Executive Director
Plastic Bank Foundation
Location: Vancouver or Remote
Salary: $100,000 - $120,000
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Plastic Bank Foundation (“PBF”) is a young and dynamic charity that cleans up the Earth through the collection of ocean-bound plastic waste, while improving lives in the world’s most impoverished communities. The Foundation’s purpose is to offer training and support within social plastic ecosystems in developing countries, in addition to running recycling, poverty reduction, and ocean plastic awareness campaigns.
Our programs allow individuals to earn a stable income in exchange for removing plastic pollution from their environment. PBF works with our partners to protect the environment, advance education, and relieve poverty by providing basic necessities of life, including food, clean water, clothing, and/or shelter to individuals who are poor or in need in developing nations.
Emerging from the success of The Plastic Bank Corporation, PBF is its own independent entity that has come to an inflection point in its growth. Having been solely run by volunteers, the time is now right to scale up its operations and develop and execute a thoughtful growth strategy. The Foundation therefore seeks to hire its first ever Executive Director.
This is a compelling opportunity for a committed and passionate builder to:
Develop the Foundation’s first ever strategic plan
Create tactics, operational plans, and very importantly – metrics and success measures – that help achieve Foundation goals
Work with partners to raise charitable donations from individuals and corporations
Coordinate efforts and leverage relationships with the Plastic Bank Corporation.
Create a network of relationships that support these impactful programs,
Build a team and community that support ending ocean plastics pollution and alleviating poverty.
Location: The new ED would ideally be based and supported in a home office in either Vancouver or Toronto; other major Canadian transit hub cities would be considered too. In Vancouver, working in the Plastic Bank Corporation office would be an option.
Plastic Bank Foundation
We want to drive impact for the world and support the social impact made by the Plastic Bank business, through a concrete set of actions to alleviate poverty and reduce plastic waste.
The official purposes of the Society are:
To protect the environment for the benefit of the public by removing litter, garbage and waste from public spaces and disposing of it, whenever possible, in a manner that improves the health of local ecosystems;
To advance education by providing seminars, lectures, workshops, and occupational training programs on recycling, conservation, and green technology;
To relieve poverty by providing basic necessities of life, including food, clean water, clothing, and/or shelter to individuals who are poor or in need in developing nations;
To solicit and receive gifts, bequests, trusts, funds and property and beneficially, or as a trustee or agent, to hold, invest, develop, manage, accumulate, administer and disburse funds and property for the purposes of the Society, and to disburse funds and property, pursuant to the provisions of the lncome Tax Act, to registered charities as well as other “qualified donees”; and
To undertake activities ancillary/incidental to the attainment of the aforementioned charitable purposes.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
The new ED will lead the Foundation’s planning and refinement of its goals, which are currently articulated as:
Near term:
Education mission: help collectors to have access to the world by providing 5000 smart phones for plastic collectors
Human mission: help people in emergency situations by providing ad hoc support
Sustainability Mission: increase the collecting volumes of plastic out of the nature by providing push carts for collectors
Medium term
Educate local people on the value of recycling and collecting
Set up a “Plastic College” to find and train local entrepreneurs to become future collection point
Long term
Lobby governments to effect change in the regulation of use of virgin plastic with the ultimate aim to achieve a ban on the use of virgin plastic
Plastic Bank (Recycling Corporation)
The Foundation was started by the founders of the Plastic Bank Corporation (https://plasticbank.com). By collecting, recycling, and reprocessing ocean-bound plastic waste – and supporting collector communities along the way – PB works to reduce our need for virgin plastic while creating lasting environmental, social, and economic impact. PB creates a sustainable, circular economy by setting up recycling ecosystems in countries that lack sufficient disposal infrastructure and have high rates of pollution and poverty. It employs citizens of those regions to manage these ecosystems and collect plastic from their environment and bring it to their local Plastic Bank branch. After being collected the plastic is recycled and processed into new raw material feedstock called Social Plastic which can be purchased by manufacturers to produce more environmentally and socially ethical products.
