Sr Director Materials Development (Apparel / Textiles)

Job Description

The Sr Director of Materials Development leads end to end Sourcing allocation strategy, research, development, testing, and commercialization working cross functionally with Sourcing, Overseas Offices, Mills/Vendors, Sustainability, Design, Product Development, and Merchandising teams to anticipate and analyze needs across all brands supporting seasonal and ongoing development strategy. This role leverages fabric, trim, and decoration qualities and color standards across divisions, ultimately optimizing Fanatics materials strategy to deliver market right product with service and speed, meeting financial objectives.

General Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee market research to identify current trends and compile competitive data working closely with trim suppliers and fabric mills to pro-actively review yarn and fabric trends and develop future needs based on business objectives. Provide quarterly Material trend and financial outlook analysis to guide the business targeted margin requirements and product strategy.
• Facilitate Product Strategy through sourcing brand appropriate Fabrics and Trims. Define and lead Tier 2 sourcing strategy, in conjunction with Tier 1 finished garment sourcing regional strategy alignment, inclusive of resiliency plans on second source strategy to avoid regional risks. Manage seasonal trim and fabric requests with suppliers/overseas offices and offer solutions if it is outside of the brand’s seasonal sourcing and pricing strategy. Focus, streamline and optimize supplier base.
• Direct material lead time guidelines and requirements from raw material forward to support the needs of the business. Focus lead time reduction opportunities through efficient protocols and practices, ultimately reducing liability on the business and improving service levels to maximize revenue.
• Collaborate and drive Sustainability strategy roadmap with the Sustainability teams, inclusive of but not limited to Environmentally Preferred Materials, Traceability requirements, Conflict Minerals Reporting, Upstream Mapping, Certifications & Testing, Integrated Scorecarding, and Critical KPI’s.
• Rationalize number of colors, trims and fabrics and work with Design and Merchandising on a unified migration to new material platforms. Avoids a proliferation of fabrics, colors and trims that make it hard to be fast. Strategize and socialize on speed initiatives in relation to raw material and inventory positioning with Sourcing, Sourcing Ops and Planning.
• Ensure product integrity of all brands by establishing, publishing & maintaining global standards and manuals. Facilitate the Risk Assessment and testing of all fabrics and trims, inclusive of decoration testing, to meet the needs of customers, quality standards and business requirements. Align with Product Integrity on Performance Standards and application to the targeted material strategy. Provide technical material resolution options when not meeting the standards of the brand.
• Partner with the Product Development teams as it relates to the brands in order to meet key objectives for the season and T&A calendar deadlines. Lead the preparation of seasonal development briefs/requests to guide suppliers on business targets, designated product end use and pre-qualification requirements.
• Lead on time performance discipline. Oversee fabric, color and trim library/archive, RMDS data, technical specs, submits and references, inclusive of on-time PLM data management. Maintain and communicate annual/seasonal fabric, color and trim metrics and status reports. Provide mitigation plans when deadlines are compromised to meet the businesses targets and maintain continuity.
• Facilitate integrated Tier 2 Scorecard to measure and manage suppliers On-Time Performance, Quality, Sustainability & Development critical KPI’s to inform Supply Chain Material strategic partner outlook, rating, expansion and divestment plans.
• Drive global on-boarding practices of Tier 2 suppliers in partnership with key cross-functional partners and regional off-shore offices.
• Identify process/development efficiency opportunities, strategize and implement solutions through cross collaborative efforts. Leverage strategic supply base by optimizing vendor certification programs, empowering the Supply Chain and their resources on behalf of the brand.
• Ensure management of all fabric sample yardage requests for testing, fabric swatch rings/boards and special project needs.
• Identify and pro-actively resolve fabric issues such as cost, minimums and lead-time to ensure on time delivery.
• Coach, lead and inspire the Fabric, Color and Trim/Decoration global team inclusive of mentoring, training and performance management in the US and Regional offices.
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Textile/Product Development or related field
• 10 years of experience in the fashion industry with a strong knowledge of fabric, trim and color development, inclusive of graphic art/print knowledge, raw materials, wash techniques and production with a focus on knit fabrics.
• Understanding of Quality Control.
• Ability to travel as needed.
• Excellent organizational, communication, follow-up and presentation skills with attention to detail.
• Able to articulate key leadership principles that describe your leadership techniques to build trust, excite and empower a high performing team.
• Ability to juggle multiple deadlines and tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong sense of urgency and intuitive sense of priorities & accuracy, with a creative approach to problem solving.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including ability to partner cross functionally and effectively with Design, Merchandising, Sourcing and overseas offices.
• Experience in PLM and MS Office a must.
  
  

About Us

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally.

About The Team

Fanatics Commerce is a leading designer, manufacturer, and seller of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods. It operates a vertically-integrated platform of digital and physical capabilities for leading sports leagues, teams, colleges, and associations globally – as well as its flagship site, www.fanatics.com.

Fanatics Commerce has a broad range of online, sports venue, and vertical apparel partnerships worldwide, including comprehensive partnerships with leading leagues, teams, colleges, and sports organizations across the world—including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula 1, and Australian Football League (AFL); the Dallas Cowboys, Golden State Warriors, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea FC, and Tokyo Giants; the University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, and University of Texas; the International Olympic Committee (IOC), England Rugby, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

At Fanatics Commerce, we infuse our BOLD Leadership Principles in everything we do:

• Build Championship Teams
• Obsessed with Fans
• Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Determined and Relentless Mindset