Sustainability Lead, Circular Economy Business Solutions

The mission: For several decades L'Oréal has proactively worked towards a sustainable and inclusive future, seeking to protect the planet’s beauty and empower communities worldwide. As the world’s largest beauty company, we recognise our unique position and responsibility to drive real, meaningful change and we are moving forward through the ‘L’Oréal for the Future’ (L4TF) programme. 

The programme is focused on three core pillars: Climate (CO2 reduction), Circularity (resource optimisation), and Communities (improving livelihoods). We are seeking a Sustainability lead, in charge of circularity business solutions to help steer L’Oréal UK & Ireland’s circularity commitments and accelerate our positive impact.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Reporting to the head of the UK&I Sustainability team, you will drive L’Oréal for the Future ‘s mission forward by leading the following key priorities: 

1.    Lead the END OF LIFE of our products and Point-of-Sale Materials leveraging both prevention and remonetisation drivers: 

o    monitor, flag and influence the processes that generate “bad stock”, from forecast accuracy to the returns.

o    put in place different remonetisation strategies (outlet, family and friends, donations) to foster second life for our products.

o    manage the specific end-of-life of POS materials contributing to the decarbonization roadmap with retailers.

2.    Coordinate EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) projects: ensure compliance with evolving packaging regulations, while consolidating insights for product development teams to better eco-design our products. 

3.    Implement Circular Economy projects: scout local business opportunities and innovative partnerships to make our business more circular, such us the implementation of take back schemes or recycling projects of our products. 

Doing so, you will translate global and Europe Zone ambitions into local reality, ensuring strategies are optimised for the UK & Irish markets and pioneering local initiatives that set the standard for the wider Europe Zone. 

WHO YOU ARE

1. A circular economy experienced professional:  You are comfortable with: 

•    Strategic Circularity Implementation: proven track record in implementing circular projects (e.g., refill/recharge systems, take-back programs, or product-as-a-service).

•    Circular Design Principles: knowledge of eco-design, material science (recyclability, bio-based materials), and waste management

•    External Ecosystem Management: experience working with startups, waste management entities, or NGOs to build the infrastructure needed for circular solutions.

•    Business Model Innovation: ability to build a Business Case for circularity 

•    Regulatory Intelligence: strong understanding of global environmental regulations

•    Sustainability Reporting: knowledge of ESG frameworks (CSRD, GRI) and how circularity metrics impact corporate goals.

•    Industry Expertise: Experience in FMCG, Beauty, or Retail is often preferred.

2.    Strategically & Business Minded: You are comfortable navigating business and finance cycles, with the ability to build robust, data-driven business cases that align sustainability with commercial success. You have a deep understanding of how a fast-paced matrix organisation operates, with direct exposure to commercial, finance, marketing, or supply chain functions.

3.    An Influential Communicator: You possess exceptional stakeholder engagement skills, with the presence and confidence to inspire and challenge a wide group of stakeholders, from Interns to Executive Leadership teams.

4.    A Disciplined Project Lead and resilient change maker: You have a proven track record of leading complex projects with high standards and a commitment to operational excellence and rigour. You are excited by the idea of driving change effectively, and able to demonstrate resilience, adapt and innovate as needed

5.    A Proactive Self-Starter: You enjoy working with a high degree of autonomy, possessing the leadership mindset required to drive your own agenda and manage your time effectively outside of a standard business rhythm.

6.    Collaborative & Empathetic: You are a natural collaborator who uses empathy and resilience to navigate complex corporate environments and drive change through influence rather than authority.

Strengthen Your Career Path

At L'Oréal, we believe that diverse journeys lead to the most innovative solutions. This role offers a unique vantage point across the entire organisation, providing a powerful platform to broaden your expertise and strengthen your future career path. Whether you come from a commercial, brand management, finance, sustainability or operations background, we welcome the opportunity to see how your individual perspective can enrich our sustainability mission and your own professional growth.

WHAT WE OFFER

Our industry-leading award-winning benefits package shows how much we value our people. We know they're at the heart of L'Oréal's success, so we offer a fair and competitive package to help you thrive.

Enjoy perks like money-saving offers, free mortgage advice, share options and an enhanced pension plan. Love our brands? You'll get up to 60% off iconic names like YSL, CeraVe, Armani, Kiehl's and Garnier! Because health matters, we offer private medical and dental insurance, discounted gym memberships, and onsite mental health support. We also provide enhanced family leave for all and up to 4 weeks of paid fertility leave, so you can prioritise what matters most.

Learning is in our DNA at L'Oréal. We'll help you master your role, build skills, and access top-notch leadership programs and monthly expert talks. And there's lots more too!

WHO WE ARE

L’Oréal is present in 150 markets on five continents. For more than a century, L’Oréal has devoted itself solely to ‘Create beauty that moves the world’; it is now the industry world leader with €29 billion consolidated sales. Together, we solve complex challenges at scale, while making sure we stay committed to making the world a more inclusive and a better place for everyone & our planet. Experience the excitement of agility to shape the future of beauty; where diversity and purpose come together to create meaningful impact.

Our Corporate Division supports the 4000+ strong workforce in the UK & Ireland.  It’s a fast-paced and dynamic environment when you’ll have visibility over our 4 Divisions and play an integral role in moving our business forward. Our founder Eugène Schueller once said that “a company is not walls and machines, it’s people, people, people”. Joining our corporate teams means joining the world leader in beauty, at the cutting edge of innovation. But above all, it means becoming part of a team of talented and inspiring people.

HOW WE RECRUIT

At L’Oréal, we take pride in creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment where everyone is welcome and their contributions are valued. When we recruit, hire, train, promote or engage in any other employment practice, we are committed to being an inclusive employer regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, socioeconomic status, medical condition or disability, or any other protected status. When we look for talent, we welcome difference - different backgrounds, experiences, personalities and perspectives. The beauty we find in our differences gives us the freedom to go beyond. That’s the beauty of L’Oréal.