Job Title: Zero Waste Program Manager
Salary Range: $92,000-95,000
Location: Seattle Administration
About the Position
The Program Manager, Zero Waste leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of Evergreen Goodwill’s Zero Waste program. This role translates organizational sustainability goals into coordinated, measurable initiatives that reduce landfill dependency, improve material recovery, and strengthen circular systems, and support mission and financial outcomes.
The position in partnership with the Business Development role manages the full program lifecycle, from baseline assessment and opportunity prioritization through pilot design, implementation, performance measurement, and scale-up. Working across retail, donations, outlet, salvage, transportation, facilities, finance, data, and external partners, the Program Manager builds and executes the structure, accountability, and operating practices needed to manage and successfully deliver against the portfolio of projects encompassed within the Zero Waste Program.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Essential Functions and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.
Zero Waste Program Management – 70%
· Operationalize the Zero Waste program roadmap, including priorities, milestones, dependencies, risks, resource needs, and implementation plans.
· Identify and prioritize material streams and operational opportunities based on environmental impact, feasibility, cost, scale, market conditions, and mission alignment.
· Coordinate with operational teams to ensure solutions are practical, safe, documented, and incorporated into day-to-day workflows.
· Build and maintain a Zero Waste playbook to support consistent assessment, implementation, measurement, and replication across locations.
Design, launch, and evaluate pilots focused on reuse, recycling, source separation, donation acceptance, process redesign, and other diversion opportunities.
Develop pilot charters, business cases, budgets, schedules, standard work, training plans, communications, and transition plans.
Apply continuous-improvement practices to identify barriers, capture lessons learned, improve processes, and determine whether pilots should be scaled, modified, or discontinued.
Lead cross-functional governance and working teams, establishing clear roles, decision-making responsibilities, commitments, and next steps.
Partner with the Business Development Manager and other stakeholders to identify qualified recycling, reuse, technology, municipal, nonprofit, and industry partners.
Monitor relevant market, policy, infrastructure, and technology developments and translate them into program risks, opportunities, and recommendations.
Represent Evergreen Goodwill professionally during site visits, working groups, community forums, and external partner engagements.
Data, Measurement & Performance Reporting – 15%
· Establish and maintain a data-driven baseline for landfill-bound materials using waste audits, material characterization, operational data, and recurring measurement.
· Define program success measures and reporting cadence.
· Track diversion, disposal costs, material volumes, contamination, operational performance, and other approved KPIs.
· Prepare dashboards, recommendations, program updates, and presentations for leadership and key stakeholders.
· Provide data and outcomes needed to support grants, incentives, and partnership opportunities.
Disposal Cost & Operational Performance Management - 10%
· Manage, audit, monitor, and identify opportunities to reduce organizational backhaul disposal costs.
· Evaluate disposal and diversion opportunities based on cost, volume, operational feasibility, and environmental impact.
· Use operational and financial data to recommend changes that improve both Zero Waste outcomes and cost effectiveness.
Safety, Compliance & Other Responsibilities –…