Starting Date: ASAP

Contract type: Full-time and Permanent

Salary: 32,615 GBP - commensurate with relevant experience and skills

Location: London

Application closing date: 4th June 2025

About the Job 

Join us at Better Cotton as a Traceability Officer and support the growth and development of the Better Cotton Traceability System.

In November 2023, we launched our traceability system to track Better Cotton as it moves through the global supply chain. As of April 2025 - Better Cotton’s traceability system has been implemented in 14 countries. Since then, we have been enhancing its integrity, granularity, and the range of countries from which Better Cotton can be tracked. We also continue to explore how traceability can bring value to our members and mission. We therefore we are looking for someone who can connect our mission to supply chain traceability.

This is an innovative role that would suit an organised problem solver with an interest across fashion retail, supply chains or technology. Interest in cotton and traceability is essential.  

The Challenge

Support the Traceability team in their ongoing development and expansion of the Better Cotton traceability system. This includes:

• Increasing the granularity of our traceability system to provide information on the regions a Better Cotton product has come from.
• Innovating our traceability system to create benefits for farmers and make it easier for the supply chain to source traceable better cotton through our platform.
• Improving the accuracy and integrity of the information that is captured in our traceability system.
• Support projects to align our Better Cotton Platform and traceability solution with upcoming regulations.

Your Role and Responsibilities

We are seeking a motivated Traceability Officer to join our traceability team. In this role you will be responsible for: 

• Supporting research into how Better Cotton into new traceability innovation areas. Once the research is complete, the individual will assist in planning the implementation of any approved recommendations.
• Assisting with the development of our digital traceability system to provide information on the regional origin of Better Cotton. This will involve supporting consultations with global stakeholders to ensure the system is fit for purpose across all the countries where Better Cotton operates.
• Contributing to the enhancement of our digital traceability system, by improving its functionality. This will include communicating with Better Cotton country staff and supply chain actors to identify issues and propose resolutions.
• Engaging with Better Cotton colleagues around the world to understand localised traceability challenges and how these can be addressed on a global scale.
• Coordinating meetings with various internal and external stakeholders to discuss traceability topics, and recording clear, concise, and accurate meeting notes along with follow-up actions.
• Act as a point of contact for stakeholders, responding to traceability queries or routing them to the appropriate team member.
• Assist in preparing training materials or onboarding documentation for internal or external stakeholders using the traceability system.
• Maintaining the traceability team share point site, master decks and coordinating internal traceability communications.

We are looking for someone who has

the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Essential 

• University degree, or equivalent higher education qualification, in a relevant field with an interest in sustainability
• Knowledge of at least two of the following; commodity supply chains, textiles supply chains, sustainability, retailing and/or technology
• Willingness to carry out administrative work with excellent attention to detail. 
• Exemplary research skills and interest in innovation
• Highly proficient IT skills, including but not limited to MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Word and Excel) and database management.
• Ability to complete data analysis and present findings clearly. 
• Excellent organisational skills, capacity to multi-task and handle a set of different priorities. 
• Good written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Knowledge of or interest in textile and commodity supply chains.
• A self-starter that is keen to learn and grow in the role.
• Proficient in English (written and verbal).
• Ability to work in a team environment.

Desirable

• Experience in supply chain traceability
• Knowledge and experience in cotton field-level production and/or the cotton supply chains.
• Proficiency in additional languages relevant to Better Cotton’s work: French, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, Mandarin, Hindi, Urdu.

What we offer

• Competitive Salary
• Hybrid working – minimum one day/week in our office at Canary Wharf
• Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time
• The opportunity to work abroad for up to one month per year.
• Continuous learning and development
• Pension scheme
• 25 days paid annual leave, plus 8-9 Bank Holidays and a further 3 days off over Christmas/end of year period
• Enhanced parental benefits

Working arrangements

The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in London. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm.  The position will require up to 10% travel.

Apply now

Send us your CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1-page maximum) by or before 04.05.2025 via this link.

In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton. We want to see your personal style – what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us.

We are currently recruiting for two positions within our team: one Officer and one Senior Officer role. Candidates are encouraged to apply to the position that best matches their experience. If you wish to be considered for both, please clearly apply to one role and indicate in your cover letter that you would also be open to being considered for the other, should your experience be a better fit at that level.

Our hiring process

Initial Screening:

If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial screening, which may involve a brief phone interview or video call. The purpose is to learn more about you, confirm basic qualifications, and discuss the role and organisation.

Interviews:

If you are confirmed after the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management.

Assessment and Testing: 

Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position.

Reference Checks: 

Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history.

Offer Stage:

After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details.

About Better Cotton

Better Cotton is the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our 200+ colleagues of 37+ nationalities are united by a shared passion and commitment to achieving the Better Cotton mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Through our network of field-level partners a quarter of the world’s cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard. We have united the industry’s stakeholders behind our efforts, from ginners and spinners to brand owners, civil society organisations and governments. Everyone who cares about cotton and its sustainable future can now be part of something better.

About our Values

The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:  

• Trustworthy (including honest, transparent, credible) 
• As having Integrity (including responsible, authentic) 
• Positive (including problem-solving, pragmatic) 
• Engaging (including adaptable, inclusive, holistic) 
• Daring (including courageous, innovative, game-changing)  

Being you @ Better Cotton

Better Cotton is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.