Testing & Production Validation Manager

varsitybrands; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

BSN SPORTS, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY is seeking a Testing & Production Validation Manager to oversee the product testing lab, manage intake and scheduling, and ensure readiness for production. You will partner with Product Development, Production Capabilities, Quality, Sourcing, and Art to align testing with business needs.

You will lead the team, establish testing standards, maintain audit-ready logs, and drive continuous improvement in lab capacity, methods, and documentation to support timely

Qualifications

• Strong lab, project, and workflow management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple testing requests, balance capacity, and meet deadlines.
• Working knowledge of apparel, decorated-product, material, or quality testing.

Responsibilities

• Own the daily operation and readiness of the product testing lab, ensuring equipment and samples are maintained in a safe, orderly, and production-ready condition.
• Receive and assess testing requests, set scope, samples, test requirements, acceptance criteria, and due dates; prioritize work based on business needs and risk.
• Organize, perform, and oversee wash, durability, adhesion, exposure, decorated-apparel, material, and production-process testing per established methods and safety requirements.
• Track samples and projects through each stage of testing, monitor milestones and completion dates, and escalate delays to stakeholders.
• Record test conditions and results, manage pass/fail documentation, summarize findings and recommended next steps, and communicate schedules and risks to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Maintain complete audit-ready test logs, specifications, photos, approvals, dashboards, and supporting documentation; retain historical test samples for easy reference.
• Develop and maintain test methods, lab procedures, templates, production-readiness criteria, and standard work to improve consistency and decision quality.
• Partner with Product Development, Production Capabilities, Production, Quality, Sourcing, Art, Continuous Improvement, Sales, and vendors to define testing needs and ensure alignment with business requirements.
• Update testing dashboards and monitor workload, cycle time, on-time completion, failure trends, and recurring issues; recommend improvements to lab capacity, equipment, methods, workflows, and documentation.
• Establish priorities and performance expectations for the testing function; train and develop future testing team members; plan staffing, equipment, and capability needs as volume grows.
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Lab management

Project management

Workflow prioritization

Quality testing knowledge

Job description

BSN SPORTS, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY - THE RECOGNIZED LEADER IN TEAM ATHLETIC GEAR

For over 50 years, BSN SPORTS has been the largest team sporting goods equipment and apparel distributor of choice in the United States . Our 3,000 BSN SPORTS employees strive to support the Heart of the Game by putting valuable time back into the day of coaches and administrators through excellent service platforms. Our company mission is simple: Save coaches and administrators time with everything they do off the field so they have more time to impact young lives on it.

WORK TYPE: On Site

WORK HOURS: M-F, 8-5p (onsite)

LOCATION DETAILS : 5349 W. 76th Street, Indianapolis, IN or 950 E. Avenue K, Grand Prairie, TX

Please note: This position does not offer relocation assistance. Candidates must be able to work from the designated location without company-sponsored relocation

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

The Testing & Production Validation Manager owns the day-to-day operation and future development of the product testing lab, including testing intake, prioritization, scheduling, execution, documentation, sample retention, and stakeholder communication. This role Establishes testing practices for internal decoration methods, equipment, production materials, and process readiness ; ensures wash, durability, adhesion, exposure, and other required testing is completed accurately and on time; and provides clear, documented results that support production readiness, quality, and business decisions.

The Manager partners closely with Production Capabilities, Product Development, Quality, Sourcing, Production, Art, and other cross-functional teams and is expected to build and lead additional testing resources as the function grows.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• Testing Lab Ownership : Own the daily operation, organization, capacity, and performance of the product testing lab, ensuring testing equipment, supplies, work areas, records, and retained samples are maintained in a safe, orderly, and production-ready condition.
• Testing Intake, Prioritization, and Scheduling: Receive and assess testing requests; confirm scope, samples, test requirements, acceptance criteria, and due dates; prioritize work based on business needs and risk; and create and maintain testing calendars and project schedules.
• Testing Execution and Oversight: Organize, perform, and oversee wash, durability, adhesion, exposure, decorated-apparel, material, and production-process testing in accordance with established methods, specifications, and safety requirements.
• Project Tracking and Follow-Through: Track samples and projects through each stage of testing, monitor milestones and completion dates, follow up on overdue activities, and escalation to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Results, Decisions, and Communication: Record test conditions and results, manage pass/fail documentation, summarize findings and recommended next steps, and communicate schedules, progress, outcomes, risks, and delays to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Documentation and Sample Management: Maintain complete and audit-ready test logs, specifications, photos, approvals, dashboards, and supporting documentation; categorize and retain historical test samples so prior results can be retrieved, compared, and referenced efficiently.
• Testing Standards and Governance: Develop and maintain test methods, lab procedures, templates, production-readiness criteria, reporting formats, sample-retention practices, and standard work that improve consistency, repeatability, traceability, and decision quality.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Development, Production Capabilities, Production, Quality, Sourcing, Art, Continuous Improvement, Sales, and vendors to define testing needs, resolve issues, support product and process validation, and ensure testing aligns with business and customer requirements.
• Lab Performance and Continuous Improvement: Update testing dashboards and monitor workload, cycle time, on-time completion, failure trends, and recurring issues; recommend improvements to lab capacity, equipment, methods, workflows, and documentation.
• Team Leadership and Growth : Establish priorities and performance expectations for the testing function; train and develop future testing team members; and help define staffing, equipment, and capability needs as testing volume and scope expand.
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Strong lab, project, and workflow management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple testing requests, balance capacity, and meet committed deadlines.
• Working knowledge of apparel, decorated-product, material, or quality t