Director Standards (Sustainability standards and Certifications)

Job Description

The Role: - The Director Standards will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of the REEL Standards, including their development, contextualisation, assurance models, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement. The role requires strategic oversight, deep knowledge of sustainability standards and certifications, and strong collaboration with internal teams, certification bodies, brands, and local implementation partners. Key Responsibilities: Standards Development & Governance. Lead the development and periodic revision of the REEL Standards in alignment with international good practices (ISEAL, ISO, etc.) Work in alignment with the Standards Governance Body, Advisory Council, and lead the activities of the Secretariat. Coordinate public consultations, pilot testing, and version control of standards documents Implementation Strategy. Develop roll-out plans and tools for standards implementation by Producer Groups and field teams. Coordinate with the Training and M&E teams to align implementation tools and certification requirements. Oversee contextualisation of the standards for different crops and geographies Assurance and Certification. Oversee the verification and certification architecture including second-party and third-party models Manage relationships with certification bodies, verifiers, and accreditation partners. Ensure the integrity and credibility of the certification process, including conflict-of-interest and appeals mechanisms. Stakeholder Engagement Engage with brands, producer groups, field partners to orient and clarify on the aspects related to the Standards. Represent company in relevant platforms Digital Integration Support integration of standards implementation and verification processes with company’ s digital platforms such as TraceBale and M&E systems Contribute to the development of dashboards and reporting tools Strategic Advisory Provide strategic inputs to Company’ s leadership on standards positioning, partnerships, and opportunities to align with or influence industry-wide frameworks Monitor emerging legislative and market trends (e.g., EUDR, CSRD, GTD, due diligence laws) to ensure standards remain future-fit Experience & Qualifications: Minimum 10 years of experience in sustainability, certification systems, or standard-setting – preferably in agriculture, textiles, or natural resources Deep familiarity with ISEAL Codes, sustainability certification models, and assurance mechanisms Proven leadership in managing multi-stakeholder processes and cross-cultural teams Strong understanding of field-level implementation challenges and smallholder realities Excellent written and verbal communication skills Strategic thinker with a practical orientation towards solution-building Advanced degree in Sustainability, Agriculture, Development Studies, Environmental Science, or related fields Desirable: Experience working with brands, producer organisations, and government bodies Understanding of small holder agriculture context Working knowledge of cotton or other agri-commodity sectors Familiarity with digital monitoring and traceability platforms Job Location: - Flexible, India based Job Type: - Full Time