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Sustainability Program Manager – Rexel Foundation Manager

Rexel France Added on Sep 15, 2026
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This role serves as the central engine for Rexel’s culture of responsibility, bridging the gap between high-level ESG strategy and ground-level action. You will manage the Rexel Foundation’s initiatives while animating a global community of sustainability leaders across seventeen countries. Your daily work involves orchestrating large-scale training rollouts, internal communication campaigns, and high-visibility events that ensure sustainability is not just a policy, but a shared employee experience.

The position is vital because it transforms corporate targets into human engagement within the energy transition sector. By overseeing the Rexel Foundation and coordinating social impact projects, you directly influence how the company addresses energy poverty and environmental education. You are the primary link between global governance and local execution, ensuring every branch understands its role in a greener future.

This suits someone who is a master coordinator with over a decade of experience in program management or corporate communication. You should thrive in international environments and possess the creative energy needed to inspire diverse teams toward common ESG goals.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The primary mission is to serve as the operational lead for the Rexel Foundation, translating the Board’s strategic vision into concrete social and environmental actions. You will oversee the administrative and logistical follow-up of Foundation activities, ensuring that all community projects are delivered on time and within scope. Beyond the Foundation, you are responsible for the Group-wide animation of the Sustainability Leaders Community. This involves preparing monthly agendas, facilitating knowledge-sharing sessions between countries, and organizing the annual Sustainability seminar. You will also lead the deployment of sustainability training programs, ensuring that sales teams are equipped to discuss green solutions with customers. Communication is a key pillar of this role. You will build and maintain a comprehensive internal communication calendar, working closely with the Group Communication teams to produce engaging content and host quarterly awareness events like discovery breakfasts for employees.

Key learning opportunities for this job

You will gain deep expertise in global program management within a large-cap multinational, learning how to harmonize sustainability goals across diverse business units and geographies. The role offers a front-row seat to the governance of a Corporate Foundation, providing insights into social impact measuring and philanthropic strategy. Additionally, you will refine your skills in change management and corporate pedagogy. By coordinating the rollout of ESG training programs, you will learn how to translate complex environmental data into actionable insights for commercial teams, enhancing your ability to influence non-technical stakeholders in the energy sector.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal candidate brings over 10 years of professional experience, likely rooted in sustainability, corporate communications, or large-scale event management. A proven track record of managing complex projects with multiple international stakeholders is essential, as this role requires high levels of organizational rigor and autonomy. Soft skills are just as important as technical ones; you should be an energetic communicator who is comfortable presenting to senior leadership and facilitating workshops for large groups. Proficiency in English is mandatory, and a genuine passion for social and environmental issues must be evident in your professional background.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, demonstrate your ability to be both a strategic thinker and a hands-on doer. Provide specific examples of how you have previously moved a corporate community from passive awareness to active engagement. Rexel values 'positive energy,' so your application should reflect an enthusiastic, proactive approach to problem-solving. Since this role involves significant internal communication, ensure your CV and cover letter are impeccably structured and visually clear. Highlighting experience with corporate foundations or large-scale internal training deployments will give you a significant advantage over generalist project managers.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role focuses heavily on the social and educational dimensions of sustainability. Through the Rexel Foundation, you will likely work on initiatives related to energy efficiency and the fight against energy poverty, which are core to Rexel’s identity as a distributor of electrical solutions. On the corporate side, the focus is on human capital and ESG literacy. You will be instrumental in ensuring that the Group’s decarbonization targets and circular economy principles are understood and championed by employees at all levels, from headquarters to local branches.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the primary challenges is maintaining momentum across seventeen different countries with varying levels of sustainability maturity. You will need to find creative ways to keep local leaders engaged and ensure that global training programs are culturally and operationally relevant to each specific market. Additionally, balancing the dual mandate of managing a Foundation while coordinating Group-level sustainability programs requires exceptional time management. You must navigate a matrix organization, influencing stakeholders over whom you may not have direct authority to ensure timely delivery of initiatives.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with a coordination meeting with the ESG Group Director to align on Foundation Board priorities. You might then spend the morning drafting an internal newsletter or planning the logistics for a quarterly sustainability breakfast event in collaboration with the Rexel France communication team. In the afternoon, you could shift to an international focus, hosting a video call with the Sustainability Leaders Community to share best practices on energy-efficient sales techniques. The day often ends with administrative tasks, such as tracking the progress of Foundation-funded projects or updating the project management tools for the annual seminar.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

This role offers high visibility within the Group, providing regular exposure to the ESG Group Director and the Foundation Board. Success in this position can lead to more senior strategic roles within the global sustainability department or senior leadership positions in corporate communications and social responsibility. Because you are at the intersection of various departments, you also have the opportunity for lateral moves into business-facing roles where sustainability expertise is increasingly required, such as sustainable procurement or strategic marketing within the energy transition market.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

Your most frequent interactions will be with the ESG Group Director and the members of the Rexel Foundation Board. You will also work in constant collaboration with the Group and France communication teams to align messaging and brand identity. Externally, you will manage relationships with NGOs, associations, and partners supported by the Foundation. Internally, your 'client' base consists of the global Sustainability Leaders Community and local country management teams who rely on your coordination for training and engagement initiatives.

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