Senior Manager – Materials Development

Senior Manager – Materials Development

Requirements

• 10+ years of raw materials and textiles sourcing and development experience
• 3+ years of management experience
• Extensive knowledge of raw materials, yarn, fabric, trims, packaging development, construction, product cost, quality and production
• Bachelor’s degree in Apparel, Textiles, Materials Manufacturing, Design or related field; preferred
• Proficiency in PLM, Google applications and/or MS Office; preferred
• Ability to travel domestically and globally, up to 10% of the year

Responsibilities

• Create and execute materials sourcing and product development strategy for all product categories (socks, underwear, t-shirts and slippers) to align with design vision and financial goals.
• Lead, manage and execute the seasonal raw materials, yarn, fabric, trims and packaging sourcing and development process for all product categories.
• Manage risk mitigation for materials through country and supplier diversification.
• Contribute to creating seasonal GTM calendar and manage seasonal calendar deadlines for materials.
• Manage materials costing and minimums to hit FOB and IMU targets.
• Lead and negotiate material lead-times to support speed delivery to market.
• Partner with the Production team to manage capacity planning and material staging.
• Lead material innovation for all product categories. Partner with the Design team on material innovation ideas and roadmap and partner with the material suppliers on new material techniques and innovation.
• Manage the maintenance of the material library.
• Manage and approve material development and production tests to meet our material test standards.
• Support Production and Quality teams on any material issues during production.
• Manage PLM system and data integrity for materials, manage fabric/yarn detail sheet, create material codes and maintain PLM material library.
• Establish, report and analyze materials KPI’s.
• Lead, manage, develop and coach the materials team.
• Mentor to cross-functional teams on material construction, technology, quality, and costing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of all aspects of material sourcing, development and production
• A self-motivated, collaborative, positive minded individual passionate about material development and willing to take on challenges and problem solve
• Strong cost negotiation skills
• A team player who is willing and happy to help
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Belief in our mission and understand the importance of giving-back
• Inquisitive, love to learn, embrace failure, and never give up
• Comfortable working in an open office environment while staying focused