Next Gen Cohort Specialist AKA Rhizome Architect

Canopy is seeking a strategic and collaborative professional to join as Next Generation Cohort Specialist, sitting at the intersection of the Pack4Good (P4G), Producer, and Next Generation Solutions teams.

This is an externally focused role responsible for coordinating cohorts of brands to commit to and procure Next Gen pulp and paper, aggregating demand towards Next Gen ready supply chain partners. The position is facilitative and highly collaborative, functioning to drive the market conditions for Next Gen pulp and paper producers to attract investment, scale production, and bring innovative materials to market. The successful candidate will bring knowledge of industrial supply chains, strong project management, and the interpersonal skills to move procurement conversations from intent to commitment. 

Why This Role Matters  

Transforming the packaging supply chain requires more than individual brand commitments — it requires coordinated action across competing companies that share many of the same suppliers. Canopy is building the infrastructure to make that possible, and the Next Generation Cohort Specialist is central to that work. 

This role exists at a critical juncture: Next Gen materials are technically viable, but commercial scale depends on enough brands committing to shared supply chains at the same time, in the same regions. The Cohort Specialist brings those brands together, supports them to align their procurement, and helps create the market conditions that give producers and investors the confidence to build new mills and expand production capacity. It is a role that sits at the intersection of relationship management, supply chain strategy, and systems change — and one that is rare in the sector, if not entirely unique. 

Key Responsibilities 

Primary Focus (~70%): Brand Cohort Coordination and Activation 

• Manage and activate a cohort of global brands, working with their procurement, technical, and executive teams to build commitments to procure paper packaging containing Next Gen pulp. Facilitate agreement among cohort brands on common paper and packaging types, target suppliers, and volume commitments — navigating competing corporate specifications, timelines, and internal approval processes 


• Support brands in structuring and signing advanced market commitments (AMCs) or offtake agreements for products not yet in commercial production, including navigating legal frameworks around supply chain coordination 


• Troubleshoot barriers to brand activation — including marketing delays, R&D concerns, and green premium pricing — by framing risk, building confidence in technology, and ensuring supply chain economics work for brands 


• Build and maintain relationships with cohort brand contacts over time, serving as a trusted and credible interface between Canopy and corporate procurement and sustainability teams 

Internal Collaboration (~30%): Supply Chain Coordination and Team Alignment 

• Collaborate with the P4G brand, producer, and Next Gen teams to ensure brands have what they need on technology confidence, supply chain structure, and pricing — preventing unnecessary green premiums from being layered through the value chain 


• Work with the producer and Next Gen teams to identify and map priority producers in target regions; understand their customer base, feedstock relationships, and readiness to engage with a brand cohort customer model 


• Identify the placement of two or more supplier-centric cohorts structured around specific Next Gen producers in priority regions


• Support cross-team coordination to ensure supply chains are pre-aligned and ready to present to cohort brands when windows for activation arise 

This role is also occasionally required to:  

• Contribute to communication materials and external-facing content about the cohort model 


• Contribute content to funding proposals and reports


• Work cross-organizationally to advance Canopy's overarching goals and 2030 vision 

Desired Outcomes 

• Within the first year: two or three brand cohorts have solid agreements in principle, with procurement teams activated and demonstrable investment flow attributable to Advanced Market Commitments 


• A limited set of supply chains secured in each priority region towards which to focus brand procurement commitments (in collaboration with Next Gen and Producer teams)


• Working relationships across the P4G, Producer, and Next Gen teams, to enable fast response to brand activation opportunities 

Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated knowledge of industrial supply chains — particularly pulp and paper, packaging, or adjacent forest fibre commodities (e.g., palm oil, MMCF) or other commodity products for packaging 


• Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder processes or coalitions involving large corporate actors, including navigating competing interests, procurement timelines, and corporate decision-making structures 


• Strong project management skills; able to track multiple workstreams, manage competing demands, and maintain momentum across a complex portfolio 


• Negotiation and facilitation skills; comfortable managing conversations between parties with differing interests to reach workable agreements 


• Strategic thinking combined with the discipline to stay focused on organizational priorities — able to identify relevant opportunities without being diverted by tangential opportunities 


• Entrepreneurial and adaptive problem-solver; comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving contexts without a defined road map 


• Excellent collaborator; proven ability to work across internal teams and break down silos to advance shared objectives 


• Patient with process, impatient for outcomes — able to work at the pace of large corporate institutions while maintaining urgency around results 


• Experience in or meaningful connections to East Asian markets is an asset; willingness to travel to priority regions 


• Strong communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling partnership narratives and translate strategy into action 


• Comfort operating in a dynamic environment with multiple moving parts and evolving opportunities 


• Passion for environmental conservation, social impact, and mission-driven work strongly preferred 


• Embrace a “Yes, AND...” mindset to foster innovation and collaboration (link to ) 

Key Qualities 

• Charm with gravitas: able to walk into a room with well-established companies and inspire confidence; sets people at ease while being taken seriously as a credible expert 


• Highly collaborative by nature; energized by complex, multi-party projects rather than independent workstreams 


• Brings a resource mindset — others draw on this person's sector knowledge rather than the other way around 


• Commercially fluent; understands how procurement decisions are made in large organizations and how to build the internal case for novel commitments 


• Manages complexity without losing clarity; able to hold a lot of moving parts and still communicate simply and clearly to different audiences 

This role includes domestic and international travel, estimated at approximately twice per quarter to priority regions. As Canopy works with partners globally, flexibility in working hours is important to support collaboration across time zones.

How to Apply: Please submit your CV, a cover letter, and a separate response to the prompt below. Applications missing either the cover letter or the prompt response will not be considered.

COVER LETTER:


A standard cover letter expressing your interest in Canopy and the Next Gen Cohort Specialist role.


PROMPT RESPONSE:

Please answer the following question in a clearly labelled section within your cover letter document : 

Canopy’s cohort model requires competing brands to align on common paper types, target suppliers, and volume commitments - despite differing internal timelines, technical specifications, and risk tolerance. Describe a specific situation where you successfully facilitated agreement among multiple stakeholders with competing interests. What was your role, what made the agreement possible, and how would that experience inform your approach to activating brand cohorts for Next Gen pulp and paper? Please keep your response to 300–400 words. 


ON AI USE AND AUTHENTICITY:


You may use AI tools to brainstorm, edit, or proofread, but please do not use AI to write your cover letter or prompt response for you. We want to hear your voice, experiences, and perspective, not a polished, generic version generated by a model. If you use AI for minor editing assistance, please add a short note at the end of your prompt response (e.g., "I used [tool name] to proofread this response"). Applications written in a genuine, original voice will be prioritized.