Fabric Sourcing Co-ordinator

John Lewis Partnership; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail partnership in London is seeking a Fabric Sourcing Coordinator to manage sourcing strategies and ensure profitability and sustainability. Candidates should have extensive knowledge of fabric sourcing and experience working with suppliers globally. The role allows for flexible working arrangements, combining office and home-based work. A competitive salary of up to £45,000 is offered.

Benefits

Hybrid working model

Employee ownership

Good work-life balance

Qualifications

• Knowledge of raw materials and fabric qualities.
• Experience in fabric development and sourcing.
• Awareness of production processes from spinning to bulk.

Responsibilities

• Develop fabric and trim sourcing strategy.
• Source fabric aligning with business strategy.
• Contribute to sustainable fabric sourcing.

Skills

Fabric sourcing knowledge

Experience with mills and suppliers

Strong fabric knowledge

Fashion trend awareness

Education

Degree or equivalent work experience in Fabric sourcing

Job description

About the role

At a glance:

• Contract type: Permanent
• Working pattern/flexible working: The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team aims for up to 3 days a week in the office to connect.
• Location: This role is based at our London Head Office campus in Pimlico.
• Salary: The salary expectations for this role is up to £45,000 depending on experience.
• Interview: The interviews for this role will take place on either 16th or 17th December.

As a Fabric Sourcing Coordinator in the Sourcing profession you will work with the Fabric Sourcing Manager and contribute to the development of the overall fabric sourcing strategy.

You will be recognised as an expert in fabric who is responsible for the sourcing, negotiation and consolidation of own label fabrics and trims.

You will be responsible for delivering profitability and sustainability that meet directorate strategy whilst ensuring fabrics are aligned to trend/design and customer needs.

You will work closely with:

• Category Sourcing Specialist
• Category Managers
• Buyers and Designers
• Sourcing Merchandisers
• CSR team
• Technical team

Key responsibilities

• Contribution/input into fabric and trim sourcing strategy inc mill numbers, location, costs quality, cost, lead times
• Identify global consolidation opportunities
• Responsible for the sustainable fabric sourcing requirements to align with business strategy.
• Working closely with key Stakeholders to meet the brand quality and value requirements whilst increasing the sustainable offer for the Customer.
• Consolidating fabrics & trims across categories/Buying Offices
• Running of the tender programme for core fabrics

What will you be doing

• Contributes to the overall fabric and trim sourcing strategy.
• Sources fabric that delivers the business strategy.
• Recommend to Fabric Sourcing Manager which mills to introduce, grow decline and exit
• Liaises with mills, assessing mills
• Fabric library management
• Support the consolidation of base cloths and yarns from the right suppliers, right regions at the right prices and quality, considering end manufacturer location.
• Continuous updating of market knowledge
• Challenge teams when fabric development requests are not inline with business strategy
• Act in accordance with the Partnership’s purpose and democratic principles, constructively participating in co-ownership, and demonstrating to customers and each other that it is a better way of doing business. Share your knowledge, experiences, ideas and opinion to improve the Partnership, speaking honestly and frequently.
• Invest in your personal and professional development to achieve your potential, by doing more, doing better, or doing different. Continuously engage with and actively contribute to your Profession
• Take responsibility for actively engaging with change.

Essential skills you’ll need

• Knowledgeable in fabric sourcing, development & knowledge with great overall knowledge of raw materials, fabric qualities, current costs and business performance standards.
• Experience of working directly with mills and yarn suppliers across the globe.
• Strong Fabric knowledge across woven and jersey in production from spinning to bulk.
• Strong fashion and trend awareness

Desirable skills you’ll have

• Degree or equivalent work experience in Fabric sourcing
• Strong fabric technical knowledge in production from spinning to bulk.
• Strong understanding of Fabric Performance and quality standards.
• Knowledge of knit yarn in production from spinning to bulk.

Internal Partners - You can view a copy of the full job outline here

Important points to note

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.

The partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.