Description Job Title: Sustainability Assistant (Supply Chain) Location: Head Office, Leicestershire Salary: £Competitive plus bonus & benefits About the Role As Sustainability Assistant (Supply Chain), you’ll be right at the heart of NEXT Group’s sustainability efforts—supporting the full journey from raw materials to final product, and helping ensure we meet our environmental goals across NEXT and our wider brand family (Lipsy, Joules, FatFace, Reiss and Total Platform partners). You’ll work alongside the Sustainability Manager to roll out supply chain strategies that tackle everything from chemical compliance and climate risks, to biodiversity and water stewardship. This role is hands-on, data-driven, and ideal for someone passionate about creating real change in how fashion supply chains operate. There’s also great scope to grow your responsibilities as the team and sustainability agenda evolves. We will consider candidates on both a full time and part-time basis What You’ll Be Doing ZDHC Programme Day-to-day management of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) programme Extend implementation beyond textiles to leather tanneries and synthetic leather supply chains Collaborate with internal tech teams and external wet processors to drive ZDHC adoption Handle data uploads and analysis via the ZDHC Gateway Worldly Programme Oversee the daily running of the Worldly programme Work closely with Tier 1 to Tier 3 manufacturers and NEXT technology teams to implement the programme Support accurate data collection and uploads into the system Supply Chain Strategy & Implementation Help shape and deliver strategies related to: Impact Reduction Water, Nature & Biodiversity Decarbonisation Traceability and Transparency Support product teams and suppliers across all brands in implementing these strategies at every stage—from raw material to finished product Manage and maintain our supplier database (Tier 1–Tier 5), covering everything from dye houses to fibre manufacturers Create and update relevant supply chain manuals and policies Deliver training and guidance to internal teams and supply chain partners Research & Tracking Monitor NGO activity and emerging risks related to climate, biodiversity, and restricted substances (e.g., Greenpeace, WWF, Changing Markets Foundation) Support strategic responses to regulatory changes across UK, EU, and global markets What We’re Looking For Essential A degree (or equivalent experience) in textile technology, leather/footwear tech, sustainability, environmental science or a related field Awareness of environmental impacts in the textile, leather, or footwear industry Strong research and summarising skills – curious, methodical and confident digging into new topics Advanced IT skills, especially in Excel/Google Sheets Comfortable juggling multiple projects and deadlines with precision and accuracy A genuine interest in sustainability and making a measurable difference Desirable Industry experience in a technical or sustainability-focused role within fashion, textiles, leather, or footwear Understanding or experience of the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero and/or Worldly Some knowledge of chemical compliance or a desire to grow in this area Experience in textile/leather testing or working with third-party labs Strong commercial awareness of the product lifecycle in fashion Experience creating or delivering training content Willingness and ability to travel internationally when required LI-DC1