future German regulations and directives implementation which could affect operations and business, thus identifying key risks and opportunities for the company on a regular basis 
• Supporting the Company’s plants and key customers with regulatory insights, policy trends and regulatory challenges to the business,
  

Requirements 

The ideal candidate will possess: 

• a University Degree in Communication, Political Science or related 
• 15 years of experience in public affairs, policy or advocacy related roles in Government or Parliament in Germany and/or in Brussels 
• Leadership/Team management experience in Public or Regulatory Affairs 
• Knowledge of the policy and legislative landscape in Germany and EU and strong experience in analyzing policy and legislative files 
• Strong project management skills and capability to deliver – a self-starter capable of operating with minimum supervision 
• Strong capability and passion to network with internal and external stakeholders 
• Understanding of the packaging industry 
• Native-level command of German language and fluency in English (spoken and written) 
• Demonstrated ability to transfer technical regulatory knowledge into clear advocacy messages and recommendations for the company 
• Writing skills for external and internal communication related to advocacy

Personne de contact

Nicola Brüning