Sr Manager, Materials R&D - BR

Gap Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Gap Inc. in San Francisco seeks a fabric development leader to drive innovation, costing, and positioning using consumer insights, mill strategies, and key trends.

You will champion a fabric-first mindset across the product-to-market process and partner with Gap Inc teams in North America, plus Asia-based mills, to execute cross-functional strategies. You will collaborate with Product Development and Merchandising to ensure fabrics align with pricing architecture, identify cost-saving

Qualifications

• Strong experience with fabric constructions, dye techniques, finishes, and garment construction.
• Ability to influence decisions across geographies in a matrix environment where speed and cultural sensitivity are crucial.
• Ability to assess relatively complex situations and analyze data to make judgments and recommend solutions.
• Sound knowledge of R&D concepts and cross-functional processes across design, production, tech design, merchandising QA, sustainability, and sourcing.

Responsibilities

• Analyze fabric needs across the company and communicate recommendations to cross-functional partners for leveraging fabric qualities.
• Track fabric development KPIs and reporting to level-set expectations across functional areas.
• Partner with Product Development and Merchandising to ensure fabrics fit the V/G/B/B pricing architecture.
• Identify fabrics to cost-engineer and communicate with Mill management.
• Drive fabric process discipline through the product-to-market calendar from Mill Week to Fabric Alignment and Sampling.
• Build cross-functional partnerships and influence strategy for the division and team.

Skills

Fabric development

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Global influence

Job description

About the Role

In this role, you will leverage consumer insights, mill strategies, and key trends to drive fabric development, innovation, costing, and positioning. You will drive a ‘Fabric First’ mentality and strategy throughout the product-to-market process. You will also provide direction and thought partnership to internal Gap Inc teams in North America, as well as the Mill Management and Fabric Engineering teams in Asia based on cross-functional strategies.

What You’ll Do

• Analyze fabric needs across the company Communicate recommendations to cross functional partners for leveraging qualities across divisions, taking into consideration and tracking all components of the fabric and wash resource library to support seasonal inspiration, as well as archive Gap Inc platformed fabrics

• Track Fabric development KPIs and brand discipline on number of seasonal developments and fabric testing reporting and risk assessment tool to level set expectations across functional areas

• Partner with Product Development and Merchandising to ensure that fabrics are within the V/G/B/B pricing architecture

• Identify fabrics that need to be cost engineered and communicate with the Mill management team

• Drive fabric process discipline throughout product to market calendar to ensure alignment at each key milestone from Mill Week to Fabric Alignment and Sampling

• Build cross functional partnerships and consensus; influence strategy for your division and team

Who You Are

• Strong experience with fabric constructions, dye techniques, finishes, and garment construction and manufacturing/sourcing processes

• Proven ability to influence and make decisions across geographies in a matrix environment where speed and cultural sensitivity is crucial

• Ability to assess relatively complex situations and analyze data to make judgments and recommend solutions

• Sound knowledge of concepts and procedures specific to R&D and a basic understanding of the procedures across cross functional teams within design, production, tech design, merchandising quality assurance, sustainability, and sourcing