Senior Director, Standards and Market Access

ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION:

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) is a non-profit leader dedicated to advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. A key driver of SFI’s success is its ability to engage diverse communities to deliver across its 4 pillars: Standards, Conservation, Community, Education. At SFI, we aim to foster a culture where everyone feels valued, empowered, and supported in advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations.

This position is integral to the SFI Standards Pillar team, who work to advance sustainable forestry and responsible purchasing globally through certification standards and certified products.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Senior Director, Standards reports to the Senior VP, Customer Affairs. This position supports SFI’s efforts to ensure and advance global relevancy and responsible forestry by ensuring the ongoing integrity of SFI’s Standards and Modules. Additionally, the role provides technical and strategic support to ensure the SFI Standards reduce risk in the supply chain, ensure sustainable forest management, and respond to marketplace needs through customer and investor engagement. The Senior Director also leads SFI’s standard revision process and manages endorsement activities with PEFC.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Lead the Integrity, Development, and Maintenance of SFI Standards

• Serve as SFI staff lead on all strategic and technical aspects of the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard, SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard, and SFI 2022 Chain of Custody Standard.
• Lead SFI’s Auditor Certification and Accreditation functions, including managing the SFI Auditors Forum, responding to auditor accreditation questions, coordinating responses to complaints, and overseeing interpretations and guidance requests from Certified Organizations, Certification Bodies, Accreditation Bodies, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee the SFI Standard Revision Process, including facilitating committee meetings, managing the public comment process, and leading all related webinars.
• Support growth in the number of organizations certified to the SFI Forest Management, Fiber Sourcing, and Chain of Custody Standards by meeting with new and potential certified organizations.

Drive Market Access and Alignment with Customers and Global Frameworks

• Build and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders, including but not limited to governments, Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, woodlot owners, forest product industries, and environmental NGOs.
• Engage directly with customers and supply-chain partners to support and expand market access for SFI Certified Organizations.
• Represent SFI at sustainability events, international forums, and related dialogues, including public speaking and participation in task groups and committees.
• Engage with global sustainability frameworks and consortiums to ensure alignment and integration with SFI Standard requirements with guidance from Senior VP, Costumer Affairs.
• Advance the visibility, market acceptance, and specific demand for SFI in emerging investor and business innovation opportunities.

Lead Technical Communications, Capacity Building, and Strategic Support for SFI Implementation

• Lead the SFI endorsement process with PEFC, ensure continued international credibility of SFI Standards, and represent SFI on PEFC task groups and committees related to meta-standards and global alignment.
• Develop and oversee technical guidance materials, FAQs, interpretations, training modules, and other resources to support consistent implementation of SFI Standards.
• Provide technical expertise to SFI staff, certified organizations, certification bodies, and external partners on standard requirements and implementation expectations.
• Serve as the technical lead for SFI’s external communications on standards, including content development for reports, web updates, briefings, and customer-facing materials.
• Support internal teams: Communications, Conservation, Urban & Community Forestry, and Education with technical input to ensure consistent and accurate representation of SFI Standards.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position will not initially have direct employee supervisory responsibilities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS / TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

SFI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements include the ability to work from a desk at a computer for prolonged periods of time.

This position requires occasional travel to the US, Canada, and Europe, up to 25% of time.

WORK LOCATION:

SFI has offices in Washington, DC and Ottawa, Ontario.  Individuals that work elsewhere in Canada and the continental U.S. will be considered, provided they are in close proximity to major commuting hubs. Employees located withing commuting distance of Washington, DC or Ottawa are required to work from the office 2 days per week, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays as designated in-office days. For the remaining days of the week, you may choose to either work from the office or remotely from your home. SFI reserves the right to increase in-person days to three or more days per week in the future.

WHAT YOU BRING:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry, environmental science, business, or related fields, from an accredited college or university required, Master's degree preferred
• At least 10 years of experience in forestry and forest certification sector required.
• Deep knowledge of sustainable forest management practices and certification systems (e.g., SFI, FSC, PEFC) required
• Strong public speaking, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills required.
• Experience working with diverse groups, including Indigenous communities, government agencies, and NGOs required.
• Familiarity with public policy, particularly as it relates to forestry, climate change, and natural resource management required.
• French, Spanish, or other language proficiency a plus.

Key Competencies

• Oversees discrete projects or programs from start to finish, seeking the support and input from others and managing consultants as warranted
• Applies a critical, strategic, and analytical approach to work, dissecting issues, applying expertise and judgment, and identifying root causes and possible solutions
• Excels at data and information synthesis and clear communications related to that synthesis
• Develops and implements programs and policies to cultivate a positive, collaborative and respectful culture and consistently models these behaviors
• Comfortably operates in nuanced situations or potentially ambiguous or uncertain situations
• Effectively presents to external parties on SFI’s work across all pillars
• Ability to work in a team environment, take initiative, assess priorities and multi-task, and competently perform a variety of activities with a high level of accuracy and within a fast-paced work setting
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Requires ability to respect confidentiality and exercise discretion with sensitive and privileged information

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

We are committed to equity in our salary practices. The salary range for this position is $125,000 to $160,000; the successful candidate’s actual salary will depend on a number of factors, including geography, education/training, experience, time-in-role, management qualifications (as applicable), and skillset.

We are proud to provide our employees with a collaborative, dynamic, and rewarding professional experience, with a competitive compensation and benefits package and growth opportunities. Our benefits include (but are not limited to):

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
• Retirement plan with generous employer contribution and additional matching contribution up to 11% of your salary, provided you also contribute 4%.
• Paid Time Off – generous vacation policy ranging from 2 weeks to 5 weeks, increasing with experience, all federal holidays, plus 4 floating holidays annually that may be used to observe additional religious, cultural, or traditional occasions that are meaningful to you, and 12 sick days annually.
• Educational assistance and investment in professional development.

APPLY:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until we find the right candidate. If you’re interested, apply promptly early applicants will be prioritized.

We value authenticity and transparency in our recruitment. SFI does not use AI for résumé screening, candidate scoring, or hiring decisions. Every applicant receives individualized consideration from our HR team. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

SFI is proud to provide our employees with a collaborative, dynamic, and rewarding professional experience, with a competitive compensation and benefits package and growth opportunities. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and being an equal opportunity employer. Our team represents a broad range of cultures, education, disciplines, and work and life experiences, and we strive to leverage these differences in our daily work. We will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe in creating an empowered and supportive team that is committed to advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaborations.

Learn more about SFI Staff Culture, read our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy, and review our Indigenous Relations Commitment.