Animal Production Systems Expert

About Us  

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit driving positive 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 too.  

For real change to happen, everyone needs a clear path to positive impact. That’s why Textile Exchange believes that approachable, step-by-step instruction paired with collective action can change the system to make preferred materials and fibers an accessible default, mobilizing leaders through attainable strategies, proven solutions, and a driven community.  

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.  

Each Textile Exchange employee is offered a competitive compensation package with paid time off, a yearly bonus, opportunities for continuing education, and more.  

Like all roles at Textile Exchange, this role will be primarily home-based; Textile Exchange is a US-based but remote-working organization with a global team. Your key colleagues will be mainly based in Europe and North America.  

Job Summary 

The Animal Production Systems Expert will report to the organization’s Standards Senior Technical Manager in the Standards System team that is responsible for the development and maintenance of various textile industry-leading voluntary sustainability standards, used for independent auditing and certification.  

As an Animal Production Systems Expert at Textile Exchange, you will serve as the technical expert on animals that are included in the organization’s standards system, leading on the development, implementation, and revision of the animal welfare criteria and contribute to other themes that may impact them.  You will also lead efforts to innovate and refine our policies, procedures and guidelines, drawing from the latest research in animal welfare, animal management and sustainability. This will be achieved  in close collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders, including farmers, NGOs, and certification bodies, to ensure the alignment of Textile Exchange’s standard system with industry best practices. This role is ideal for a passionate expert eager to drive meaningful change in the textile industry by advancing ethical and sustainable practices in animal welfare and management. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Serve as the technical expert for content that relates to the scope of animal materials within Textile Exchange’s standard system and related policies, procedures and guidelines; 
• Develop and acquire comprehensive expertise and a deep understanding of industry best practices across animal material contexts relevant to Textile Exchange standards, including becoming proficient in various fibers, materials, regions, and production systems; 
• As the standards content lead for animal materials, develop, maintain and revise corresponding standards, policies, procedures, training materials, templates, and other resources that support comprehension and adoption of animal welfare and related criteria, balancing and incorporating both internal and external stakeholder feedback; 
• Conduct research and stay up-to-date on global animal management practices and animal welfare regulations to inform standards development and updates; 
• Analyze the intersection of animal management with land use and social impacts, and support planned reviews and amendments to the standard that take a holistic approach to animal production, land use and social outcomes; 
• Collaborate with the Animal Materials team on strategic direction for animal materials and related content in standards, analysis of stakeholder feedback, and stakeholder engagement events as needed; 
• Collaborate across teams in the Standards System department to support development and input related to animal materials, including stakeholder consultation and feedback analysis, certification inquiries, training, risk and crisis management, and contexts for traceability systems; 
• Collaborate with the Stakeholder Engagement team to support the uptake of Textile Exchange standards as well as inquiries and questions on content related to animal materials in the standards system; 
• Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Strategy team to analyze data to identify trends, gaps, and areas for improvement; 
• Support identification and development of opportunities for recognizing other verification systems, including the potential to recognize standards covering new animal material production systems and/or standards that cover overlapping criteria, both global and regional; 
• And other duties as assigned. 

Minimum Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental Science, or a related field. A Master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred; 
• Specialized knowledge for one or more species included in the Textile Exchange standards system and with understanding of the land-based impacts of extensive livestock production on soil health and biodiversity; 
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working with verification/certification schemes related to animal welfare or sustainable agriculture standards, preferably within the textile or agriculture sectors and with prior experience in an audit role; 
• Proven ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including farmers, NGOs, and certification bodies. People-oriented with a genuine interest in understanding and addressing concerns to provide practical solutions; 
• Proven experience in research, policy development, and implementation of animal welfare and land use themes of  standards; 
• Ability to stay informed on emerging trends and best practices in animal welfare and land use; 
• Highly literate, with excellent written and grammatical skills in English to draft technical content and ability to translate complex standards into accessible training materials and guidelines; 
• Highly adept in working with the Microsoft Office Suite, and the ability to quickly learn new tools, technologies and systems; 
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, with a strong work ethic and able to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, global environment; 
• Honest, professional, responsible, discreet, and able to act with the utmost confidence at all times; 
• Strong organizational and planning skills;  
• Proficient in remote collaboration with international teams, with flexibility in communication across multiple time zones, including outside conventional working hours, as needed for collaboration; 
• Ability to travel occasionally for conferences, work meetings and industry events; 
• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously. 

Preferred Requirements 

• A Master’s degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental Science, or a related field; 
• Familiarity with the ISEAL Alliance;  
• Certification in animal welfare auditing (e.g., PAACO) or a related field; 
• Active membership in relevant professional organizations, such as the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE) or the Animal Behavior Society (ABS); 
• Strong understanding of regenerative agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and soil health; 
• Certificate awarded for course that includes content based on the ISO 19011:2018 guidelines for auditing management systems and experience with third-party auditing for the respective management systems; 
• Familiarity with business analytics tools such as Power BI and CRM tools such as Salesforce.  

Employment Package   

• Reports to: Standards Senior Technical Manager
• Full-Time Position, 40 Hours a Week   
• Location: Virtual/Remote 
• Annual Salary Range: 60,000 - 92,000  USD  
• To be filled as soon as possible (start date to be agreed between both parties).  
• Our offers for salary and benefits are dependent on the region of the final candidate. We post most positions based on a US-based Team member, but final offers are made in alignment with the final candidate’s permanent residence and in line with Textile Exchange’s regional employment package.  
• To see if we hire in your country and for more information, please visit: https://remote.com/country-explorer  

How to Apply

Please apply here with your resume and a cover letter.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis as they are submitted. Early application submission is strongly encouraged. 

Textile Exchange is committed to creating a diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.