Plastic Bank (Recycling Corporation) and Plastic Bank Foundation are legally distinct entities and maintain separate financials, governance, and staff. However, each party shares a common mission and work towards a common goal of tackling the complex global challenges of stopping ocean plastics and alleviating poverty. The relationship is defined by a legal partnership agreement which outlines the roles and responsibilities of each party and is reviewed and signed off annually by the Executive Director and Board of Directors of both organizations.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director’s leadership duties include:
Strategy and Project Management and Delivery
In partnership with the Board, develop PBF’s strategic plan
Establish the operations plan including project roll-out, funding, and KPI’s.
Develop and lead social impact projects based on strategic need and opportunity
Relationship Management and New Business Development
Develop relationships with Plastic Bank Corporation staff to support leveraging key relationships
Identify and cultivate donors and supporters across the spectrum of people, organizations, leaders, government officials, and other potential collaborators
Secure and leverage donations and grants
Maintain existing and foster new relationships to solidify PBF’s professional network
Serve as key spokesperson for PBF
Analyze and vet all new business relationships; develop policies and procedures as needed
Organizational Performance Evaluation
Design and perform comprehensive evaluations of key programs and projects on the ground
Develop and execute funder reporting, stewardship, and recognition strategies and mechanisms
Make recommendations about organizational strategy based on evaluations
Financial Oversight
Ensure accountability for budget, resources, and assets through the management of financial controls, administrative processes, analytics systems, and staff
Oversee revenue and expenses
Human Resources Management
Develop a staffing growth plan aligned with PBF growth trajectory and budget
Recruit and employ staff in fulfillment of the plan (ex: contract management, serving as liaison with government employment bodies)
Maintain PBF contracts and paperwork.
Act as the PBF in-house HR resources
Engage, mentor, and develop team members in Haiti
Governance & legal Compliance
Ensure full legal compliance in all governance areas, such as NFP registration, tax, employment, health and safety, insurance, etc.
QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS
Significant experience acting in a leadership capacity in the social profit sector
Proven experience planning and executing organizational growth
Keen alignment and demonstrated passion for the PBF mission to reduce ocean pollution, alleviate poverty and effect global change; knowledge and/or experience of the international context is a significant asset
Background and experience in corporate fundraising and CSR programs; a successful track record of managing a pipeline of grants and donors
Agile intellect and professional confidence in formulating solutions tailored to client needs
Strong writing skills, and communication abilities generally
A high level of emotional intelligence
Skilled recruiter and manager of staff
Professional and motivated
Understanding of Canadian charitable laws; international US/IRS and EU charitable giving governance a strong asset.
Technical skills ideally include Microsoft Office Suite, donor CRM software, Email Automation, social media
University or college level education in Marketing Communications, or equivalent experience and courses
Willingness and ability to travel locally and nationally, internationally for project oversight and development
CANDIDATE PROFILE
The new ED will possess the competencies and traits:
An effective and motivated builder
Entrepreneurial; takes initiative and sees possibilities
Highly self-motivated, driven and a ‘go-getter’, with skillful problem-solving skills and ability to work independently;
Effective and lively communicator
Organized, with a high attention to detail and time management skills
Adaptable to work with different styles of people, situations, and cultures
Consistent, dependable, and responsive
Collaborative team player
APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
Applications, enquiries, and nominations to PBF’s search partner, the Discovery Group, are welcome. Please contact Christoph Clodius, Vice President of The Discovery Group, at 604-836-1972, or christoph@thediscoverygroup.ca.
All submissions should be received by May 20, 2022. The goal is to have the Executive Director confirmed in the summer and start as soon as reasonably possible.
The successful candidate will receive a fair and competitive wage, in the range of $100,000 to $120,000 depending on background and experience. As this is the Foundation’s first staff member, a benefit package can be established based on the incoming’s ED’s needs and Foundation budget.
We welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, BIPOC and racialized individuals, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, and other from underrepresented or traditionally marginalized groups.
Visit website: https://plasticbankfoundation.org/