Seaweed & Sourcing Specialist

Location: San Leandro, CA or Remote Employment Type: Contract (Part or Full Time) Experience Level: Intermediate Compensation: $30 -$40 hourly, dependent on experience Reports to: Head of Supply Apply before: July 1, 2024

OVERVIEW

Sway is a California-based biomaterials startup harnessing the power of seaweed to create home-compostable replacements for single-use plastics. We are focused on developing and scaling high-performance, seaweed-based, flexible packaging. Sway's technology drops into traditional plastic infrastructure, while simultaneously replenishing ocean health, promoting regenerative materials, and ultimately creating a more inclusive climate movement.

THE ROLE

The Seaweed & Sourcing Specialist will play a crucial role in refining and executing Sway’s regenerative sourcing strategy. You’ll develop expertise in seaweed cultivation, processing, and the related regulations and best practices, and your research will influence Sway’s process for identifying and qualifying sources of supply. You’ll work closely with new and existing supply partners to gather data and content, helping Sway build a best-in-class level of supply chain transparency. As we look to scale and diversify our sources of supply, you’ll also build partnerships with new suppliers and communicate Sway’s raw material requirements in collaboration with the R&D team.

We foster a proactive, solutions-oriented work environment where a tight-knit, interdisciplinary team collaborates intensively. Exceptional organization and communication skills are vital, as is attention to detail within a fast-moving startup environment. Candidates must maintain a high degree of independence, reliability, efficiency, and accountability in planning and executing the role’s responsibilities.

This is a contracted role which has the option to be part or full-time depending on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Seaweed research: • Conduct research on seaweed species and their derivatives, regenerative cultivation methods, and sustainable processing techniques • Share insights with the Sway team and contribute to internal knowledge base and external talking points • Collaborate with Sway’s advisors, industry / academic partners, and other experts to grow domain expertise and refine Sway’s regenerative sourcing strategy

Supplier qualification & data collection: • Build upon supplier scorecard process to evaluate new partner alignment with Sway’s regenerative sourcing criteria • Lead data collection for new suppliers and identify / fill data gaps within existing supply network • Manage database of global seaweed suppliers — their cultivation methods and processing techniques, certifications, projected capacities, etc. • Collaborate with Communications & Marketing team to bring supplier stories to life through Sway’s digital platforms

Supplier growth & diversification: • Identify and engage potential supply partners who can help Sway meet long-term scale and impact objectives • Collaborate with R&D team to communicate raw material requirements to prospective suppliers • Manage sample requests, shipments, and the timely reporting of data and insights back to supply partners

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Passionate and enthusiastic about seaweed, ocean policy, and climate solutions • Strong project management skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines • Excellent communication skills, capable of fostering partnerships with external parties (seaweed farmers, processors, ocean nonprofits) and collaboration within an interdisciplinary team • High attention to detail and organizational skills — you love collecting, managing, and synthesizing data • Comfortable reading + synthesizing the latest research papers on seaweed aquaculture and ocean health to remain fluent in the latest science • Deeply aligned with our mission to innovate in the field of sustainable materials

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in Supply Chain Management, Marine Biology, Oceanography, or Environmental Science • Experience with seaweed cultivation and processing methods • Knowledge of aquaculture regulations and best practices • Fluency in Spanish or other additional languages is a plus

HOW TO APPLY

After preparing your resume/CV and cover letter, please apply directly through the link below. We will reach out to select candidates for interviews on a rolling basis.