Sustainability Director - Türkiye

About WE Soda

WE Soda is the world’s largest producer of natural soda ash, a critical raw material used in a wide range of industrial applications, including glass, detergents, and chemicals. Our company takes great pride in producing over 9.5 million tonnes of natural soda ash annually, an exceptional milestone that reinforces our leadership in the global market.

With our headquarters in the United Kingdom and production facilities in Türkiye and the United States, we operate across a broad international footprint. Our products are in high demand worldwide, and we currently export premium natural soda ash to more than 80 countries, reflecting our commitment to operational excellence and our ability to meet the diverse needs of a global customer base.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Sustainability Director – Türkiye to lead and advance our sustainability agenda across WE Soda’s operations in Türkiye.

Reporting directly to the Group Chief Sustainability Officer, this is a senior leadership role with responsibility for translating WE Soda’s Group Sustainability Plan into meaningful, measurable action across our Turkish operations.

The successful candidate will work closely with country and site leadership teams as well as engineering, energy, water and other key functions, combining strategic leadership with strong operational understanding.

The role is based in Ankara and requires regular travel between WE Soda Türkiye sites, as well as periodic travel to our Group HQ in London and other Group locations.

Key Responsibilities

Sustainability Strategy & Governance

Lead the deployment and implementation of WE Soda’s sustainability strategy and regional roadmap across Türkiye.

Track, evaluate and report progress against the Group Sustainability Plan.

Ensure Group sustainability priorities are effectively adapted to Türkiye’s regulatory, environmental and stakeholder context.

Coordinate sustainability governance, assurance and certification activities.

Support the development of ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification roadmaps.

Lead WE Soda’s Group-wide LCA Centre of Excellence, providing Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) expertise across the Group.

Carbon, Water, Waste & Environmental Performance

Lead the country carbon strategy, reporting framework and carbon-reduction roadmap.

Partner with engineering, energy and water teams to develop long-term sustainability and technical improvement plans.

Drive initiatives relating to carbon emissions, water efficiency, waste management and resource efficiency.

Lead environmental performance initiatives covering emissions, water, waste, land, biodiversity and natural-resource management.

Support the development of a strong beyond-compliance environmental agenda, including nature protection, biodiversity, tailings safety and closure planning.

ESG Reporting & Performance

Lead ESG reporting and disclosure activities for Türkiye.

Strengthen ESG data governance, assurance and digitalization.

Develop and deliver quarterly sustainability dashboards for senior leadership.

Coordinate environmental and social impact assessments.

Lead the collection and consolidation of sustainability data for Group reporting frameworks and ratings, including TCFD/TNFD, CDP, EcoVadis, Sustainalytics, Sedex and IRMA.

Stakeholder & External Engagement

Build effective relationships with local communities, regulators, NGOs, academic institutions and other key stakeholders.

Partner with country leadership on sustainability-related government affairs, climate policy, emissions trading schemes and carbon markets.

Represent and support WE Soda’s sustainability positioning with relevant external stakeholders.

What We Are Looking For

• University degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Engineering or a related discipline; a relevant postgraduate qualification would be an advantage.
• Significant senior-level experience in Sustainability, ESG, Environmental or EHS leadership, ideally within mining, chemicals, heavy industry or manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of sustainability and ESG frameworks such as TCFD/TNFD, CDP, EcoVadis, Sustainalytics, Sedex and IRMA.
• Strong understanding of carbon management, environmental performance, water stewardship and sustainability reporting.
• Experience working with regulators, NGOs, academic institutions and local communities.
• Demonstrated ability to translate Group-level sustainability strategy into practical and measurable local execution.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capabilities within a complex, matrix organization.
• Ability to operate effectively at both strategic leadership and site-operational levels.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the credibility to represent the organization externally.
• Fluent written and spoken English and Turkish.
• Willingness to travel regularly within Türkiye and periodically internationally.

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to take a leading role in shaping and delivering the sustainability agenda of a major international industrial organization.

You will have the opportunity to influence sustainability strategy at both country and Group level, working at the intersection of industrial operations, decarbonization, environmental performance, ESG, LCA and stakeholder engagement.

If you have a strong track record in sustainability leadership within a complex industrial environment and are motivated by turning ambitious sustainability commitments into measurable operational outcomes, we would be pleased to hear from you.