The North Face:
Materials Manager Job in Alameda, VT

At The North Facewe dare to lead the world forward through Exploration.

The North Face is the premier exploration company in the world. Founded in the counterculture of Berkeley, CA in 1966 we have a long and storied legacy of enabling exploration, protecting our planet, and creating iconic and technically advanced product.

Our culture is born from the spirit of the Explorer and infuses everything we do. We love wild places. We spark curiosity. We dare to disrupt. We create communities. And we lead with integrity. We are a community of explorers and are constantly looking for new ideas, places and people to connect with.
We take great pride in our ability to facilitate exploration for our employees and partners. By joining The North Face family, you will be offered the opportunity, tools and environments to more deeply explore the world around you and make meaningful, lasting connections. You will also be working on a team with a mission to protect our planet for generations to come.

The North Face is part of VF Corporation who guidespowerful brands that are fueled by insights and innovation that put us at the heart of our consumers lives. Many of our brands lead their respective categories, and some have risen to iconic status.

While our VF company and brands are diverse, we work together within a One VF culture to capitalize on our greatest opportunities for long-term performance. Across our company, a collaborative, global mindset differentiates our products and the unique experiences we provide to our consumers. It all adds up to a lasting competitive advantage built on harnessing the power of our differences to achieve great things together, all while positively impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of people and the world.

Materials Manager: Become the Newest Member of the VF Family
The Materials Manager manages the development and commercialization of innovative textiles and materials to enhance the Companys product lines.This position partners with designers and third party companies, suppliers, engineers, and scientists to pioneer technically innovative products. The Materials Manager provides dynamic ideas to positively impact business initiatives, direction, and vision for team and peers. The Materials Manager is accountable for business results and executing key initiatives and brings a track record in innovative materials development.

How You Will Make a Difference:
Leads the Material group to research and commercialize new materials for the assigned activity within The North Face.
Focus on the material trend and sourcing needs of the category to identify and implement seasonal strategies that successfully impact the business and enhance the Company's product lines and profitability.
Perform market analysis to determine key material trends within the core category competitive set regarding technology, performance and aesthetics.
Collaborate with other Material Managers to identify opportunities for innovation, process improvement and strategy for growth related to TNF branded technologies, supply chain management and operation efficiencies.
Own and manage key vendor relationships based on the primary fabrications of the category. Promote and enforce Material research and design integrity and performance specifications (MPS) from conception through product development.
Assure the production quality of all materials by communicating the required standards, committing to properly tested materials and / or prototypes based on final garment usage.
Monitor and analyze Supplier matrix with performance metrics, business summaries and certifications to drive their working status with TNF.
Exercise high degree of professionalism, demonstrate leadership capability including ability to train, inspire, involve and mentor others within the material team and your assigned category.
Lead complex initiatives and project teams to create new ideas, generate consensus and work cooperatively that drives innovation and material sourcing strategies.
Plan and prioritize seasonal developments with your team as well as monitor progress or take action as needed to ensure completion by established timelines to support your assigned category requirements.

Skills for Success:
Years of Related Professional Experience: 7-10+ years of relevant and progressive experience
Educational/ Position Requirements:
BA or BS degree in Apparel, Textiles, Materials Manufacturing, Design (Apparel) or related field.
Strong textile apparel materials experience with familiarity and understanding of all phases of product creation and execution including textile lab work.
Working knowledge of PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) or other material and product management tools.
Strong global communication skills (fluent foreign languages a benefit) and ability to travel internationally.
Project, process and personnel management skills. Ability to coach and motivate team.
Knowledge of textile chemistry, physical materials testing, product testing, design, product engineering and sourcing a plus.
Frequent user of outdoor products a plus.
Strong understanding of apparel merchandising and materials management.
Demonstrated ability to work with and inspire a broad range of individuals to work toward a common goal.

Special Physical and/or Mental Requirements:
Travel required: 15%