CEO for Returpack

Do you want to take responsibility for one of Sweden's most established and well-functioning circular systems – and at the same time be involved in further developing it in a more complex environment? This is more than a traditional CEO role. It is a mission where industrial stability, business acumen, sustainability drive, and development meet every day.

Returpack operates Sweden's deposit system for beverage packaging and, through the brand Pantamera, is an obvious part of everyday life for Swedes. Every year, around three billion packages are collected, and the material goes back into the loop. The system is a concrete engine in Sweden's climate work and circular transition.

The business is stable, well-managed, and has clear goals. At the same time, it is affected by new EU regulations, changing market conditions, and increased demands for transparency and efficiency. Digital solutions in the consumer sector, development of material flows, and technical robustness in the facility are central parts of the next step.

The Role - for those who want to combine business, structure, and impact

As CEO, you lead an organization of about 90 employees and an experienced management team. You have overall responsibility for strategy, finance, and operations, and you represent the company in dialogue with owners, authorities, and industry actors. You are also responsible for the company's larger commercial agreements and procurements, as well as for relationships with producers, trade, and international material buyers. Business acumen and negotiation strength are crucial to ensuring stable profitability and long-term sustainability in the system.

This is a role where you move between different levels. One day you are close to the operational business and the industrial flows. The next day you engage in strategic discussions about regulations, business conditions, and long-term development.

The mission is not about changing everything but about gradually strengthening, refining, and developing an already well-functioning business in an environment that has become more complex and more attentive. At the same time, you are expected to be proactive in how the market develops moving forward and to take a clear position on issues related to regulations, business models, and future structure. You need to be able to hold multiple perspectives simultaneously – business, efficiency, quality, and trust – and create direction without losing balance.

Challenges and Opportunities in the CEO Role

Returpack operates in a regulated environment where different interests meet. There are owners with clear expectations, authorities with supervisory responsibilities, and a market influenced by raw material prices and international regulations. This requires security, integrity, and judgment.

You need to be comfortable in dialogues where the questions are nuanced and where decisions have long-term consequences. You need to understand how economic connections, material flows, and regulations are interconnected – while also being present in the organization and creating engagement in everyday life. This is a role for you who thrive in complexity but also have the ability to make it manageable.

For the right person, this is a meaningful CEO assignment where you get to lead an organization with high legitimacy and strong trust. You will work long-term in a structure where stability and quality are valued higher than short-term gains. You will influence how one of Sweden's most successful recycling systems develops in line with new demands and expectations. There is room to make a real impact – both in the whole and in the details.

Your Profile

As a leader, you are confident and clear with integrity. You are business-oriented, structured, and results-driven, but also receptive and balanced in dialogue with others. To succeed in the role, you need to enjoy contexts where different perspectives meet and where success is built on creating trust and collaboration. At the same time, you are present in the operations and interested in the operational everyday life. As CEO of Returpack, you need to be a balanced and stable leader in various situations with strong communicative competence in complex dialogues.

To succeed in the role, you need to have:

• Relevant academic degree
• Documented experience in a leading position with results and operational responsibility as well as management team work
• Experience as a manager of managers
• Documented stakeholder experience and experience in external communication with owners, authorities, and/or industry actors
• Commercial negotiation and contract experience
• Good understanding of financial reports and governance
• Fluent in Swedish and English, both spoken and written
• Driver's license (B)

About Returpack

Some know us as Returpack, others as Pantamera. And everyone is equally right. The Pantamera brand is owned and operated by Returpack. We are a privately owned company, where our owners are the industry organizations Sveriges Bryggerier, Svensk Dagligvaruhandel, and Livsmedelshandlarna.

We are a producer responsibility organization according to the regulation SFS 2022:1274, which also governs our operations. This regulates that beverages in plastic bottles and metal cans must be included in an approved return system. Since 1984, we have been running the return system in Sweden for beverage packaging with deposits, making Returpack a true sustainability pioneer and a role model for other countries' systems.

Continuing to develop the deposit system for the future is important to us. New smart and efficient collection solutions that ensure our vision of even more cans and bottles being returned and recycled into new cans and bottles. All to contribute to reduced climate emissions and Sweden's national goals.

Every year, we ensure that over 3 billion cans and bottles are returned, collected, and recycled. With a turnover of over 4 billion, Returpack is one of the larger companies in Norrköping and Östergötland.

With us, we offer a work environment where collaboration and innovation are in focus. We believe in promoting personal development and value our employees' well-being, where everyone plays an important role. Here, a diversity of people and skills meet; logisticians, IT developers, operators, marketers, technicians, and economists. We care about making room for life as a whole. We are located in modern, pleasant premises within cycling distance from Norrköping's city center and central station.

Application

For questions regarding the position or recruitment process, please contact the responsible recruitment team below. Apply for the position by clicking on “apply” and registering in our database, this to comply with the guidelines applicable for GDPR. Karolin Loström, 0721-47 92 36, [email protected] Daniel Edqvist, 0721–426923, [email protected]