Fabric & Materials Development Specialist

Champro Sports; Illinois; On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision and life insurance

Short-term and long-term disability

401K

Profit Sharing

Paid time off

Holidays

Gym membership reimbursement

Job summary

Champro Sports is seeking a textile materials developer to support fabric development, testing, and material performance evaluation across our product portfolio. You will work with suppliers, product development, quality, and design teams to ensure performance, cost, and aesthetics meet standards.

The role emphasizes fabric inspiration research, testing coordination, PLM data entry, and cross-functional collaboration, with opportunities to contribute to QC programs and pre-production planning.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in textiles, apparel, color, or materials development.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proactive communication and ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Knowledge of textile construction, fabric performance, fiber content, knit/woven structures, dyeing and finishing preferred.
• Experience with textile testing, textile science, or material development strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Excel; familiarity with PLM systems is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in Textile Science/Engineering/Technology or Material Science.

Responsibilities

• Assist in researching and organizing new fabric, trim, and color inspiration for seasonal concept development.
• Coordinate fabric and trim testing for shrinkage, stretch, colorfastness, fiber content, durability, and other performance requirements.
• Maintain material performance databases and testing history records; support QC surveillance programs.
• Enter and maintain material, trim, and color information in PLM and shared tracking tools.
• Partner with Design to distribute development swatches, lab dips, and submit samples for review.
• Help prepare seasonal development boards and assist with internal presentations to Design and Product teams.
• Monitor development calendars and coordinate with vendors to keep sampling and testing timelines on track.
• Track material and color testing results and communicate key findings to teams.
• Coordinate inbound and outbound sample shipments with proper labeling and documentation.
• Consolidate feedback to provide clear direction to vendors and support color and fabric development projects.
• Support pre-production planning and TOP sample timing; assist in QC investigations of raw material issues.
• Assist with QC testing protocols and record-keeping systems (Google Sheets/Smartsheet/Kubix).

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Proactive communication

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Textile Science/Engineering/Technology and Materials

Tools

Excel

PLM systems

Job description

Champro Sports is seeking a textile materials developer to support fabric development, testing, and material performance evaluation across our product portfolio. You will work with suppliers, product development, quality, and design teams to ensure performance, cost, and aesthetics meet standards.

The role emphasizes fabric inspiration research, testing coordination, PLM data entry, and cross-functional collaboration, with opportunities to contribute to QC programs and pre-production planning.