Policy and Sustainability Director

About Plenty

Plenty is on a mission to make fresh, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables more accessible to everyone.  Our cutting-edge indoor, vertical farms produce extraordinary yields using a fraction of the land and water outdoor farms need.  Nutrient-rich, mouth-watering and locally grown, our crops help people, communities and our planet to be healthier and more resilient.

The people and teams who make up Plenty are at the core of how we do this.  We are a collaborative and innovative bunch. We are passionate about our contributions to Plenty, the communities around us and our planet, but never take ourselves too seriously.  We’re down to Earth, we grow together, and we always find a way.  Most importantly, we’re here to improve the lives of plants, people and our planet.

About the role

Plenty is looking for a Policy and Sustainability Director to join our Strategy & Corporate Services Team. In this role, you will work closely with the SVP Strategy & General Counsel as well as other senior leaders across the company to accelerate the business. This will include development of key elements of Plenty’s approach to sustainability, policy and government affairs, in addition to other key strategic initiatives. This hybrid role requires deep knowledge of and analytical capabilities with respect to sustainability, policy, government affairs, and regulatory, and requires a combination of strategic mindset, deep subject matter expertise, and the ability to work in a cross-disciplinary manner across technical, strategy, finance, legal, commercial, and other segments of the business.  

What you'll do

• Responsible for overseeing development of key strategic sustainability and policy initiatives to support the company’s growth.
• Primary starting focus will be on developing Plenty’s internal sustainability frameworkThis will include aligning on standards and measurement metrics for our company and industry that meet international standards, and developing frameworks for internal decision making.  Additional starting focus will be managing our advocacy, policy and regulatory engagement efforts at the national level.
• Interface with key leaders across the company on shaping emerging industry standards across sustainability and other key metrics. This will include interfacing with the Commercial, Legal, Strategy and Technical teams to develop standards for the category.
• Potential for engagement on Farm Bill related initiatives.
• Keep abreast of and understand emerging regulatory and policy trends across climate, sustainability, indoor farming,and ESG credit markets, and help Plenty maintain its position as a thought leader in the space.
• Develop key metrics and benchmarks for measuring Plenty’s sustainability performance versus industry benchmarks, and interface with a cross-functional team to develop measurement methodologies that meet international standards, baselines and targets, and a strategic roadmap for delivery on objectives.
• Identify policy and regulatory objectives along with associated timelines that are critical to the growth of the business, and help manage internal stakeholders and external advisory’s to achieve these goals.

What you’ll bring to the table 

• Bachelor’s degree, with MBA or other relevant advanced degree preferred.
• At least 8+ years experience working on policy and sustainability matters, preferably with experience in agricultural and/or environmental policy.
• Direct government experience and/or experience bridging between private and public on policy issues.
• Excellent program management abilities.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Exceptionally strong written and oral communication skills; ability to distill complex concepts into actionable guidance and strategy for an executive audience.
• Flexibility and consensus-building - we are working in an emerging and rapidly changing space from a policy perspective, and need someone who can understand the business end-to-end as well as the latest policy developments, and use that point of view build consensus and a shared strategy on a range of complex policy and sustainability related topics among internal and external stakeholders.
• Self-motivated and proactive - anticipate needs of the business and leadership team and drive projects to completion based on high level corporate objectives.
• Ability to scale with the company - need to be equally comfortable leading in some situations, being part of a multidisciplinary team, and being a solo contributor as required.

Type of role

Full-Time 

What we can offer 

• Compensation: we’ll pay you a competitive salary on a biweekly basis, give you a stake in the company via equity and contribute toward your 401K 
• Health & well-being: we’ll invest in your physical and mental well-being with comprehensive medical, dental, & vision benefits, in-office gyms, and an Employee Assistance Program to help with mental health, financial & legal matters
• Food: in-office lunches, snacks and access to our leafy greens & new produce in development -- are you up for a side gig as a taste tester?
• Grow together: learning & development opportunities including unlimited access to our Upstart University platform, LinkedIn Learning, lunch & learns, training certifications, and more
• Equipment: we’ll provide you with the equipment you need to be successful, including $75/month toward your phone bill and $250 every 2 years to upgrade your phone
• Paid time off: we know you’ll do your best if you’re taking time to recharge, so we don’t cap the amount of days you can take off per year in addition to the paid holidays we observe
• Parental leave: 12 weeks off for all new parents - fully paid so you can focus your energy on your newest addition 

Food safety requirements

• Comply with all Plant, State and Federal OSHA, EPA, FDA, HACCP, and SQF regulations
• All employees must show proof of COVID vaccination before starting work, other than in limited circumstances where the law requires an exception