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The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in material development, sourcing sustainable materials and product development to...

Lead initiative material development and innovation strategies across all categories with a focus on Leather Goods, Footwear and Ready to Wear

Research and maintain keen understanding of broader industry best practices and emerging technologies and developments related to sustainable materials
Identify and prioritize short-, medium- and long-term sustainable material innovation opportunities—and assess priority based on relevance to initiative and brand, consumer needs, commercial business opportunity and scalable environmental and industry impact
Partner with sustainability teams to ensure rigorous circular product standards are met and exceeded and to continually reduce carbon footprint of product collections
Continually identify and engage emerging companies/potential partners and suppliers
Drive ambitious timelines around development and introduction of new sustainable materials; ensure all material development deadlines and launch timelines are met
Assess and define holistic material impacts, such as full lifecycle impacts of materials from cradle to grave
Research and implement solutions to maximize circularity potential of materials and to drive towards a zero-waste aspiration
Create robust business cases to support R&D investment in specific new materials and engage leadership and cross-functional partners to drive alignment
Collaborate closely with project team, global partners and external suppliers to introduce new materials, technologies, and alternative construction methods for appropriate categories.
Identify and oversee appropriate testing requirements.
Partner with industry associations, Tapestry and Coach sustainability teams, and certification groups to influence and drive company and industry material standards and certifications.
Continually scan and assess competitive and consumer landscape to develop future-forward strategies around emerging materials
Work in agile methodology with a focus on empowered, self-organizing teams, an iterative approach that allows for rapid experimentation with continuous feedback loops in short time-boxed sprints, and mindful adaptiveness to change
“Think outside the box” breaking from traditional supply chain practices when needed and demonstrating ability to challenge the status quo and drive a cradle-to-cradle circular mindset

The accomplished individual will possess...

Direct contacts in the Sustainability industry
Knowledge of emerging technologies and general trends in circularity and sustainability

An understanding of legislation and policy shifts in the sustainability landscape
Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered
Minimum 8-10 years work experience in accessories, apparel, footwear or adjacent consumer goods industry
5+ years professional expertise in sustainable material sourcing/development and product development
Track record of successfully developing and bringing to market sustainable materials, ideally in retail or consumer products industries
Understanding of product and material sustainability issues; knowledge of specific certification and traceability within the apparel, accessories, and footwear industry a plus.
Sharp business acumen, strategic thinking, and analytical skills; proven ability to deliver on program KPIs and ROI goals
Strong project management and organization skills with ability to prioritize time and tasks and solve problems/remove obstacles to drive execution
Demonstrated ability to leverage real-time customer insight and analysis to drive customer-centric outcomes/innovation

Our Competencies for All Employees

Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Our Competencies for All People Managers

Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Coach is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or employeerelations@tapestry.com

Visit Coach at www.coach.com.

BASE PAY RANGE $138,000.00 TO $189,000.00
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Work structure: HYBRID

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