Associate Manager, Raw Materials

Qualified Recruiter, LLC; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job description

Now Hiring: Associate Manager, Raw Materials

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid – 3 days onsite / 2 days remote)

Salary: $75,000–$80,000 annually

We're looking for an Associate Manager, Raw Materials to join a leading apparel company in New York. This role is ideal for someone with experience in fabric development, raw material sourcing, and cross-functional collaboration who enjoys working closely with Design, Product Management, and Global Sourcing teams to bring high-quality products to market.

What You'll Do

• Manage the fabric development process, ensuring projects stay on track and deadlines are met.
• Partner with Design, Sales, Product Management, and Global Sourcing teams to execute seasonal sourcing strategies.
• Work directly with mills and suppliers to develop fabrics that meet aesthetic, quality, performance, pricing, and lead-time expectations.
• Review and evaluate fabric submissions, ensuring they meet all development requirements.
• Create and maintain seasonal development charts, reports, and raw material documentation.
• Monitor seasonal fabric adoption and provide development insights.
• Participate in weekly cross-functional meetings, providing updates on development progress and potential risks.
• Coordinate material testing and proactively identify and resolve development issues.
• Attend fabric trade shows and maintain relationships with domestic and international suppliers.
• Support trend research, sustainability initiatives, and fabric innovation.
• Maintain accurate material data within PLM systems.
• Organize and maintain fabric libraries, archives, and presentation materials for design and sales meetings.
• Assist with trim sourcing and development, special projects, and day-to-day raw materials operations.

What We're Looking For

• 3–7 years of experience in fabric development, textile sourcing, or raw materials within the apparel industry.
• Experience working with PLM systems.
• Strong knowledge of fabric construction, sourcing, development, and testing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; advanced Excel skills are a plus.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and project management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent relevant experience.

If you're passionate about fabrics, sourcing, and product development and are looking to grow your career with a collaborative apparel team, we'd love to hear from you!