Sustainable Materials Development Lead

Lever, Inc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Mulberry is seeking a Raw Materials Development Manager to lead end-to-end seasonal material development, including sourcing, supplier management, and timely delivery of high-quality leather goods and accessories.

You will collaborate with design, product management, and quality teams, lead two direct reports, manage budgets, and ensure alignment with sustainability goals across the Made to Last strategy.

Qualifications

• Leather goods manufacturing knowledge: leather types, tanning, construction.
• Supplier management: onboarding, evaluation, MOQs, negotiations.
• Sourcing materials aligned with design aesthetics and sustainability goals.
• Budget management for raw materials and cost optimization.
• Collaborate across design, production, quality and sustainability teams.
• Lead seasonal development timelines and manage teams.
• Proficiency with PLM/ERP and MS Office for data management.
• Quality assurance, regulatory compliance and brand standards.
• Sustainability and ethical sourcing practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead seasonal development launches with strong supplier communication.
• Oversee critical path to ensure timely leather goods delivery.
• Collaborate on colour palettes and material codes with design team.
• Source materials and provide timely research for design.
• Oversee material development approvals and production sign-off.
• Lead raw material and pre-production meetings.
• Manage seasonal raw materials budget and identify savings.
• Track leather development and manage supplier tech sheets.
• Coordinate leather production sign-off with sourcing and quality teams.
• Align sourcing with sustainability goals and communicate with suppliers.
• Foster cross-functional teamwork with sampling and product development.
• Hire, train, and manage direct reports and maintain workflows.
• Oversee daily administrative tasks and ensure efficient processes.

Skills

Leather knowledge

Supplier management

Material sourcing

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Project leadership

Technical proficiency

Quality & compliance

Sustainability practices

Tools

PLM

ERP

MS Office

Job description

Mulberry is seeking a Raw Materials Development Manager to lead end-to-end seasonal material development, including sourcing, supplier management, and timely delivery of high-quality leather goods and accessories.

You will collaborate with design, product management, and quality teams, lead two direct reports, manage budgets, and ensure alignment with sustainability goals across the Made to Last strategy.