Manager of Fabric R&D

We are the champions of childhood

Hanna Andersson is a Portland, Oregon-based premier kids and baby clothing brand. Our clothes are made to play, made to last, and designed to let kids be kids. We have core commitments to design, quality, and sustainability, and we believe in helping families create meaningful everyday moments. These principles guide the Hanna Way, and lead to an experience authentically different from other children’s brands.

We cultivate our unique brand by hiring team members who believe in these values, own a customer service mindset, and who are innovative, results-oriented, and comfortable working in a collaborative and growth-driven work environment. We all share in our brand’s success, and we actively encourage our team members to maintain a healthy balance in their daily lives.

Position Summary

The Manager of Fabric R&D is responsible for managing the sourcing of new and duplication fabrics from development to bulk production. The manager will assess raw material cost and supply, mitigate risk, identify counter-source opportunities, and leverage raw materials. They will partner with the Product team to select new concepts to develop and communicate fabric development progress throughout the season. They will approve fabric qualities across vendors and divisions. The Fabric R&D Manager must have expert knowledge of apparel development cycles, raw materials and the fabric development process. They must have strong communication, organization, time management, collaboration, judgment, strategy and leadership skills.

Primary Duties (Identified Essential Functions*)

• Champion Hanna’s commitment to quality by partnering with internal teams and external vendors to develop superior fabrics supporting Hanna’s sustainability initiatives, meet testing requirements, and consistently delivers on Hanna’s designed- for-play and hand-me-down quality.*
• Responsible for on-time development of new and duplication fabrics in alignment with Go To Market Calendar and in collaboration with cross-functional team members.*
• Partner with Product Team to select new concepts to develop.*
• Effectively and efficiently communicate fabric development progress with internal teams to drive fabric related decision-making and influence fabric consolidation, leveraging, and cost savings opportunities.*
• Responsible for bulk fabric quality review and approval across all fabric qualities, vendors, and divisions.*
• Maintain accurate material records in PLM to build material database for informing future seasonal raw material assessment and strategy.*
• Collaborates with Product team in solving in season fabric issues.

Required General Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent knowledge of raw materials and fabric development process
• Strong understanding of Go To Market Calendar
• Excellent communication skills and ability to effectively collaborate with external vendors and internal teams to influence and drive decision-making
• High attention to detail and strong organization skills
• Ability to follow-through and complete assignments within tight deadlines
• Must be able to work with a sense of urgency
• Self-starter, ability to work independently and collaboratively, and requires little to no supervision.
• Ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, incorporate them into organizational planning.
• Action Oriented—enjoys working hard and looks for challenges; able to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available; not afraid to take charge of a situation; can overcome resistance to leadership and take unpopular stands when necessary.
• General Management—exposure/general understanding of IT systems; broad experience with the full range of business functions and systems.
• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of word processing, databases, spreadsheets, e-mail and internet software.
• Demonstrated fluency in the English language

Education & Qualifications

• Degree in related field.
• 5-7 years of experience Sourcing or an equivalent amount of experience and education may qualify an incumbent for this role.

Hanna Talent Cultivation Standards:

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-Interview you via email and/or send you a list of questions in lieu of an interview

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-Ask for bank account or financial information during the recruiting process

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Hanna Andersson provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Hanna Andersson prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any kind. Hanna Andersson encourages applicants of all ages.