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

Job Title: Senior Lead – Apparel Materials Development Performance

As the Senior Lead in Apparel Materials Development Performance, you will play a pivotal role in executing our global performance materials strategy and advancing textile technology in alignment with the company's vision. Your responsibilities will encompass overseeing fabric creation, advanced material development, and technical execution while collaborating across functions to achieve 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 embellishments 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 to support target prices and ensure adherence to program timelines across the global supply chain.
• Multi-Season Management: Lead material development workstreams across multiple apparel product seasons to ensure alignment with program objectives.
• Sustainability Leadership: Drive material-specific targets in line with the company sustainability roadmap, ensuring compliance and circularity while supporting continuous improvement in raw materials.
• Technical Specifications: Create and maintain material and trim specifications, print applications, and related documentation using the PLM system, promoting the adoption of best practices within the team.
• Lifecycle & Testing: Manage the material lifecycle, ensuring all textiles and substrates are thoroughly tested for high-intensity sports applications and continuously improved based on expertise in yarns, fabric structures, dyeing, finishing, and printing.
• Supplier Partnerships: Build and sustain strategic relationships with T2 material suppliers and T1 factory teams 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, supporting both inline commercial lines and special innovation projects.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Collaborate with internal teams—including Design, Product Development, Product Management, Innovation, Sustainability, and Testing—across global regions to ensure seamless alignment and successful execution of apparel material initiatives.

Your Profile

• Education: A 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, specifically in technical textiles, innovative synthetics, or sports apparel execution, with extensive collaboration experience with Asia-based suppliers and factories.
• Global Mobility: Extensive global travel experience to T2 material mills/suppliers and T1 garment factories for troubleshooting, creation, development, and sourcing materials on-site.
• Project Leadership: Proven ability to manage cross-functional material development projects from initial concept to commercial production across a matrixed organization.
• Sport Tech Expertise: A strong affinity for apparel design and technology within the technical performance category, as well as a comprehensive understanding of performance fabric, garment construction methods, and industry manufacturing processes.
• Innovation Mindset: A demonstrated track record of driving innovation in performance materials, along with experience managing overlapping seasons of product development.
• Analytical & Organized: Exceptional attention to detail and the capacity to organize complex material data, deliver well-structured presentations, and develop long-term planning documents for leadership.
• Leadership & Mentorship: A deep comprehension of apparel industry processes, with a capability to function independently while collaborating effectively across teams and mentoring junior colleagues.
• Communication & Negotiation: Strong collaborative skills with experience engaging diverse global stakeholders, coupled with excellent verbal and written communication and negotiation abilities.
• Agility: The 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 is dedicated to developing and implementing 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 that advance sustainable materials, products, and manufacturing processes.

We work closely with cross-functional partners to embed material sustainability and high-performance priorities into the core of garment creation, emphasizing effective communication and knowledge sharing. As a Lead, you will leverage your deep technical expertise in textiles to drive the execution of our material strategy, ensuring that world-class fabrics and components are integrated into our global sports product lines.

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.