Description of the role

The purpose of the role is to expand on the previous Standards and Legislation position with the aim of recognising that a central focus of the ESA is environmental action and social responsibility. We are collectively focussed on reducing emissions to atmosphere through product development. Whilst this is the backbone of the divisional work, we want to add a new dimension that recognises the effects of our manufacturing activities and helps ESA members make changes in their operations to reduce their impact on the environment.

Monitoring standards and legislation issues across the five product divisions is a requirement of the position. It should be balanced with developing an environmentally sustainable improvement programme for the members of the ESA. A starting point will be to generate a reference point with a handful of ESA members and establish a working team that can identify areas for improvement. First efforts that focus on the reduction of plastic usage and introduction of a carbon footprint tool have been made. Understanding the current diversity of Carbon Footprint software and methods will present some difficulties as it is an emerging field.

As a trade association we add value by alerting and briefing our member companies on relevant issues. Therefore, knowledge about and communication of industry trends and developments as well as relevant governmental issues are key. The ESG Director will be required to feed news on activities into the different ESA media platforms and update our websites and agencies appropriately.
Our newly formed “Young Minds” initiative is a social project aimed at attracting young people from universities and other industries into ours and retaining the talent we have. A start has been made by establishing the David Mitchell scholarship award and selecting its first recipient. David was the previous Standards & Legislation Director. He attended the University of Strathclyde, which is where we initiated the programme. We want to develop this programme through a working group that you would lead.

Key tasks

PFAS: There is an EU proposal to ban approximately 4700 PFAS, some of which our industry uses extensively. The proposed ban is being introduced as these “forever chemicals” (plastics) have a bio accumulation effect and in a few cases a human health concern.

The impact would have dramatic consequences as currently there are no alternative material available for the sealing industry with the exception of graphite in some cases. Products such as PTFE, widely used because of its chemical resistance and relative thermal stability would be banned under current proposals. Working with the Smiths Group and their Government Affairs specialists you will be required to manage the programme with the aim of achieving a derogation for our industry. Regular meetings, updating members, position papers would all form part of the programme.

Environmental impact & sustainable improvement: As mentioned above this is a new development for the ESA and as such, we have an opportunity to create a programme which improves our environmental impact. Developing recommendations and policies from travel to reducing plastic in packaging would form part of the programme.

Social development: Training programme development and the Young Minds concept mentioned above will be the focus of this area but there will be other lighter subjects which fall under this category.

Governance: Regular reporting and the management of meetings would be a necessary part of the activities. Overseeing the development of new standards within the ESA and monitoring the movement of existing standards will be necessary but this field generally moves relatively slowly.

Hours, travel and expectations

The position of ESG Director is not intended as full-time role. This serves as a detailed overview of the main issues, most of them are relatively slow moving and will require initiative on the part of the ESG Director. The number of hours per week typically ranges between 4 and 20 but are not fixed. The expectation of the ESA is that the ESG Director monitors, develops and provides updates on the programmes as and when he can.

Support from members who volunteer to develop selected topics can’t be counted on. Ultimately it will take the enthusiasm of the ESG Director to make it work. This can be frustrating but it also leaves room to work with a lot of freedom on an individual schedule.

Divisional meetings are typically held online on a monthly basis. The Exec Committee meets quarterly face-to-face. Occasionally, the ESG Director may be required to attend one of these meetings.

The organization’s Annual General Meeting is a face-to-face meeting that takes place at a different location in Europe every May. Ideally the ESG Director will attend this meeting and provide an update on the main topics.

Remuneration, reporting and support

Remuneration and reporting
The current hourly rate is €37.00 per hour. The following items should be submitted on a monthly basis:
an excel expense sheet listing all expenses and hours worked
a simple activity report indicating the hours spent on each subject for the month

Support and Admin
Various IT platforms are used for the activities of the ESA (e.g. cloud service, mailing databases, web site etc.) You will be introduced to the agencies, the platforms and their usage. Access to Microsoft applications will be provided if needed as well as an @europeansealing.com e-mail address and access to Dropbox, where all ESA files and your files are kept.

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M. Neal
October 2022