VP, Certification Dec 2024

This is a remote position.

Date : December 2024

Position Type: Full-time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Department: Certification

Reports to: CEO

Location: Remote eligible (US-based) with strong preference for DC area

Salary: $150,000-175 ,000

Green Seal® is the leading U.S. ecolabel, symbolizing transparency, integrity, and proven environmental leadership. We develop life-cycle-based standards and certify products and services that meet strict criteria for human health, reduced environmental impacts, and effective performance. Operating as a nonprofit since its founding in 1989, Green Seal has certified thousands of products and services in over 450 categories, and is specified by countless schools, government agencies, businesses, and institutions.

The Vice President of Certification leads the Certification Department and oversees all operational and technical aspects of the product and service review, compliance monitoring, and supplier verification processes. They ensure the Department’s compliance with internationally recognized best practices for assurance bodies, including ISO 17065 and the ISEAL Assurance Code. They manage Certification staff, coordinate cross-functional project teams, and represent Certification in Green Seal’s organizational decision-making.

Essential Job Functions:

• Manage department staff and resources
  

• Responsible for meeting or exceeding the department’s efficiency, timeliness and quality metrics for overall throughput
  


• Responsible for building and implementing departmental staffing plan, comprised of both staff and contracted reviewers, to meet capacity needs for certification reviews
  


• Ensure staffing competencies are met and maintained for new and existing staff via training, mentoring and feedback especially to newer certification reviewers.
  


• Conduct regular check-ins to review project status, issues, workload
  


• Determine technical lead assignments
  

• Oversee processes and procedures for initial certification evaluations as well as ongoing compliance monitoring    
  

• Ensure technical quality and consistency of all product and service certifications and supplier verifications
  


• Provide final determination of certification technical and policy issues
  


• Address non-routine certification issues
  


• Oversee Retail Supplier Verifications
  

• Oversee the department’s Quality Management System
  

• Ensure the Department’s compliance with internationally recognized best practices for assurance bodies including ISO 17065 and the ISEAL Assurance Code
  


• Create and maintain certification policy and procedure documents
  


• Assist with developing and maintaining tools and resources to be used for reviews
  

• Coordinate with other Green Seal departments
  

• Coordinate cross-functional project teams
  


• Review and advise on new standards and standards revisions with a particular focus on what will be needed to certify to a new standard.
  


• Provide application and pricing assistance to the Customer Success team for non-routine applications
  


• As needed, review marketing technical content for clarity and accuracy
  

• Organizational leadership and support
  

• Represent Certification in organizational decision-making
  


• Represent Green Seal externally
  


• Participate in other GS strategic initiatives
  


• Support development and implementation of plans to develop new certification offerings for growth into new market areas and opportunities
  


• Support development and implementation of plans to enhance team resources, processes and technology platform, including updating reviewer procedure manuals and training materials as well as updated processes and systems to help reduce onboarding/training time while maintaining excellent quality and accuracy
  


• Provide input and guidance into an initiative to deploy a chemical review database platform.   This new platform will replace the current process built upon multiple spreadsheets and manual lookup processes.  
  

Requirements

Education, Experience, & Credentials

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in one of the following fields: environment/sustainability, scientific, engineering, technical/quantitative, business, operations management
  
• Experience at another Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC) organization or certification body focusing on product/service certifications.
  
• Additional training and/or coursework in program/project/process management, strategic management and/or data/business analytics
  
• Minimum of ten years of relevant experience including experience managing teams
  
• Experience and familiarity with internationally recognized best practice frameworks for conformity assessment bodies (e.g., ISO 17065, ISEAL Assurance Code)
  
• Proven strong project/program management skills including managing teams that consistently meet targets set for duration and hours.
  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs
  

Preferred

• Master’s Degree in one of the following fields: environment/sustainability, scientific, engineering, technical/quantitative, business, operations management
  
• Preference for applicants with experience in the following domains: formulated products, consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, pulp and paper industry, building materials, green building, green chemistry, sustainability reporting, product development
  
• Proficiency with database platforms
  

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities):

• Integrity: Commitment to Green Seal’s mission and values.
  
• Inspirational Leadership: Demonstrated values-based, results-driven leadership.
  
• Collegiality: Strong work ethic and experience working collaboratively with a team.
  
• Efficiency/Initiative: Ability to learn quickly, juggle multiple tasks, prioritize effectively and meet deadlines.
  
• Quality/Compliance: Attention to detail and timelines.
  
• Analytical: Identifies the logical, factual outcomes based on the data, information and analyses conducted.
  
• Communication: Articulates thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms to persons inside and outside the organization.
  

Working Conditions

This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 15 lbs. Requires the ability to periodically travel locally, regionally, and nationally/No travel presently required.

Work Authorization Requirements

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Green Seal, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

Benefits

• Employer-sponsored Medical, Dental, & Vision insurance
  
• Employee & Child(ren) Coverage - 100% Employer Paid
  
• 20% Spousal Premium, 80% Employer Paid Spousal Coverage
  
• Employer-paid Life Insurance
  
• 100% Employer-paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
  
• Eligibility to participate in Company Tax-deferred 403b Annuity Retirement Plan
  
• Green Seal matches 100% of employee contributions up to 5% immediately vested
  

• Paid Time Off (PTO) earned on an accrual basis
  
• Starting on the date of hire, you will accrue 13.3 hours of PTO per month worked, for a total of 160 hours (20 days) per year.
  
• After one year of service, this increases to 16.67 hours of PTO accrued for each month worked, which equals 200 hours (25 days) per year.
  
• Paid Sick Leave
  
• Leave is prorated from start date and equivalent to 56 hours (7 days) per year
  
• Employer-paid Holidays:
  
• New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and the days in between Christmas and New Year’s Day.