Location: Brussels or remote, with working hours broadly compatible with CET
Reports to: CEO
Contract: Full-time

Mission Statement
The Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) is dedicated to advancing a responsible, transparent, and sustainable solar value chain worldwide. SSI works with manufacturers, buyers, policymakers, civil society, and financial institutions to ensure credible, high-integrity sustainability practices across the global solar industry.

Role Overview
The Head of Assurance and Standards is a senior leadership role responsible for leading the strategic development, delivery, and governance of SSI’s standards and assurance system.

This role is pivotal to SSI’s credibility and impact. It ensures that SSI’s standards, assurance processes, and implementation mechanisms are robust, aligned with international best practice, and responsive to evolving policy, market, and stakeholder expectations.

The role oversees the assurance and standards function end-to-end, working closely with other Heads of Function to ensure consistency across policy, communications, partnerships, and membership. The role also supports the CEO on strategic positioning, partnerships, and external engagement related to assurance and standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategy, Standards & System Development

• Lead the strategic development and continuous improvement of SSI’s standards and assurance framework
• Ensure alignment with international best practice, including relevant benchmark frameworks (e.g. ISEAL Codes of Good Practice)
• Provide strategic direction on system evolution, including assurance methodologies, risk management approaches, and governance
• Oversee the preliminary due diligence process, ensuring consistency, rigour, and accountability

2. Assurance Delivery & Oversight

• Oversee the delivery of SSI’s assurance system end-to-end, ensuring integrity, consistency, and credibility
• Manage and maintain relationships with independent assessment bodies, including performance oversight and quality assurance
• Ensure clear processes, guidance, and expectations for assessment bodies and assessors
• Oversee the shadow assessment programme to support system learning, consistency, and continuous improvement

3. Member Engagement (Standards & Assurance)

• Oversee member relationship management as it relates to standards implementation and assurance processes
• Ensure members are supported in understanding and meeting SSI requirements, while maintaining independence and system credibility
• Ensure a consistent, transparent, and fair approach to member engagement, issue resolution, and escalation

4. Strategic Partnerships & Collaboration

• Lead SSI’s technical partnerships with other sustainability standards and initiatives (e.g. IRMA, ASI, Copper Mark and others)
• Develop and manage collaboration frameworks, alignment efforts, and joint projects
• Ensure partnerships contribute to system alignment, credibility, and reduced duplication for members
• Represent SSI in technical and assurance-related external forums

5. ISEAL Engagement & Benchmark Alignment

• Lead SSI’s relationship with ISEAL, including the application and membership process
• Ensure SSI systems, processes, and governance align with recognised international benchmarks
• Drive continuous improvement against external best practice standards

6. Policy & Regulatory Alignment

• Monitor and assess the impact of emerging policy and regulatory developments (e.g. due diligence, forced labour, ESG requirements)
• Translate policy developments into implications for SSI standards and assurance processes
• Advise the CEO and Leadership Team on risks, opportunities, and required system adaptations

7. Business Development & Market Relevance

• Support business development, working closely with the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Global Membership Manager
• Contribute to the development of SSI’s value proposition, ensuring alignment between technical offer and market needs
• Support engagement with members, partners, and funders where assurance and standards expertise is required

8. Leadership, Team Management & Culture

• Lead, manage, and develop the Standards and Assurance Team, ensuring clear priorities, accountability, and delivery
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative, and transparent team culture aligned with SSI values
• Contribute as a key member of the SSI Leadership Team, supporting organisational strategy, planning, and prioritisation
• Act as a senior thought partner to the CEO, contributing to cross-team coordination and organisational effectiveness

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with the Head of Strategic Partnerships, Head of Policy and Communications, Global Membership Manager, Asia Lead, and wider Secretariat
• Ensure alignment across standards, assurance, communications, policy, and member engagement
• Support joined-up planning and delivery across SSI’s workstreams

Profile: About You

Experience

• Significant senior-level experience in sustainability standards, assurance systems, certification, or ESG frameworks
• Proven experience managing complex assurance or certification systems
• Experience working in or with multi-stakeholder initiatives and international frameworks
• Experience engaging with external assurance providers or auditors
• Familiarity with international benchmark frameworks (e.g. ISEAL, OECD, ISO)

Skills & Expertise

• Deep understanding of standards development, assurance systems, and audit methodologies
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to translate technical frameworks into practical systems
• Excellent stakeholder management and partnership-building skills
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to assess policy and regulatory developments
• High attention to detail and commitment to technical rigour and credibility

Personal Attributes

• High integrity and commitment to credible, evidence-based systems
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented, and transparent
• Comfortable operating in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Strong judgement and ability to navigate sensitive or high-stakes issues
• Motivated by SSI’s mission to advance responsible and transparent solar supply chains

Our Offer

• A role with real impact in shaping the credibility of global solar supply chains
• A collaborative, international, and mission-driven working environment
• The opportunity to build and lead a critical function at the centre of SSI’s value proposition

Please apply by sending your CV and cover letter (max 2 pages) to [email protected]