Materials Development Coordinator — Leather & Fabric Innovation

Tapestry; New York (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Kate Spade New York is seeking a Materials Coordinator to support sourcing, development, and organization of raw materials for leather goods from concept to bulk production approval. You will coordinate across leather, fabric, and hardware categories and liaise with suppliers and global materials teams.

You will collaborate with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, and Supply Chain to ensure timely development, documentation, and distribution of materials, swatches, and color palettes.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in materials development, product development, merchandising, sourcing, or a related function.
• Excellent organizational and project coordination skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with PLM or material management systems preferred.
• Interest in leather goods, materials development, and product creation.

Responsibilities

• Support sourcing and development of seasonal and core materials across leather, fabric, and hardware categories.
• Track new material developments and maintain master development charts daily.
• Obtain, organize, and archive material costing sheets.
• Maintain material databases and seasonal material charts.
• Distribute article master information to internal stakeholders and global teams.
• Collaborate closely with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, and Supply Chain teams throughout the development process.
• Communicate regularly with suppliers regarding development status, submissions, and material updates.
• Maintain material libraries, article masters, and seasonal boards.
• Label all material samples with complete article information and tracking details.
• Organize and maintain seasonal material rails and developments.
• Create and distribute material swatches to cross-functional teams.
• Update core and seasonal material boards with approved swatches.
• Maintain organization and inventory of article master closets and material storage areas.
• Create and maintain seasonal color palettes for internal and external distribution.
• Set up color requests within designated systems and databases.
• Create new colors and update color information within material databases.
• Track color proxy development status and manage receipt of submissions.
• Organize and distribute seasonal color proxy rings to internal partners.
• Maintain the Raw Materials Sourcing Closet and development areas.
• Ensure sourcing resources, sample libraries, and development materials remain organized and accessible.
• Support ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement of team organizational processes.

Skills

Materials development

Project coordination

Communication

Multi-project management

Tools

PLM systems

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Kate Spade New York is seeking a Materials Coordinator to support sourcing, development, and organization of raw materials for leather goods from concept to bulk production approval. You will coordinate across leather, fabric, and hardware categories and liaise with suppliers and global materials teams.

You will collaborate with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, and Supply Chain to ensure timely development, documentation, and distribution of materials, swatches, and color palettes.