Industry Engagement Lead

Textile Exchange•New York, NY

12h•Remote

About The Position

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit dedicated to driving positive climate action within the fashion and textile industry. They aim to guide brands, manufacturers, and farmers towards more sustainable production practices, with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in fiber and raw material production by 45% by 2030. The organization focuses on improving water, soil health, and biodiversity through interconnected strategies. Textile Exchange believes in providing clear, step-by-step guidance and fostering collective action to make preferred materials and fibers the accessible default. The Industry Engagement Lead will be part of the Industry Engagement and Partnerships Team, supporting and guiding brands and retailers in their transition to preferred production systems. This role involves direct engagement with brands and retailers to promote best practices, track progress, and increase the adoption of preferred production systems and materials. The Lead will manage a small team, foster relationships with brand and retailer stakeholders, and create opportunities for collaborative, pre-competitive engagement. They will also drive accountability by encouraging brands to report into the Materials Benchmark, strengthen impact tools through feedback, and increase awareness of Textile Exchange's standards and certifications. Additionally, the role involves building awareness and convening stakeholders to support feedback loops on policies related to the Materials Matter Standard (MMS) and Content Claim Standard (CCS) launches, Trackit system scaling, and other key initiatives. This is a mission-driven opportunity for a self-motivated individual with a proven track record in sustainability, a strong understanding of the apparel industry's climate and nature impacts, and experience delivering multi-stakeholder initiatives. The ideal candidate will be flexible, proactive, resourceful, efficient, and possess a high level of professionalism, with expert-level communication skills, strong decision-making abilities, and attention to detail. They should be comfortable working with diverse stakeholders across the global supply system.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
Minimum of 6 years of experience in sustainability, stakeholder engagement or related field.
Experience working in or with consumer brands or retailers.
Excellent communication and relationship building skills across a diverse range of stakeholders.
Ability to build and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders.
Demonstrated interest in Textile Exchange’s vision, mission, and goals.
Ability to work in a flexible, fast-paced remote environment, meet deadlines, and regularly share progress.
Strong work ethic and self-motivation with the ability to work effectively remotely.
Strong team player.
Proficient in delivering projects to set deadlines, ensuring attention to detail.
Honest, professional, responsible, and discreet, acting with the utmost confidence.
Excellent communication, written, and grammatical skills in English (native or bilingual proficiency).
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, and the ability to quickly learn new systems.
Ability and willingness to travel to key events and/or conferences as needed.
Passion for sustainability and a commitment to driving positive change in the fashion industry.

Nice To Haves

Masters in Sustainability or relevant field.
Experience managing direct reports.
Experience in sustainability teams within outdoor, contemporary brands or retailers.
Experience with voluntary reporting and disclosure requirements related to evolving policy and regulations.
Based in the USA
Familiarity with policy and regulatory requirements as it pertains to textiles.
Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder meetings.

Responsibilities

Execute the engagement strategy to support brands with the transition to preferred production systems and drive collective action to accelerate this transition.
Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with existing brand & retailer stakeholders, fostering collaboration with Textile Exchange.
Serve as a representative of the standards system (claims, traceability, and standards) for the brand and retailer community so that they feel supported.
Support the organization in organizing and hosting events that foster collaboration and collective action among stakeholders.
Represent and speak at Textile Exchange at industry conferences, workshops, and meetings.
Support the rollout of Textile Exchange tools, reports and research and raise awareness of how Textile Exchange tools contribute to positive climate and nature impacts.
Drive brand progress in alignment with Textile Exchange’s Pathway to Preferred Production Systems – reporting into the Materials Benchmark, sourcing through verified production systems and fostering industry collaboration to drive systems transformation.
Collaborate with the data and tech team collecting brand and retailer volumes and impact data for the Material Benchmark reports and ad hoc data requirements as needed.
Work closely with the Data Reporting and Impact Data teams to establish a clear feedback loop with stakeholders on our evolving Reporting and Impact tools, contributing to the development of the value proposition of reporting.
Provide regular updates to stakeholders on our reporting tools, impact tools and related research (i.e. LCA studies), creating opportunities for brands to sponsor and engage with Textile Exchange studies and research.
Collaborate with the Climate and Nature and Industry Activation teams to define and develop meaningful activations (working groups, regional events, advisory groups) that will support the transition to preferred production systems.
Collaborate with internal teams to develop strong feedback loop mechanisms between stakeholders and all internal teams, ensuring continuous improvement.
Keep abreast of industry and regulatory developments, requirements and related to the textile and apparel sector.