Director - Sustainable Policy Compliance Implementation, Sustainability

Job Title:  Director, Sustainable Policy Compliance Implementation

Division: Corporate 

Department: Sustainability & CSR 

Supervisor Title: VP Circular Economy 

Location: The Hub, Clark, NJ (Hybrid Role)

Who We Are:

L’Oréal’s sustainability commitments approaching 2030 require radical transformation – which include not only embodying our company’s vision, purpose and responsibilities, but also to adapt our strategies and products for future compliance with regulations at the state and federal level in the United States. 

Over recent years, the role of companies in developing responsible and environmentally beneficial practices around circularity, chemicals, and packaging materials has changed quickly and dramatically. With a rapid evolution in the regulatory landscape, we must mobilize resources to understand what the implementation of these regulations looks like for our business ecosystem – for both internal and external stakeholders.

What You Will Do:

This is a mission-critical role to ensure compliance in a rapidly changing regulatory environment, especially as it relates to packaging, plastics, ingredients, and chemicals. This role will be based in the Zone sustainability team and partner closely with centers of expertise – namely Public Affairs, Operations (Packaging, Development, Sourcing), R&I (Métier Labs and Regulatory), Legal, and external product and systems design partners. This role will be responsible for the identification, understanding, and communication of compliance needs and solutions across the product lifecycle, including but not limited to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, chemical and substance regulations (both in formula and in packaging material, and beyond).

Specific responsibilities will include:

Translating Legislative Updates:

• Can read and interpret regs, align with legal on those interpretations, and then translate interpretations for compliance to key stakeholders including brands, strategic committee leaders, finance, and operations.
• Formalize procedures for EPR compliance (SOPs or Standard Operating Procedures).
  1. State specific technical interpretations.
  2. Official guidance document for implementation.
  3. 1:1 verbal upskilling & training; adapting the message to the audience’s expertise.
• Liaise with key internal stakeholders for comments and alignment to ensure we’re influencing evolving standards on the horizon (in close coordination with Public Affairs).
  1. Ensure compliance, to minimize fees, avoid sales ban.

Beauty industry application (e.g. advocating for ambitious sustainability policy practical for the beauty industry, including advocacy on behalf of trusted partners).

Implementation Oversight & Tracking of:

• Reuse/refill tracking, understanding whether current roadmap leads to reg compliance 
• Responsible end market definitions and evaluations.
• Lifecycle analysis requirements.
• Product-specific exemptions for hazardous products.
• Claims and labeling compliance.
• Tracking compliance of new brand, formula, and product launches, extensions, or renovations.
• Hazardous or restricted chemicals and ingredients, including substances of high concern. 

Data Preparation and Reporting:

• Oversee IT architecture, and fitness of reports and/or tools to deliver relevant data for regulatory reporting needs.
• Translate state requirements into data terms, and develop product with internal stakeholders to deliver reporting for compliance.
• Translation of source reduction (CA EPR) into data tracking terminology.
• Manage product changes (weight, dimension).
• Co-developing reporting infrastructure for forecasted future sustainable and environmental regulation reporting (e.g. PFAS) alongside stakeholders including Groupe centers of expertise, Ops SME leads, R&I leadership teams including today’s functional Regulatory Compliance teams in Clark, NJ and Paris HQ.

Ongoing Compliance with Existing Laws (e.g. EPR):

• Oversee enforcement action (Notice of Violation, NOV) and audit responses (if necessary).
• Track annual state regulatory compliance.
• Maintain compliance and reporting documentation (mandated by states).

Escalate and Effectively Communicate Future Sustainability Compliance Risks:

• Act as a true Sustainability Compliance Liaison, alerting areas of evolving Environmental Packaging, Materials, and Chemicals regulations.
• Track topics included but not limited to ingredients compliance with regs and initiatives including industry harmonization efforts.

Manage engagement between the NA Corporate Sustainability and NA Public Affairs, Policy, and Engagement to ensure alignment and maximize impact:

• Ensure that L4TF adherence and roadmap activities related to circular packaging are regulatory compliant.
• Act as liaison between NA PA&E, Groupe SMEs, Brand Leaders, Operations partners (including packaging and sourcing) and any other internal/external functions relevant to regulatory subject matter to ensure VP Circular Economy can remove barriers to business readiness and compliance. 
• Maintain corporate-level visibility on environmental regulatory compliance, simultaneously leading cross functional business readiness strategies.
• When relevant, inform communications, US DevPack / Sustainable DevPack, and claims about rules for compliance.

What We Are Looking For:

Qualifications/Requirements 

• Ideally 6 (min) years of experience working in a corporation, academic institution or NGO leading compliance in sustainability and/or business compliance implementation. 
• Degree in regulatory, public affairs, or environmental sciences, materials, or chemistry preferred, or JD. 
• Strong sense of entrepreneurship, willingness to learn, and seek training through non-conventional means (request L’Oreal SME 1:1 trainings, external partner on-site learning, shadowing, willingness to obtain verbal communication in situations where e-mail does not provide sufficient understanding, communication, or clear response). 

• Detail-oriented & organized. 

• Firsthand experience in product and packaging development ways of working and/or supply chains within the consumer-packaged goods / beauty industry strongly preferred. 
• A strong working knowledge of US regulatory frameworks and standards and models of application.
• A strong command of change management theory and practice; ability to provide both the structure and the tools needed to manage and realize change successfully on the technical and people side 
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams and organizations to drive complex, transversal projects internally and externally with key stakeholders, including business partners, NGOs and academic institutions. 
• Team player with the highest ethical standards and an inclusive approach to work and talent. 
• Strong analytical and strategic development skills. 
• Strong communication skills – including written, oral, and presentation skills. 
• Strong project management skills, including developing project plan, monitoring and meeting milestones, time management, attention to detail, and organizational skills. 
• Ability to work independently, be proactive, and adapt quickly in a fast-paced and results-driven environment. 
• An entrepreneurial and initiative-taking spirit. Ability to seize unique opportunities in the policy, regulatory, and compliance landscape to engage on sustainability and to support a sustainability reputation. 
• Ability to effectively network and collaborate with external stakeholders and competitors to identify unique solutions and pioneer compliance initiatives independently and/or collaboratively. 
• Spokesperson skills and ease at stakeholder relations.
• Ability to read and interpret regulations and translate for audiences not familiar with such bodies of text.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU: 

• Salary Range: $138,500-$200,800 (The actual compensation will depend on a variety of job-related factors which may include geographic location, work experience, education, and skill level) 
• Competitive Benefit Package (Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Pension Plan) 
• Hybrid Work Policy (3 Days in Office, 2 Days Work from Home)  
• Flexible Time Off (Paid Company Holidays, Paid Vacation, Vacation Buy Program, Volunteer Time, Summer Fridays & More!) 
• Access to Company Perks (VIP Access to L’Oréal’s Internal Shop for Discounted Products, Monthly Mobile Allowance) 
• Learning & Development Opportunities (Unlimited Access to E-learnings, Lunch & Learn Sessions, Mentorship Programs, & More!) 
• Employee Resource Groups (Think Tanks and Innovation Squads) 
• Access to Mental Health & Wellness Programs  

Don’t meet every single requirement? At L'Oréal, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and innovative workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the qualifications listed in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways! You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles! 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and take pride in a diverse environment. We would love to find out more about you as a candidate and do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or disability, or any other legally protected status. 

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