senior manager, Circularity! at Starbucks in Seattle, WA

Job description

Now Brewing – senior manager, Circularity! #tobeapartner From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others. We are seeking a strategic leader to advance Starbucks’ packaging recovery and waste strategy in a dynamic and rapidly evolving policy, infrastructure, and stakeholder landscape. Packaging and waste are among Starbucks’ most material sustainability priorities and require collaboration across a broad ecosystem of partners, from policymakers and industry coalitions to recyclers, recovery organizations, suppliers, communities, and operational teams. Circularity is a team sport, and this leader will play a critical role in helping Starbucks understand, influence, and strengthen the systems that enable packaging recovery and waste reduction at scale. Through industry engagement, partnership development, landscape assessment, and recovery system advancement, this leader will help inform enterprise strategy while leading the team responsible for waste strategy and operations. As a trusted advisor to senior leaders, they will translate emerging trends, risks, and opportunities into actionable recommendations that support business performance, compliance readiness, and long-term circularity goals. As a senior manager, Circularity, you will… Lead Starbucks' strategy for packaging recovery systems and external industry engagement, including coalition leadership, recovery infrastructure development, recycling access, market development, and partnerships that improve packaging recovery outcomes and support long-term compliance readiness. Lead Starbucks amazing waste strategy and operations team, advancing solutions that improve the partner and customer experience, strengthen compliance readiness, reduce waste, and enable recovery at scale. Foster organizational capability in waste reduction, recovery systems, industry engagement, and partnership development while building a high-performing team that translates strategy into measurable business and environmental outcomes. Represent Starbucks in industry coalitions, producer responsibility organizations (PROs), policy forums, and strategic partnerships, building relationships with NGOs, recyclers, recovery system stakeholders, and external experts to advance packaging recovery and waste outcomes. Inform and influence Starbucks' packaging transformation and cross functional teams translating external developments into strategic recommendations and business implications. Provide subject matter expertise and thought leadership on packaging recovery systems, including EPR implementation, recycling access and acceptance, recycling-rate performance, recovery infrastructure, end-market development, and industry best practices. Advise Starbucks key teams on packaging recovery, waste, compliance developments, industry trends, and strategic decisions that impact compliance readiness, business performance, and circularity outcomes. We’d love to hear from people with: 10+ years of experience in circularity strategy, sustainability, environmental policy, or a related field, with a deep understanding of circularity, policy, and market dynamics. Demonstrated people leadership and a track record of leading cross-functional initiatives, influencing senior leaders, and building alignment across complex organizations. Experience developing circularity strategies and action plans and integrating compliance risk into business decisions. Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience representing an organization externally. Advanced degree in environmental science, engineering, sustainability, public policy, or a related discipline preferred. As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic