Join Better Buying’s Talent Pool

Better Buying Institute (BBI) reimagines supply chain sustainability, leveraging data to strengthen supplier-buyer relationships and improve purchasing practices that drive profitability while protecting workers and the environment. Better BuyingTM is seeking individuals who share this passion to join us on our mission.

What is Better Buying?

Better Buying Institute is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization incorporated in Delaware in the United States and is the outgrowth of a research project started in 2015 and headed by Dr. Marsha Dickson, a distinguished academic scholar. A young organization working to transform the way global supply chains work, BBI’s primary activities include: (i) independent research, (ii) the operation and management of a ratings and evaluation platform on which suppliers provide information about their buyer customers relating to various aspects of purchasing practices and (iii) projects and training on supply chain industry practices to support innovation and promote change.

Who should join the Better BuyingTM Talent Pool?

Across all job openings, BBI is looking for individuals who fit the following description:

  • Passionate about Better Buying’s mission
  • Flexible and able to adapt to a rapidly changing, lean start-up environment
  • Self-motivated and goal-driven with the ability to work remotely with minimal supervision
  • High ethical standards and personal integrity

Below are additional qualifications for specific areas of expertise and types of roles where we anticipate future hiring needs:

1. Research

Research is the bedrock of Better Buying’s work, and therefore Better BuyingTM is always seeking to strengthen its research capabilities with the goal of providing high-quality data that can be used to improve purchasing practices. Future research roles will focus on expanding our data collection and analysis capabilities by using new tools, improving efficiency, and helping stakeholders better understand and make use of our data.

Qualifications include:
  • A research-based Master’s degree in data analytics, global supply chains, sustainability, economics, or advanced statistics
  • Experience utilizing quantitative data collection and analysis methods and interpreting the results of statistical analysis
  • Experience utilizing qualitative data collection and analysis methods
  • Software skills in using: SPSS, NVIVO, Alchemer, Excel, Google Sheets, PowerBi, and other related tools
  • Fluency in English, both oral and written.

2. Business Development

Better Buying’s work started with the apparel, footwear, and household textiles industries, but is also organically expanding into the broader consumer goods sector. Future business development roles will focus on increasing brand and retailer subscriptions across new sectors and industries, maintaining and strengthening subscriber relationships, and developing new markets consistent with the organization’s overall strategy.

Qualifications include:
  • A proven history of success in business development and/or securing financial commitments as evidenced by meeting or exceeding financial and other goals
  • Exceptional communications, business planning, interpersonal, and presentation skills
  • An understanding of the relationship between business behavior and business, social, and environmental sustainability opportunities and challenges and a desire to deepen knowledge in this area
  • Fluency in English, both oral and written.

3. Communications

Better Buying’s mission is to improve purchasing practices across the industries in which we work; sharing our research publicly is key to achieving this mission. Our communications team helps convey our research findings in a way that is helpful, digestible, and actionable to enable brands, retailers, and suppliers to work together towards improved purchasing practices.

Qualifications include:
  • Experience creating marketing materials for diverse audiences
  • Computer literacy in word processing, page layout, and Adobe Creative Suite or similar software
  • Excellence in editing and proofreading, whereby spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors do not slip into published works
  • Experience with website administration and managing social media platforms
  • Fluency in English, both oral and written.

4. Ambassadors

Each year between mid-March and early June, Better BuyingTM hires a team of ambassadors to assist with our supplier engagement efforts, increase supplier participation, and achieve target response rates for our Better Buying Purchasing Practices IndexTM (BBPPI) ratings cycle. Ambassadors use one-to-one communication methods (primarily emails and phone calls) to let suppliers know about the opportunity to submit ratings, answer any questions related to Better Buying’s work or the questionnaire itself, and provide other support as needed.

Qualifications include:
  • Based in any of the following regions and fluent in English and relevant local language(s): Americas, China, Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia
  • Undergraduate degree and familiarity with basic MS Office tools like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
  • Reliable and responsive, proactive communicator who contributes new ideas to increase the team’s effectiveness
  • Preference for candidates with direct experience with factories in consumer goods supply chains, including but not limited to apparel, footwear, and household textiles.

5: Interns

Each year, Better BuyingTM hires a Research Intern to help support the research team during the BBPPI ratings cycle, which runs from April 1 through the end of May. Internships typically begin by mid-March and end in June, with the opportunity of an extension through August (depending on the intern’s performance and Better Buying’s budget). Interns participate in all aspects of the ratings cycle – from engaging with suppliers, tracking and verifying ratings, and attending weekly update meetings with Ambassadors, to helping prepare individual company reports after the ratings cycle.

Qualifications include:
  • Candidate must be a senior-level undergraduate or graduate student
  • Passionate about supply chain sustainability with an interest in research
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Suite tools (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Google Suite
  • Detail-oriented, reliable, and responsive
  • Self-motivated and goal-driven with the ability to work remotely with minimal supervision
  • High ethical standards and personal integrity
  • Preference for candidates with SPSS experience or coursework related to quantitative and qualitative research.

Keep an eye on our Twitter and Linkedin feeds to be notified of future opportunities. If you would like submit a resume so as to be considered for future opportunities, please send an email to apply@betterbuying.org