Senior Lead - Apparel Material Development (Performance) / Senior Lead - Apparel Material Development (Performance)

Job Title: Senior Lead – Apparel Materials Development Performance

As a Senior Lead in Apparel Materials Development Performance, you will be responsible for executing the global performance materials strategy and advancing textile technology in alignment with the company vision. This role encompasses overseeing fabric creation, advanced material development, and technical execution, while collaborating across functions to support performance, sustainability, and high-performance product objectives.

Your Responsibilities

• Strategic Sourcing & Creation: Define, develop, and lead the creation and strategic sourcing of technical, high-performance apparel materials, including knits, wovens, and applicable trims or embellishment, in accordance with design briefs, product roadmaps, timelines, sourcing policies, and sustainability requirements.
• Standards & Quality Control: Establish and manage fabric availability standards, sourcing policies, and quality assurance processes, ensuring adherence to target prices and program timelines across the global supply chain.
• Multi-Season Management: Lead material development workstreams within assigned projects, coordinating across multiple apparel product seasons to ensure alignment with program objectives.
• Sustainability Leadership: Drive and report on material-specific targets in line with the company sustainability roadmap, ensuring compliance, circularity, and supporting continuous improvement in raw materials.
• Technical Specifications: Create and maintain material and trim specifications, print applications, and related documentation using the PLM system, contributing to best practices within the team.
• Lifecycle & Testing: Manage the material lifecycle, ensuring all textiles and substrates are robustly tested for high-intensity sports applications and continuously improved.
• Supplier Partnerships: Build and maintain strategic relationships with T2 material suppliers (textile mills, print vendors) and T1 factory teams (garment manufacturers) to support material development, quality, and process improvements.
• Library Innovation: Contribute to the development and maintenance of the digital and physical apparel material library and tools used across the product creation team for both inline commercial lines and special innovation projects.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Collaborate with internal teams — Design, Product Development, Product Management, Innovation, Sustainability, and Testing — across global regions (EU & Asia Sourcing office) to ensure seamless alignment and successful execution of apparel material initiatives.

Your Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in Textile Engineering, Textile Technology, Apparel Science, or a related field; a Master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred.
• Experience: Over 10 years of experience in performance apparel material/fabric development, with a track record in technical textiles, innovative synthetics, or sports apparel execution, including extensive collaboration with Asia-based suppliers and factories.
• Global Mobility: Extensive global travel experience to T2 material mills/suppliers and T1 garment factories for troubleshooting, creating, developing, and sourcing materials at the source.
• Project Leadership: Proven experience managing cross-functional material development projects from initial concept to commercial production within a matrixed organization.
• Sport Tech Expertise: Deep understanding of apparel design and technology in the technical performance category, with knowledge of performance fabric, garment construction methods, and industry manufacturing processes.
• Innovation Mindset: A track record of driving innovation in performance materials, with experience managing multiple overlapping seasons of product development.
• Analytical & Organized: Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to organize complex material data, delivering well-structured presentations and long-term planning documents to leadership.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Strong understanding of apparel industry processes and the ability to work independently while effectively collaborating and mentoring junior colleagues.
• Communication & Negotiation: Strong collaborative skills and experience engaging diverse global stakeholders, with excellent verbal and written communication and negotiation abilities.
• Agility: Ability to balance creative design intent with rigorous technical organization and discipline, thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

About the Team

The Apparel Materials Development Performance team develops and delivers the company’s performance and sustainability strategy for all apparel textiles and raw materials. We conduct cutting-edge research, define global material strategies, and support projects aimed at advancing sustainable materials, products, and manufacturing processes.

We closely collaborate with cross-functional partners to integrate material sustainability and high-performance priorities into the heart of garment creation, focusing on effective communication and knowledge sharing. As a Lead, you will apply your deep technical textile expertise, drive the execution of material strategies, and ensure the integration of world-class fabrics and components across our global sports product lines.

Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.