Footwear Sourcing & Production Architect

Laceless Design; Greater London; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Axel Arigato is seeking a Sourcing & Production Specialist for footwear in Gothenburg. You will bridge product development and production, ensuring high-quality, timely footwear production from prototypes to launch while coordinating with local sourcing teams and suppliers.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in footwear production/sourcing, including costing and material testing, with at least 2 years in-brand.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in footwear production/sourcing, including costing, materials, fit, wear, quality, and testing
• At least 2 years of that experience within a brand
• Strong analytical and negotiation skills
• Organized and technical, with solid planning and forecasting ability
• Able to balance several complex priorities running at once
• Solution-oriented, with an uncompromising eye for product quality
• Willing to travel to our production markets

Responsibilities

• Serve as the production specialist for footwear during the entire product development lifecycle
• Work with the Product Development & Sourcing office to ensure smooth industrialization from prototypes to production
• Manage tier two suppliers by forecasting, negotiating, and sourcing materials to enhance quality, sustainability, availability, and margins
• Manage packing materials and other special projects
• Travel to production markets to assist with supplier onboarding and launches and to train local sourcing teams during industrialization and initial orders
• Review bulk materials and samples with sourcing teams
• Maintain product trackers and ensure completion of all critical production gates
• Analyze CBDs and negotiate prices for core styles
• Project-lead the quick-strike critical path and different approval gates
• Manage our tooling budget, tooling ordering, amortizations, and follow-up

Skills

Footwear production

Sourcing

Negotiation

Forecasting

Planning

Analytical skills

Brand experience

Travel willingness

Job description

Axel Arigato is seeking a Sourcing & Production Specialist for footwear in Gothenburg. You will bridge product development and production, ensuring high-quality, timely footwear production from prototypes to launch while coordinating with local sourcing teams and suppliers.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years in footwear production/sourcing, including costing and material testing, with at least 2 years in-brand.