Description
At PlayPower, we are not just a company; we’re a passionate family of brands dedicated to creating moments of joy and inspiration through play. As a global leader in crafting premier recreational equipment, our mission is to ignite imaginations and fuel creativity in people of all ages. By joining our team of over 1600 employees across the world, you are joining a community that believes in the Power of Play! If you're ready to make a lasting impact and bring laughter and fun to the lives of children and adults, explore our exciting opportunities to help us to create a world where play knows no limits.
Company Values:
Honesty and Integrity- Respect and Caring for Others
- Openness and Collaboration
- Individual and Team Accountability
- Passion and Purpose
Department: Environmental, Health, and Safety
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Travel: Up to [20–35%] (plants, suppliers, customer sites, industry partners)
Position Type: Full-time
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Sustainability is responsible for building, leading, and operationalizing the company’s sustainability strategy across a diversified outdoor recreation product portfolio, including: playgrounds, shade structures, site amenity products, floating marine docks, and personal watercraft solutions.
Reporting to the COO, this role will lead the development of the company’s annual sustainability report, drive sustainable product and material innovation through supplier and technology partnerships, and ensure accurate, timely, and complete regulatory sustainability disclosures, including applicable requirements in the State of California, as well as customer-driven sustainability and procurement reporting expectations.
This role serves as the internal expert and cross-functional leader for sustainability, partnering across Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Legal/Compliance, Sales, and Marketing to deliver measurable improvements in environmental performance, transparency, and responsible product design—without compromising product safety, durability, or performance.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Sustainability Strategy & Leadership
Develop and execute a multi-year sustainability roadmap aligned with the company’s operational priorities, growth plans, and market expectations.
Translate sustainability goals into practical initiatives tied to product design, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and end-of-life planning.
Establish internal governance, decision-making frameworks, and cross-functional alignment to ensure sustainability initiatives deliver real operational outcomes.
Partner with the COO and senior leadership team to set annual targets and define the company’s sustainability narrative and commitments.
Annual Sustainability Report Ownership
Lead the preparation, development, and publication of the company’s annual sustainability report, including:
Data collection, validation, and analysis across all business units and sites
Clear reporting narratives, metrics, progress tracking, and future priorities
Coordination with internal stakeholders and leadership review/approval
Ensure the sustainability report is credible, consistent, and ready for use with customers, partners, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders.
Implement continuous improvement year-over-year in report completeness, data quality, and audit-readiness.
Regulatory Disclosures & Compliance (Non-Public Company)
Serve as the sustainability disclosure and compliance owner for the company, including California sustainability-related disclosure requirements applicable to private companies.
Coordinate with Legal/Compliance and Finance to ensure filings, statements, and disclosures are accurate, defensible, and consistent across channels.
Develop internal documentation, processes, and control mechanisms to reduce risk and improve readiness for evolving regulations and customer requirements.
Monitor emerging sustainability regulations (state, federal, and international) that may affect the company’s operations, products, suppliers, and customers. Brief senior leadership team at least quarterly on any changing regulations.
Serve as point-of-contact in any conversations with investors or potential investors regarding the company’s compliance with environmental regulations and sustainability initiatives.
The most common regulatory regimes for this role to be familiar with are:
ESG Reporting frameworks (Bold font denotes most critical):
EU CSRD (ESRS) - The European sustainability reporting program
ISSB (IFRS) - The International Sustainability Standards Board
CDP - An international climate disclosure program for suppliers and business relationships
GRI - A long-standing, global framework for sustainability and impact reporting
B Corporation - A scoring framework for corporate sustainability and governance
GHG accounting
ISO 50001 (international standard for energy management)
LCA – life cycle assessment for products – (in accordance with ISO 14040 series standards)
EU Directives CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) and EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation)
California SB261 and SB253
Product Sustainability & Partner Ecosystem
Identify and evaluate external partners (materials providers, recyclers, renewable polymer innovators, coatings specialists, wood treatment experts, aluminum/steel suppliers, low-carbon concrete alternatives, etc.) to improve product sustainability performance.
Collaborate with Engineering and Product Management to investigate and consider integration of sustainability into:
Material selection and substitution
Recycled content opportunities
Packaging reduction and alternatives
Increased durability and lifecycle extension
Design for disassembly, repair, and end-of-life pathways
Help establish a practical framework for product environmental claims and ensure claims are supportable and substantiated.
Carbon, Energy, Waste & Operational Footprint
Partner with plant leadership to identify and implement projects that reduce cost and improve sustainability performance.
Support evaluation of renewable energy options and credible carbon-reduction pathways.
Supplier Engagement & Responsible Sourcing
Data, Metrics, Controls & Audit-Readiness
Create standardized sustainability metrics, dashboards, and scorecards to support operational decision-making.
Implement processes for data quality, internal controls, and documentation to enable repeatable annual reporting.
Ensure sustainability information can stand up to stakeholder scrutiny (customers, auditors, regulators, business partners).
Cross-Functional Enablement & Communication
Serve as the internal “go-to” resource for sustainability questions from Sales, Marketing, Operations, Engineering, and executive leadership.
Provide customer-facing sustainability support for major bids, RFPs, and large account sustainability requirements.
Train internal teams on sustainability policies, reporting expectations, and compliant communications
Success Metrics (First 12–18 Months)
Publish a professional, accurate, leadership-approved Annual Sustainability Report on schedule.
Establish internal reporting systems and controls for reliable sustainability data collection and disclosure.
Deliver a sustainability roadmap with measurable operational initiatives and clear ownership.
Launch at least 3–5 high-impact product and/or supplier sustainability initiatives (materials, packaging, lifecycle, recycled content, etc.).
Improve readiness for California sustainability disclosures with documented processes and defensible records.
Increase customer confidence and reduce risk exposure related to sustainability claims and reporting.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability, Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry/Materials Science, Supply Chain, Operations, or related field (Master’s preferred).
7+ years of progressive experience leading sustainability/ESG programs in a manufacturing, industrial, building products, or engineered products environment.
Proven experience preparing sustainability reports and leading cross-functional data collection and validation.
Strong working knowledge of sustainability disclosure topics relevant to private companies, including California requirements.
Demonstrated ability to influence and drive change across engineering, operations, and supply chain teams without direct authority
Strong project management capability with high attention to detail and ability to meet fixed timelines.
Excellent executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in outdoor products, recreation, construction products, marine products, plastics, metals, coatings, wood, or related industrial manufacturing.
Experience with lifecycle thinking, product sustainability concepts, or product environmental documentation.
Familiarity with customer sustainability requirements in public procurement, education markets, municipalities, parks/recreation, and commercial development.
Experience working with third-party partners on sustainable materials and circularity solutions.
Core Competencies
Strong business judgment and ability to balance sustainability goals with operational realities
Systems thinker with execution discipline
High integrity and commitment to accurate disclosure and defensible claims
Comfortable in both strategic planning and hands-on implementation
Data-driven with strong analytical capability
Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills across technical and non-technical teams
Working Relationships (Internal & External)
Internal: CEO, COO, Plant Leaders, Engineering/R&D, Product Management, Supply Chain/Procurement, Quality, Legal/Compliance, Finance, Sales, Marketing
External: Material suppliers, recyclers, sustainability consultants, regulatory advisors, industry associations, large customer sustainability teams, owner, potential investors
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive base salary + annual incentive opportunity
Benefits package including medical/dental/vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other company programs
Professional development support and industry engagement opportunities
Benefits package including medical/dental/vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other company programs
Professional development support and industry engagement opportunities
