Career Opportunity

Sustainability Lead, Product

Ref #:

W136982

Department:

Business Strategy

City:

New York

State/Province:

New York

Country:

United States

Pay Range: The pay range for this job is $98000 - $186000 annually; actual pay is dependent on experience and geographic location.

Benefits: Base pay is only one part of our employee value proposition, which includes a robust benefits package, above-market time off, flexible working arrangements, incentive compensation, where applicable, and varied learning opportunities.

Pay Range Max

186000

Pay Range Min

98000

Company Description

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview

Drive implementation of RL’s product and materials sustainability strategy through actionable guidance, clear processes, and strong technical expertise. The Lead will collaborate closely with key internal partners including Innovation, Design, Product Development, Raw Materials, Traceability & Transparency (TNT), and Marketing, as well as external stakeholders. The Lead will also eventually manage ~1-2 direct reports. Direct experience in product sustainability and supply chain is strongly preferred.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy Implementation: Partner with key business units/leaders, manage cross-functional teams and establish clear processes to drive the implementation of RL’s product and material sustainability strategy and initiatives and achieve public goals on sustainable key material sourcing

Product Attributes & Certifications: Support improved adoption of environmentally preferred materials by:

Establishing overarching frameworks and guidance on existing sustainable product attributes and third-party certifications/standards, and integrating new ones upon evaluation

Leveraging technical expertise on product sustainability performance to engage product creation team in improving adoption of preferred materials

Traceability, Transparency and Product Impact: Co-lead product impact-related workstreams within TNT governance structure, in support of regulatory compliance readiness strategy and product impact objectives. 

Manage relationships with LCA-related service provider(s), facilitating project execution, engaging cross functionally, providing subject matter expertise, and leveraging results to inform longer-term LCA at scale approach

Coordinate workstreams to identify and close product environmental impact data gaps 

Education & Engagement: Enable product and material sustainability education and engagement with key stakeholders by:

Helping prepare for and lead internal forums and trainings to share insights, case studies, best practices and resources/expertise, especially in the areas of product life cycle assessment and sustainability performance

Communicating effectively to build the business case for product specific sustainability initiatives and performance improvement

Innovation & Emerging Issues: Oversee environmental impact review of new product technologies and innovations and provide strategic recommendations to Product Innovation and Raw Materials Studio teams

Tracking and analyze relevant emerging issues including micro/nano fiber generation, leather supply chain traceability and deforestation verification, regenerative agriculture and sourcing strategies that protect and preserve biodiversity

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

Skills and Experience:

Demonstrated ability managing product environmental or corporate responsibility-related programs in the supply chain; apparel industry, raw material, supply chain or product sustainability experience preferred

Experience with product life cycle assessment tools and the application of life cycle analysis to business decision-making; proven ability to assess potential environmental impacts of materials, processes, etc.

Advanced MS Excel skills in combining and analyzing data from various sources, and generating reports and graphics to help drive decision-making

Previous engagement with the Textile Exchange, SAC, or comparable industry groups and knowledge or prior experience with SAC’s Materials Sustainability Index or similar tools

Ralph Lauren will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance laws.