Cotton and Crops Lead (Maternity Cover, 1 Year Contract)

Cotton and Crops Lead (Maternity Cover, 1 Year Contract)

Reports to: Senior Director, Materials Engagement & Partnerships 

Direct Reports: 3

Remote – North America, UK, or EU

About Us  

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit driving beneficial impact on climate change across the fashion and textile industry. It guides a growing community of brands, manufacturers, and farmers towards more purposeful production from the very start of the supply chain. 
By 2030, its goal is to guide the industry to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within fiber and raw material production. Its focus is holistic and interconnected, accelerating the adoption of practices that improve the state of our water, soil health, and biodiversity.   

At Textile Exchange, materials matter. To learn more, visit TextileExchange.org. 

Working at Textile Exchange  

We work remotely with a team located in 20+ countries. We are a diverse group committed to harnessing the strengths of the global textile industry to accelerate change toward climate and other key environmental goals. We work collaboratively on important environmental issues around the world by working and interacting with farming groups, processors, brands, retailers, and environmental experts in the textile and fashion industries around the world. We offer an opportunity to join a cutting-edge global environmental nonprofit and to help strengthen the impact of our organization.  

Position Summary 

This maternity cover role is responsible for maintaining momentum across Textile Exchange’s cotton and crops work, with a strong focus on engagement with production-level schemes, initiatives, and programs. During a period of organizational transition relating to Textile Exchange’s standards system and membership structure, this role will play a critical role in maintaining trusted stakeholder relationships, ensuring continuity of engagement, and supporting clear, consistent communication across the cotton sector.

Acting as the Cotton and Crops Lead during the cover period, you oversee day-to-day engagement with key cotton stakeholders, support collaboration across the cotton sector, and guide the implementation of existing strategies and workplans against organizational objectives to increase the availability and uptake of fibers from preferred production systems. This includes working closely with production-level schemes and initiatives to support positive climate and nature outcomes at farm and landscale level. 

The role is not expected to design new strategic direction during the cover period, but to ensure effective delivery, continuity, and stakeholder confidence while existing strategies and transitions are implemented. 

The ideal candidate will have a solid understanding of cotton production and cotton supply systems. Ideally, they have spent time on farms and understand the complexities of translating principles into reality on-the-ground. They share our organizational commitment to collaboration across the different cotton stakeholders and driving the sector towards beneficial climate and nature outcomes at scale. They have strong stakeholder engagement skills, excel at delivering against objectives in a collaborative context, and have a great track record at managing a team.

Key Responsibilities

· Drive continuity and progress in cotton stakeholder engagement: Maintain and strengthen relationships with priority cotton schemes, initiatives, and stakeholders. Ensure engagement efforts remain aligned with organizational priorities and deliver tangible progress during the cover period.

· Deliver strategic partnerships: Work cross-functionally to progress existing and emerging strategic partnerships with cotton schemes and initiatives.

· Provide leadership for the Cotton team: Create a stable and supportive team environment that enables delivery throughout the cover period.

· Represent the organization externally with confidence and credibility: Act as the primary external representative for cotton during the maternity cover period, including at priority industry events.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

· Lead stakeholder engagement with cotton schemes, initiatives, and other key stakeholders to maintain strong, trusted relationships and support adoption of cotton from preferred production systems during a period of organizational transition.

· Work closely with the Materials Engagement Senior Director and Standards System teams to steward strategic partnerships with cotton schemes and initiatives to drive collaborative impact, in line with organizational priorities.

· Represent the organization at key external events during the cover period, including the Organic Cotton Summit, actively contributing to sessions, delivering presentations as required, and engaging with external stakeholders.

· Provide day-to-day leadership and support to the Cotton team, enabling effective delivery of the agreed engagement strategy, ensuring effective implementation, and enabling them to meet both individual objectives and collective stakeholder engagement goals.

· Chair the Cotton Advisory Group, ensuring effective governance, constructive dialogue, and gathering feedback and clear outputs that inform organizational decision-making and sector engagement.

· Collaborate with cotton schemes and initiatives to advance progress on regenerative outcomes, impact monitoring, traceability and other identified priorities that help advance beneficial outcomes in cotton production.

· Work in close partnership with regional engagement managers to deliver on regional engagement strategies with schemes and initiatives, and ensure they remain aligned with global priorities.

Secondary Duties and Responsibilities

· Support the execution of Cotton Round Tables, working groups, and all related programs by contributing to content, material expertise, and agenda planning.

· Support organizational and industry thought leadership, and practices that drive continuous improvement towards beneficial climate and nature outcomes and impacts in cotton farming.

· Work across organizational programs and teams to ensure that appropriate internal and external feedback loops are developed and maintained between stakeholders and our core activities.

· Identify and oversee the intersection and strategic relationshisp to influence other fiber crop systems (e.g., hemp, flax, crops related to biosynthetics).

Minimum Qualifications

· 5+ years experience working in a senior capacity in sustainability, cotton farming, agriculture, or relevant areas.

· Understanding of key cotton production and sourcing regions and key programs, initiatives, and schemes.

· Experience leading teams.

· Strong writing and facilitation skills.

· Strategic thinker able to implement strategic plans.

· Content expert with strong industry knowledge and network.

· Experienced with hosting multi-stakeholder meetings and stakeholder engagement.

· Strong stakeholder management and engagement experience and skill sets.

· Advanced project management skills.

· Knowledgeable of sustainable sourcing and production practices in the fashion and textile industry.

· Excellent time and communication skills.

· Ability to handle multiple projects and deadlines while maintaining excellent attention to detail.

· Ability to think outside the box to creatively problem solve within an ambitious and dynamic context.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience with standards and certification schemes.

· Public speaking skills.

· Flexibility for travel and on the ground field trips and site visits.

Employment Package 

·  Full-Time Position, 40 Hours a Week

·  Required travel: Up to 30%

·  Annual Salary Range: $115,000 - $150,000 USD