Senior Manager, Global EPR Compliance at Kontoor Brands in Greensboro, NC

Job description

Who We Are: Kontoor Brands is a portfolio of three of the world’s most iconic lifestyle, outdoor and workwear brands: Wrangler®, Lee® and Helly Hansen®. Kontoor Brands is a purpose-led organization focused on leveraging its global platform, strategic sourcing model and best-in-class supply chain to drive brand growth and deliver long- term value for its stakeholders. Job Posting: Senior Manager, Global EPR Compliance The Global EPR Compliance & Circularity Head will establish and lead Kontoor Brands’ global capability for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and related product stewardship compliance. This role will own the operating model for packaging, paper, plastics and textile EPR obligations across applicable markets; coordinate with internal functions to collect and validate reporting data; manage Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) relationships and external advisors; and translate evolving regulations into practical business actions. The role is designed to work in parallel with external advisors during the transition period, while building the internal knowledge, processes and governance needed for Kontoor to ultimately own recurring EPR execution. Why This Role Matters at Kontoor Global regulatory growth EPR requirements are expanding across U.S. states, Canada, Europe and product categories including packaging and textiles. Data-heavy execution Compliance requires repeatable collection and validation of sales, product, packaging, material composition, weight, recyclability, and market data. Internal ownership gap Consultants provide expertise, but Kontoor needs an accountable internal owner to drive execution, stakeholder alignment and knowledge of retention. Key Accountabilities Global EPR compliance strategy Develop and maintain a global EPR compliance roadmap covering packaging, paper, plastics, textiles and relevant circular economy requirements. Regulatory monitoring and interpretation Monitor emerging laws and guidance, assess applicability to Kontoor, and translate requirements into business actions, timelines and data needs. PRO registration and reporting Lead registrations, submissions, fee-related data packages, and ongoing engagement with PROs and other responsible authorities. Compliance calendar and controls Maintain a global EPR calendar with filing deadlines, ownership, evidentiary requirements, approval checkpoints, and escalation paths. External advisor management Coordinate with external advisors and other advisors, define scopes of work, track deliverables, validate outputs and drive knowledge transfer into Kontoor. Data governance and reporting readiness Build standardized templates, data definitions and quality checks for sales, packaging, materials, fiber composition, weights, recyclability and market-specific requirements. Cross-functional stakeholder leadership Partner with Sustainability, Legal, Finance, Tax, Supply Chain, Packaging, Product Development, Sourcing, IT, regional teams and brand leaders. Fee forecasting and business planning Support annual planning by modeling known and potential EPR fees, liabilities and cost drivers by market, material and product category. Audit and assurance support Coordinate records, assumptions, evidence files, document retention and responses to internal reviews, external audits or regulator inquiries. Circularity and design influence Work with product and packaging teams to identify opportunities to reduce EPR exposure through material optimization, packaging reduction, recyclability, and circular design choices. Essential Duties Own the end-to-end global EPR compliance process, including jurisdictional applicability assessments, obligation mapping, registrations, reporting preparation, submissions and post-filing documentation. Create and maintain a global EPR obligation tracker covering packaging, paper, textile and related product stewardship requirements across applicable jurisdictions. Coordinate data collection from ERP/reporting system