At The North Face we dare to lead the world forward through Exploration. We were born to Explore, Disrupt and to Lead. We were born to Love Wild Places and to Spark Curiosity. We believe that exploration is a mindset - both on the mountain and off the mountain - and it infuses everything we do. As a community of explorers, we stay curious about new ideas, places, and people.
So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of adventure-loving people, The North Face just may be the place for you.
To learn more about our values and our culture, visit The North Face Careers or www.thenorthface.com.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SUCCEED?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 4+ years of experience in Apparel/Accessories material development and sourcing.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Strong product acumen with working knowledge of product development processes, including design, development, sourcing and manufacturing
• Excellent collaboration skills and an ability to manage multiple timelines and deadlines
• Proactive approach to identifying the root cause of issues, seeking the best solutions with a values driven commitment to do what is right
• Strong organizational skills. Ability to access information accurately and readily when needed.
• High degree of agility and adaptability
• Growth mindset and enthusiasm for learning new tools and problem-solving
• Passion for your work equal to your passion for getting outside and living it
• Availability for domestic and international travel 5% of your time.

As a Senior Materials Developer of Apparel, your responsibility is to work under the guidance of Materials team leadership to support and execute departmental initiatives. Your primary responsibility is to successfully develop a broad range of materials based on the needs of specified product creation teams, while ensuring materials meet the requirements of functionality, QA and compliance standards, and company sustainability goals. You will accomplish this in close collaboration with supply partners, Design, Quality Assurance, Product Management, and VF Sourcing teams. Identify and evaluate processes that will create efficiencies for the Materials department and providing technical support to the Material and Asssociate Developers to advance the use of applied knowledge.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• Provide technical expertise to Product teams and develop new and innovative materials
• Ensure the timely execution of seasonal developments. Anticipate problems and facilitate solutions that minimize sample and production delays.
• Develop and foster strong business partnerships with material manufactures.
• Support Apparel Materials leadership in execution of departmental objectives and initiatives.
• Ensure all QA Testing Lab requirements are met to facilitate the timely testing of raw materials.
• Ensure the Product Line Management (PLM) database is consistently updated and accurate.
• Collaborate with Creative Services team to assist in presentation of seasonal material trends.
• Collaborate and support satellite offices for strategic initiatives and process improvements.
• Identify and help develop resolution for problematic processes and tools/systems limitations.
• Work with the Business Management team to support company sourcing strategies and supply chain initiatives.