Fabric Development Lead, Apparel Sourcing & Innovation

Oroton; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

4 Recharge Days per year, in addition

Birthday leave

Learning and development opportunities

Generous product discounts and livel

12 weeks Paid Parental Leave

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Oroton, established in 1938, seeks a senior Fabric Development Manager to lead apparel fabric development strategy across Womenswear and Menswear from our Melbourne Design Studio. You will link Design, Merchandising and Production to ensure fabrics are developed, sourced and nominated in line with quality, compliance and critical-path needs.

You will drive fabric strategy, manage approvals and development through to bulk handover, maintain data documentation, and collaborate with ESG teams to

Qualifications

• Proven experience in fabric development, sourcing and apparel product development.
• Strong technical knowledge of fabric construction, testing, compliance and responsible sourcing.
• Demonstrated experience managing critical paths, supplier relationships and timelines.
• Commercial acumen balancing quality, cost, lead time and sourcing needs.
• Strong project management skills and highly organised approach.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• A collaborative leadership style with capability building.
• Passion for product, innovation and fast-paced retail environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead fabric sourcing, development and nomination across Womenswear and Menswear.
• Drive fabric strategy, sourcing efficiencies and product outcomes.
• Manage fabric approvals, testing and development through to bulk handover.
• Maintain fabric data, coding and documentation for governance.
• Partner with Design, Merchandising, Production and ESG to meet requirements.
• Drive critical-path management and process improvements.
• Lead and develop the Pattern Maker and promote collaboration.

Skills

Fabric development

Sourcing

Apparel dev

Fabric testing

Stakeholder mgmt

Project mgmt

Tools

Technical knowledge

Job description

Oroton, established in 1938, seeks a senior Fabric Development Manager to lead apparel fabric development strategy across Womenswear and Menswear from our Melbourne Design Studio. You will link Design, Merchandising and Production to ensure fabrics are developed, sourced and nominated in line with quality, compliance and critical-path needs.

You will drive fabric strategy, manage approvals and development through to bulk handover, maintain data documentation, and collaborate with ESG teams to