Sourcing Manager - Sustainable Textiles and Materials Sourcing

Sourcing Manager – Sustainable Textiles and Materials Sourcing

The Sourcing Manager – Sustainable Textiles and Materials Sourcing will play a key role in advancing The Walt Disney Company’s sustainability strategy by leading textile innovation and recycling initiatives that support the reduction of absolute Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Leveraging industry insights, mill strategies, and deep expertise in sustainable materials, this role will drive fabric development, innovation costing, and material positioning across the product portfolio. The Sourcing Manager will champion a Fabric First strategy, ensuring material consistency and rigor throughout the product‑to‑market lifecycle while developing and scaling solutions that reduce environmental impact and advance circular design and production practices.

This role will support the development and execution of policies, plans, and programs aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Materials objectives, including reducing textile waste and delivering a minimum of 7–13 KMT of Scope 3 emissions reductions in textile production by 2030. Key initiatives will include piloting 3D sampling, introducing and implementing new textile recycling streams, and measuring and reporting waste reduction outcomes. The role will also lead research and development of sustainable and innovative textiles for vertically developed product, including the evaluation of new fibers, yarns, fabrics, and finishing techniques. In partnership with Product Design, Merchandising, and Merchandise Sourcing & Product Development, this role will identify material needs and opportunities to develop and scale new fabrics for global product lines.

The ideal candidate will be a highly organized self‑starter with a strong passion for sustainability and the ability to influence leaders and cross‑functional partners to drive meaningful change.

This position will report to the Sr. Manager, Global Merchandise Sourcing and Product Development.

Responsibilities:

• Lead sustainable fabric innovation and sourcing strategy by researching, developing, and scaling environmentally preferred fibers, yarns, fabrics, and finishes that optimize cost, material efficiency, and performance across categories and global business units. This includes leveraging mill strategies, supplier capabilities, and industry insights to support both innovation and commercialization.
• Champion and embed a Fabric First approach throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring material consistency from concept through production. Influence design and development decisions early to align material choices with sustainability, performance, scalability, and business objectives.
• Design, implement, and scale the Textile Recycling and Waste Reduction Program, in partnership with cross‑functional stakeholders and suppliers, to deliver 7–13 KMT of Scope 3 emissions reductions by fiscal year 2030. This workstream will include piloting and operationalizing 3D sampling, pattern and marker optimization, and new textile recycling streams, as well as evaluating and deploying tools and resources required to support long‑term adoption.
• Lead supplier and cross‑functional change management to implement new processes and capabilities that reduce waste and environmental impact. Partner closely with suppliers, mills, factories, design, and sourcing teams to drive adoption of improved manufacturing techniques, recycling solutions, and waste diversion practices at scale.
• Serve as a subject‑matter expert and external‑facing representative, staying current on emerging textile technologies, recycling innovations, regulatory requirements, and manufacturing advancements. Actively engage with industry groups, sustainability forums, and conferences to inform internal strategy, accelerate adoption of best‑in‑class solutions, and collaborate with internal partners to resolve technical challenges and ensure regulatory compliance.
• International travel required.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Demonstrated experience in sustainable textiles and apparel sourcing, with 5-8 years of progressive responsibility across fabric sourcing, textile engineering, sustainability, or related areas. This includes hands‑on experience in product development, raw materials, global supply chains, and product sustainability within apparel or consumer products.
• Strong technical expertise in textiles and garment engineering, including deep knowledge of fiber and yarn selection, fabric construction, knitting, dyeing, finishing, testing, and garment construction. Proficiency in marker optimization, pattern making, technical specifications, and manufacturing processes is required to effectively influence material and production decisions.
• Global sourcing and supplier management capability, with experience negotiating fabrics, collaborating with mills and factories, and working within overseas production environments. Ability to evaluate supplier capabilities, drive performance, and implement new materials and processes at scale.
• Sustainability and compliance fluency, including working knowledge of key standards and certifications such as GOTS, OEKO‑TEX®, GRS, OCS, and FSC, with experience or exposure to Higg FEM preferred. Ability to apply sustainability standards to material selection, supplier engagement, and program execution.
• Digital and analytical proficiency, including experience or exposure to 3D technical design tools (e.g., CLO, Optitex) and advanced Microsoft Excel skills to analyze data, build reporting frameworks, and generate insights that support decision‑making and impact measurement.
• Leadership, collaboration, and execution skills, with a proven ability to work independently as a self‑starter while influencing cross‑functional and cross‑regional partners in a matrixed organization. Highly organized, detail‑oriented, and strategic, with strong project management skills, a sense of urgency, and the ability to translate vision into actionable, results‑driven outcomes.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Textile Engineering, Product Design, or a related field from an accredited four‑year college or university, or equivalent combination of education and 5–8 years of relevant experience.

The hiring range for this position in Florida is $100,100.00 to $134,200.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.