Associate Materials Developer

The Associate Material Developer is to guide the capabilities of our new and existing fabric and/or trim suppliers through workflow optimization and expert knowledge, which spans everything from concept through constructing prototypes to bulk production. Develop and maintain an applied material portfolio to support our creative design team. This involves coordinating with the US and PCC teams to oversee the development, approvals, and production-ready status of all material in the designated product line, to deliver quality products in a timely & consistent manner. 

Duties and responsibilities 

Concept Development  

• Support end-to-end material development process that enables and elevates innovation, productivity, efficiency, quality, and profitability. 
• Assist in research and development of trends and innovation continuously by working closely with Product Development and PCC. 
• Prepare data & material for trend presentation. 
• Track developments by calendar due dates. 
• Receive, send out cuttings & log submits of materials from suppliers to PCCs. 
• Facilitate and prioritize work to meet time and action calendar delivery requirements and ensure on time Buy Ready dates.   

Test & Validate 

• Support necessary DEQ testing to designated product service model.  
• Receive and review failed testing specimen with Sr. Developer/Manager. 

Daily Activities 

• Support work in progress (WIP), create, maintain tracking and all Material-related record keeping, data input, and in/out parcel coordination. Update weekly information regarding approval/comments to CFT. 
• Organize and maintain the material library & on-time seasonal tool-box, ensuring meets global standards. 
• Create and maintain carryover & seasonal materials boards, publish as approved. 
• Gather data for adoption ratio post buy & analyze for adoption ratio and department overview of material usage by channel. 
• Facilitate timely communication with internal and external parties between US offices & PCC. 
• Compile weekly metrics & analysis to support material KPI’s.  
• Input report card metrics for on-time sample performance, quality & communicate with PCC on suggested action plans. 
• Support Sr. Developer/ Manager/ Director on special projects tracker, gather metrics & update presentation slides or reports. 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in raw Material Development or related field 
• 1-3+ current years of experience in the retail/manufacturing environment covering areas of textiles from fibers, yarn, material construction, finishes, printing and quality.  
• Must score superior on Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test 
• Experience using spectrophotometer  
• A team player with a good attitude, strong communication and problem-solving skills. 
• Must be detail-oriented, able to multitask, and punctual in meeting deadlines. Excellent analytical skills. 
• Ability to juggle multiple deadlines and tasks in a fast-paced environment. Strong sense of urgency and intuitive sense of priorities and accuracy. 
• Basic knowledge in PLM, MS Office applications & 3D software experience is a plus. 
• Ability to communicate verbally and written in a clear, concise, tactful manner. 

The Associate Material Developer is to guide the capabilities of our new and existing fabric and/or trim suppliers through workflow optimization and expert knowledge, which spans everything from concept through constructing prototypes to bulk production. Develop and maintain an applied material portfolio to support our creative design team. This involves coordinating with the US and PCC teams to oversee the development, approvals, and production-ready status of all material in the designated product line, to deliver quality products in a timely & consistent manner.