• Representing the bottled water industry proactively on federal, state, and local regulatory and legislative matters and providing technical and business guidance through live events, annual trade show, webinars, and 1:1 support.
• Creating communications strategies to amplify the voice and advance priorities of the industry; ensuring stakeholders have a favorable perception of the industry and its products; and positioning IBWA as a trusted, science-forward voice before key stakeholders.
• Promoting and defending the bottled water industry before a diverse array of stakeholders including all forms of media, policymakers, and consumers.
• Preparing weekly member communications including e-newsletters (Splash) and special email bulletins with the latest relevant updates on key bottled water issues.
• Providing a comprehensive website with valuable information and materials for members-only, as well as a public facing presence to promote the facts about bottled water and environmental actions by its members.
• Hosting an annual business conference and trade show and other opportunities to provide business development opportunities, networking between bottlers and suppliers, and timely education.

• Provide forward-thinking strategic leadership in collaboration with the Board and staff that support the development and execution of IBWA’s strategic vision and goals.
• Ensure measurable progress and focus toward IBWA’s strategic goals including: providing bottled water facts to consumers, policy makers, and media to ensure educated, data-driven policy decisions; influencing and improving the policy environment to have a more favorable perception of bottled water; providing increased business, technical, and sales education opportunities for IBWA members; enhancing and diversifying IBWA revenue sources; and ensuring IBWA’s long-term viability. Align IBWA’s resources to these priorities.
• Monitor industry trends and anticipate emerging issues to inform strategic positioning and resource allocation. Remain agile and open to environmental changes, including economic, public relations, political, regulatory, and legislative trends at the federal, state, and local levels. Recommend actions to the Board as appropriate.
• Ensure that IBWA provides a strong member value-proposition and remains relevant to current and prospective members.
• Position the organization to thrive and demonstrate resiliency in the context of a dynamic political, regulatory, and economic environment.

• Build and maintain a trusting, collaborative working relationship with the Board, ensuring proactive engagement, transparency, and open communications.
• Collaborate and partner with the Board to implement strategic goals and achieve budget objectives and provide ongoing communications on progress toward their achievement.
• Support the Board in promoting Board effectiveness and strong governance practices.
• Proactively assist the Board in identifying key emerging opportunities, issues, and risks, along with recommendations on how to address them.

• Create a proactive, science-driven advocacy and communications strategy to advance the industry's policy priorities.
• Oversee IBWA’s public policy team to advance both legislative and regulatory priority issues on a bi-partisan basis, pivoting as needed given the dynamic political landscape at the federal, state, and local levels.
• Forge coalitions where IBWA’s interests can best be advanced in conjunction with other organizations with mutual interests.

• Create and implement an assertive, targeted multichannel communications strategy designed to educate key audiences (e.g., policymakers, media, and consumers) about the health and hydration benefits of bottled water and the industry’s environmental sustainability efforts, including water conservation.
• Collaborate with other industry groups and companies to promote water as a drink of choice and a healthy and sustainable beverage.
• Work with NGO partners to promote the health, emergency relief, and sustainability of bottled water.
• Ensure that the IBWA website is the premier source of bottled water information for IBWA members, consumers, policymakers, and the media.
• Leverage all forms and platforms of media to promote IBWA’s priorities.
• Represent IBWA as a spokesperson before external stakeholders and media.

• Serve as the primary relationship-builder with member companies, ensuring consistent engagement and value delivery – to both small company and the large company members.
• Lead with a hands-on, service-oriented approach that deepens member trust and retention. Personally engage with key staff in membership development, retention, and engagement.
• Forge consensus across the diverse membership on key issues to strengthen and unify the voice of the industry before policymakers.
• Provide opportunities for connectivity and business engagement across the membership.
• Ensure the entire IBWA team is member-focused to ensure outstanding service.

• Attract, motivate, empower, and develop a mission-driven, collaborative results-oriented team committed to service, excellence, and innovation.
• Cultivate a team-oriented, transparent internal culture that reflects IBWA’s core values and commitment to member success. Cultivate cross-division collaboration and foster a culture of integrity, accountability, teamwork, transparency, and member service.
• Serve as a staff leader and coach, who is open-minded to innovation, leveraging technology, and approaches to effectively advance the organization's strategic goals.

