Internship — Cotton Waste Sourcing & Supplier Development
Company: Texzen Inc. (Mere & Moi / StayLuxe Bedding) Location: Remote (US-based) Duration: 8 weeks, June 15 – August 8, 2026 (adjust dates as needed) Reports to: Ahsan Majeed, President Compensation: $25–$32/hr, commensurate with experience
About Texzen
Texzen Inc. is the US arm of the Zafar Fabrics Group, a vertically integrated textile manufacturer headquartered in Pakistan with over four decades of experience across spinning, weaving, dyeing, and finishing. In addition to our bedding and baby textile brands, Texzen sources raw cotton waste from US suppliers for export to our parent group’s recycling and open-end spinning operations in Pakistan. We are expanding this sourcing function across the US and into other origin markets.
Role Summary
You will lead a structured effort to identify, qualify, and onboard new cotton waste suppliers for Texzen’s export operation. This includes mapping the full landscape of US cotton waste generators — textile mills, cotton gins, yarn spinners, knitters, garment cutters, denim mills, and textile recyclers — building a supplier database, initiating outreach, and benchmarking pricing. You will also scope non-US origin markets (Mexico, Central America, Turkey, Egypt, India) to evaluate alternative supply sources. This is a research- and outreach-heavy role with direct exposure to international trade, commodity sourcing, and supplier negotiation.
Key Responsibilities
- Map the US cotton waste landscape by grade and source: cotton gin motes, yarn waste, hard waste, comber noil, sliver waste, soft waste, card waste, knitter clips, cutting room waste, and post-consumer textile waste.
- Build a structured supplier database covering textile mills, cotton gins, yarn spinners, knitters, denim and apparel manufacturers, and textile recycling facilities across the US cotton belt (Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama).
- Research and profile suppliers: volume, grades produced, current disposal channels, contact details for procurement/waste/sustainability leads.
- Execute cold outreach — email, LinkedIn, and phone — to initiate supplier conversations, qualify volume and pricing, and hand off promising leads to senior team members.
- Benchmark pricing across grades and regions; build a reference price matrix to inform bid strategy.
- Scope non-US origin markets (Mexico, Central America, Turkey, Egypt, India) for alternative supply; identify top producers, trade associations, and export regulations.
- Research regulatory and compliance requirements: US export controls, ISRI classifications, phytosanitary requirements, Pakistan import rules for cotton waste.
- Monitor industry sources — National Cotton Council, ISRI, Textile World, SMART (Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles), Cotton Incorporated — for market intelligence, pricing trends, and new supplier leads.
- Maintain a central CRM/tracker of supplier contacts, conversation status, sample requests, and pricing quotes.
- Prepare a final deliverable: a Cotton Waste Sourcing Playbook covering supplier landscape, qualified pipeline, pricing benchmarks, and recommended origin-market expansion strategy.
Working Arrangement
This is a fully remote role. You will operate on a structured cadence:
- Daily async written update (end-of-day summary of calls made, leads qualified, blockers).
- Twice-weekly video check-ins with the President.
- Core working hours flexible but expected overlap with US business hours Mon–Fri.
- All supplier outreach conducted from a Texzen-provisioned email address.
Qualifications
Required:
- Masters student (MBA, Supply Chain, International Business, Agribusiness, or Economics) preferred; strong 3rd/4th-year undergraduates will be considered.
- Excellent written and spoken English; confidence on the phone and in professional cold outreach.
- Strong research instincts — comfortable pulling information from industry associations, trade publications, regulatory filings, and company websites.
- Proficient in Excel (lookups, pivot tables) and comfortable building and maintaining a structured supplier database.
- Self-directed and highly disciplined — able to manage a full workload remotely with minimal day-to-day supervision.
- Reliable home workspace with high-speed internet and professional video conferencing setup.
Preferred:
- Coursework or exposure to supply chain, commodity trading, agribusiness, or international trade.
- Familiarity with textile manufacturing, cotton, or recycled materials markets.
- Additional language skills (Spanish for Mexico/Central America; Turkish, Arabic, or Hindi/Urdu) — a meaningful plus but not required.
- Experience with CRM tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho) or LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
What You’ll Gain
- Direct mentorship from the President of Texzen, running a cross-border trade operation spanning the US, Pakistan, and the UAE.
- Ownership of a real commercial workstream — the suppliers you qualify and the pricing intelligence you build will feed directly into live purchasing decisions.
- Exposure to the full mechanics of international commodity trade: sourcing, qualification, freight, documentation, and cross-border compliance.
- A tangible portfolio deliverable — the Sourcing Playbook — to showcase to future employers.
- Potential to convert to a part-time role during the academic year or return offer.
To Apply
Send resume and a brief note (3–4 sentences) on why this role interests you to a.majeed@texzeninc.com by May 15, 2026.
