Director, Social Compliance and Environmental Sustainability

Roots is more than just an/the iconic Canadian retailer, we are a group of passionate employees who act with integrity, trust each other and do what is right. We work in a space where people can grow and develop, with a team of people who own results and are dedicated to seeing Roots win. We seek to build longstanding relationships with partners who share our commitment to maintaining high ethical standards of operation.

We are currently seeking a Director, Social Compliance and Environmental Sustainability who will seek inspiration from our roots, can commit to achieving results the right way and loves to think big to join us on our journey.

The Director of Social Compliance and Environmental Sustainability is the primary leader of ESG initiatives across the company’s various divisions and businesses.

This role will be responsible for coordinating and tracking activities over multi-year project timelines to deliver against the company’s ambitious social compliance and environmental sustainability commitments, and ultimately demonstrate our results to relevant company stakeholders, industry regulators and benchmark organizations. This role will reside in the Corporate Services department alongside legal, human resources, and facilities, and will work closely with peers responsible for sustainability and social impact programs.

The Director will create insights and introduce ESG-related innovation to influence decision making across all aspects of the business. They will be responsible for equipping subject matter experts across the organization with the necessary analysis and tools to improve decision making capacities relating to social compliance and environmental sustainability.

As the ideal candidate, you should be passionate about the notion of building out a social impact and sustainability practice at Roots and eager to support the profitable growth of an iconic Canadian brand. You have considerable experience in project management and reporting functions, with an appreciation for measurement, data collection and innovation in the apparel and retail sectors. You are a collaborative, entrepreneurial minded partner and able to bring together people from across teams to gather and synthesize complex information and solve problems within a defined framework.

The Director, Social Compliance and Environmental Sustainability for Roots will be responsible for the following:

Social compliance

• Lead development of internal standard operating procedures, reporting and training efforts in connection with Fair Labor Association (FLA) accreditation process
• Support and collaborate with internal supply chain and manufacturing departments at Roots with regards to standardized processes relating to vendor onboarding, scorecarding and purchasing practices
• Engage directly with vendors where appropriate; manage cycle of audits and corrective action plans relating to the Roots Vendor Workplace Code of Conduct and its Supplemental Expectations
• Lead Roots’ participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives focused on innovation in monitoring and managing social compliance in the textile and apparel supply chain
• Provide training on policies and practices to internal team members and vendors

Environmental sustainability

• Support internal product design and development and supply chain teams in the ongoing implementation of operations of Roots’ Preferred Fiber & Materials Program, including the maintenance of a ‘chain-of-custody’ verification program and annual benchmarking through the Textile Exchange’s Materials Benchmark
• Lead internal data collection, dialog and initiatives focused on Roots’ commitment towards Net Zero ambitions, including measurement of GhG emission intensity and the development of a decarbonization plan
• Establish internal controls and reporting framework to satisfy industry standard reporting frameworks such as the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), CDP and SBTi.
• Collaborate with Roots’ marketing team to promote sustainability initiatives to customers
• Collaborate with Roots’ Executive Leadership team and relevant functional areas to promote sustainability initiatives to employees.
• Support other environmental and regulatory initiatives, including in connection with product packaging

Top candidates for the Director, Social Compliance and Environmental Sustainability role will have the following:

• Specialized education in sustainability strategies, circular economy, social labour and/or legal/compliance frameworks applicable to retail, fashion/apparel and our value chain
• 5+ years of work experience in relevant fields and roles
• Experience with sustainable materials in product design, development and materials sourcing process. In particular, proficient in Preferred Fiber Chain of Custody (OCS, RCS, GRS) & other standards (ZDHC, Bluesign & Oeko-tex)
• Demonstrated track record of partnering with senior level stakeholders (both internal and external)
• Proficient use of data warehousing, work-flow-automation and data analytics software that can be applied to key attributes of a mature social compliance and environmental sustainability program (i.e., supply chain mapping, product lifecycle management, Power BI, Smartsheets etc.)
• Below experience would be an asset:
• Familiarity with applying preferred fiber and materials sourcing strategies in apparel (Roots is a member of the Textile Exchange and the Leather Working Group)
• Understanding lifecycle analysis (LCA) in the context of fashion, apparel and retail and applications of circular economy principles in apparel design, direct-to-consumer retail and supply chain
• Experience with Fair Labor Association (FLA) accreditation process for brands
• Experience with data collection, analysis and reporting required under mandatory ESG reporting frameworks based on the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards
• Experience working with marketing teams to translate social compliance and sustainability efforts into marketing opportunities

Founded in 1973, Roots Canada is a publicly held Canadian lifestyle brand that sells apparel, leather bags, small leather goods, footwear and active athletic wear with over 100 retail stores in North America and Asia.