• Maintain the financial health of the organization, including annual budgeting, forecasting, and dues/non-dues revenue strategy, including educational programming and the annual business conference and trade show. Ensure strong membership retention and growth and evaluate additional non-dues revenue services that provide value to the members.
• Evaluate the entirety of the organization’s infrastructure and operations, including its overall business model, revenue mix, resource allocation, staffing models, IT infrastructure, and accountability structures, to support program delivery and ensure continued agility, success, and longevity of IBWA.
• Prepare annual budget aligned to IBWA’s strategic plan for review and approval by the Board of Directors. Make recommendations for priority investments that advance the industry’s goals, including the organization’s website.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant federal, state, and local codes, regulations, and ordinances.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

IBWA seeks a President & CEO who is a visionary, strategic, and articulate leader with credibility and influence to effectively advance the organization’s mission and strategic goals on behalf of the bottled water industry. The candidate will have a record of accomplishment for effectively partnering with a diverse Board of Directors and professional staff to forge a consensus on IBWA’s priorities and a unified voice before government officials, consumers, and the media. The CEO will have experience overseeing the development of a strategic communications plan, designed to effectively educate and influence key audiences, position IBWA as the leading voice for the industry and its role in healthy hydration and drinking water conservation, and achieve progress toward strategic industry goals. The successful candidate will have a solid record of effective staff and fiscal leadership either as a President & CEO or with a proven record of successful executive leadership of several relevant organizational functions.

• Executive-level experience overseeing the effective development and implementation of an organization’s strategic plan; working collaboratively and transparently with a diverse Board of Directors; ensuring the fiscal health and sustainability of an organization; and leading a diverse team of professionals accountable for achieving the strategic goals of an organization.
• Executive presence and gravitas, with an ability to galvanize and engage a high-profile industry Board on a priority agenda and amplify the voice of the industry before key audiences including government officials, consumers, industry, peer associations, and media.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local government, including both legislative and regulatory affairs and agencies. An ability and passion for quickly engaging in the legislative and regulatory issues facing the bottled water industry to advance its agenda with credibility on a bi-partisan basis.
• Demonstrated success leading strategic communications, media engagement, and marketing initiatives.
• An effective, credible, and influential communicator and spokesperson before all audiences including government officials, consumers, media, and business leaders. Outstanding written, oral, and presentation communication skills. A strong listener.
• A visionary leader capable of anticipating and addressing significant industry challenges and opportunities. Innovative and open-minded to new ideas generated from the Board, membership, and the staff.
• Strong analytical skills with a capability of analyzing and articulating complex and strategic issues and their potential impacts for decision-making for staff, Board members, and key business partners.
• Strong financial and business acumen to ensure the long-term fiscal health and sustainability of IBWA.
• Experience designing and delivering member-driven business development or B2B programming. Experience with annual meetings and/or trade shows a plus.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship building, and influence skills with a record of accomplishment for successfully working with and balancing the needs of a wide range of diverse stakeholders including government officials, industry leaders, members, and media. Ability to clearly articulate the message and earn respect from their audience.
• Prior working knowledge of the bottled water industry or adjacent industries is a plus.
• Experienced staff leader, with demonstrated record of accomplishment for leading a dynamic organization; attracting, developing, and motivating strong talent; managing and mentoring a high-performing, empowered remote team in a results-oriented, fast paced changing environment.
• A record of accomplishment for building strong alliances and coalitions with organizations that share common objectives.
• Strong emotional intelligence, with an ability to forge consensus, collaborate, and lead with humility, compassion, and empathy.
• The courage and conviction to challenge and defend ideas and strategies before opponents and advocate before diverse audiences on the industry’s priorities.
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit and an ability to translate new opportunities into measurable results. A future leaning perspective on the digital world, including new media and AI.
• A reputation for strong integrity and sound judgement, upholding high ethical standards