Materials Innovation Apprentice — Research & Sustainability

Pentland Brands Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Product discounts

Sample sales

Enhanced family-friendly policies

Healthcare support

Gym and fitness discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Electric car scheme

Job summary

Pentland Brands Limited is offering an apprenticeship-based role combining on-the-job delivery with formal learning. You will support materials research, innovation scouting, and sustainability evaluation across apparel, accessories, and hardware within a commercial product development environment.

Based in the UK, the role blends hands-on work with structured development and opportunities to contribute to material selection decisions and collaboration with sustainable initiatives across the

Qualifications

• Academic or practical exposure to science, engineering, or materials-related subjects.
• Strong interest in materials science, textiles, sustainability, or product innovation.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to learn and adapt in a commercial environment.

Responsibilities

• Complete the requirements of the relevant apprenticeship standard and internal programme.
• Support research into existing and emerging materials technologies for sports and outdoor products.
• Investigate adjacent industry solutions for Pentland Brands’ product needs.
• Assist in evaluating woven, knitted, non-woven, synthetic, bio-based, and bio-polymer materials.
• Manage physical and digital materials libraries and record maintenance.
• Create material comparison matrices on performance, sustainability, and technical criteria.
• Support laboratory testing to assess material performance and suitability.
• Assist with academic and technical literature reviews.
• Liaise with mills, tier-2 suppliers, and material originators to gather data.
• Contribute to sustainability assessments with relevant teams.
• Communicate research insights to internal stakeholders clearly.
• Maintain documentation and follow best practices for materials handling.
• Understand balancing innovation, sustainability, and performance commercially.
• Contribute to presentations and updates for R&D forums.

Skills

Materials science

Sustainability

Product innovation

Research skills

Technical communication

Team collaboration

Education

Science/Engineering background

Job description

Pentland Brands Limited is offering an apprenticeship-based role combining on-the-job delivery with formal learning. You will support materials research, innovation scouting, and sustainability evaluation across apparel, accessories, and hardware within a commercial product development environment.

Based in the UK, the role blends hands-on work with structured development and opportunities to contribute to material selection decisions and collaboration with sustainable initiatives across the