Rehwa Society - India
Website:
rehwasociety.org
Job details:
About the Company: REHWA Society is established by the Royal Holkar of Indore to revive and sustain the historic handloom traditions of Maheshwar. The organization works to strengthen artisan livelihoods by creating dignified, sustainable employment within the weaving community. It plays a pivotal role in preserving the legacy of Maheshwari textiles while adapting them to contemporary markets. Through skill development, design support, and institutional initiatives, its efforts continue to position Maheshwar as a vibrant center of handloom excellence in India.
About the Role: The Executive Director is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and sustainable development of REHWA Society as a social enterprise rooted in Maheshwar’s handloom tradition. The role requires a hands-on leader who can earn the trust of the weaving community, develop and motivate the team, strengthen organisational systems, and balance REHWA’s social mission with the commercial discipline required for long-term financial sustainability. The ideal candidate will combine strong people leadership, operational and financial management, market and product sensitivity, and a deep commitment to preserving and advancing Maheshwari handloom.
Responsibilities:
- Leadership, Strategy, & Organisational Management
- Provide overall leadership to the organisation, translating the Board’s vision into annual plans, measurable priorities, and effective day-to-day execution.
- Build, motivate and develop the team through clear roles, recruitment, performance management, staff development, succession planning, and constructive conflict resolution.
- Establish effective HR, administrative and financial-control systems, with clear accountability across the management team.
- Strengthen MIS and management reporting to provide timely visibility on production, sales, inventory, financial performance, and organisational priorities.
- Production, Supply Chain, & Artisan Livelihoods
- Build trusted relationships with artisans, encourage participation and feedback, support skill development, and strengthen the continuity of Maheshwari weaving across generations.
- Work closely with the production team and artisans to monitor schedules, resolve production and weaver-related challenges, and ensure timely completion of collections and orders.
- Oversee end-to-end production planning, including raw material procurement, dyeing, weaving, quality assurance, inventory, and timely order fulfilment.
- Ensure reliable sourcing and production systems that maintain quality and cost discipline while providing artisans with predictable and meaningful work.
- Ensure that production and dyeing operations meet applicable environmental, safety, and statutory requirements, with appropriate systems for monitoring compliance.
- Marketing, Sales, & Financial Sustainability
- Successfully guide REHWA’s Brand & Market Development teams to grow domestic and international markets across retail, wholesale/B2B, exhibitions, collaborations, and digital channels, while protecting the integrity and positioning of Maheshwari handloom.
- Guide the teams managing REHWA’s retail and exhibition channels, ensuring strong presentation, customer experience, inventory discipline, and commercial performance.
- Develop and manage key wholesale, institutional, and customer relationships, ensuring quality, timely fulfilment, and identification of new market opportunities.
- Prepare and manage annual budgets and regularly review revenue, margins, costs, inventory, working capital, and sales-channel performance to strengthen REHWA’s financial sustainability.
- Product Development, Brand, & Market Relevance
- Oversee product and collection planning across REHWA’s sales channels, ensuring an appropriate balance between craft integrity, design relevance, inventory needs, and commercial opportunity.
- Supervise designers, artisans, and the team to develop commercially relevant collections while preserving the distinctive identity and quality of Maheshwari handloom.
- Support important client visits, textile tours, collaborations, and institutional relationships, presenting REHWA’s collections, heritage, and social impact.
- Guide teams on product presentation and brand communication, including digital content, lookbooks, photography, exhibitions, and other material required to take collections effectively to market.
- Governance, Partnerships & Institutional Development
- Serve as a senior representative of REHWA with the Board, government, institutional partners, buyers, dignitaries, and visiting groups.
- Maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders and identify partnerships that can advance REHWA’s social, cultural, and commercial objectives.
- Ensure appropriate organisational records, controls, and statutory compliance, and strengthen systems so that REHWA does not depend excessively on any one individual.
- Track and improve REHWA’s social impact, including artisan participation, continuity of employment, earnings, skill development, and engagement of the next generation of weavers.
- Provide regular updates to the Board on financial and operational performance, artisan livelihoods, organisational priorities, and progress against agreed plans.
- Social Welfare & Handloom Awareness Activities
- Support, suggest, and guide social welfare activities planned for the artisan community such as health camps, women’s health initiatives, financial literacy initiatives, etc.
- Oversee initiatives to conduct ticketed visitor experiences such as textile walkthroughs and workshops, monitor and support Museum and archive related activities.
Qualifications:
- Education: Graduate degree required. A postgraduate qualification in Social Work, Rural Management, Business Management, Textiles, Design Management or a related field is preferred; exceptional relevant experience may substitute for postgraduate qualifications.
Required Skills:
- 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in social enterprise, rural livelihoods, producer organisations, textiles, handloom, apparel, craft, or related sectors, including meaningful team leadership responsibility. Direct handloom or artisan-enterprise experience is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate diverse teams and build trusted relationships with rural artisan communities while establishing a culture of accountability, fairness, and performance.
- Strong financial, commercial, operational, and project management capability, with comfort working with budgets, margins, inventory, and management information.
- Product and market sensitivity, with an appreciation for textiles, craft, design, customers, and the balance between heritage preservation and contemporary relevance.
- Proficient in both English and Hindi, with excellent
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