Key Roles and Responsibilities:
Drive intake margin improvement through garment engineering and appropriate fabric selection and utilisation, to ensure best possible prices without compromising relevant quality level for the Brand.
Drive the development process ensuring product is sampled in line with the Sourcing Strategy and sustainability goals, providing proto samples and costings to Buying team.
Open Cost as appropriate and negotiate prices with suppliers in an ethical manner based on raw materials and construction costs along economies of scale.
Ensure product sustainability is at the heart of the own brands and the ethos behind all our actions.
Provide input and assist in developing and implementing new strategy and technologies, supporting roll out to teams and suppliers as appropriate.
Manage the setup of size specs / blocks & graded size charts for all product areas, ensuring all size specs/Tech packs for development & production are issued to factories & suppliers ensuring continuity & consistency.
Responsible for the sample fit, inspection, measurement, and comments (proto samples through to production) Approving each stage of development.
Manage fit meetings with Buying & Design, ensuring that technical packs / fit comments are sent to suppliers & factories without any delay.
Working alongside the Buying team, drive the critical path for all orders.
Communicate with Buying, Merchandising, Sourcing, Supply Chain and Suppliers to raise orders ensuring critical path is met.
Manage and approve fabric testing & care label development with the Suppliers.
Ensure approval of lab-dips and strike offs in a timely manner, referring issues to the Design and Buying team.
Ensure product compliance in line with all relevant legislation
Ensure that factories follow company supplier guidelines.
Ensure product quality meets the relevant standards.
Work with the QC team/Warehouse to review and feedback any issues.
Analyse KPI’s and utilise to develop continuous improvement plans.
Generate seasonal reports as required from the PLM system.
Conduct factory visits/warehouse trips to develop/improve production, evaluating sources for lead-time/£/Capability/location.
Develop knowledge of production planning, line balancing and inline qc process to improve our Supplier management.
Work with other JD departments to improve our impact, ensuring that it is positive across the business.
Manage the Product Developer within the team ensuring appropriate process is followed and technical guidance and personal development support is provided.
Train & work on 3D Design Software to support new processes.