Senior Lead - Apparel Material Development (Performance)

In this leadership role, you will drive the global performance materials strategy and advance textile technology across fabric creation and advanced material development. You’ll guide cross-functional teams to deliver high-performance, sustainable material solutions from concept to garment production, mentoring junior specialists as needed. You will manage multi-season material programs, cultivate supplier and factory partnerships, and maintain our material library and PLM-driven specifications. This position offers the opportunity to shape performance textiles for global sports products and lead innovative material initiatives.

• Define, develop, and lead creation and strategic sourcing of technical, high-performance apparel materials (knits, wovens, trims) per briefs and sustainability policies
• Establish fabric availability standards, sourcing policies, and QA processes; support target prices and program timelines across the global supply chain
• Lead material development workstreams across multiple product seasons to align with program objectives
• Drive and report on material-specific targets in line with the sustainability roadmap, ensuring compliance and circularity
• Create and maintain material and trim specifications, prints, and documentation using PLM; promote best practices within the team
• Manage the material lifecycle with robust testing for high-intensity sports applications and continuous improvement
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with T2 material suppliers and T1 garment factories to support development, quality, and process improvements
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the apparel material library and tools for the product creation team
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Design, Product Development, Product Management, Innovation, Sustainability, and Testing across EU & Asia regions

• Bachelor’s degree in Textile Engineering, Textile Technology, Apparel Science, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in performance apparel material/fabric development
• Global travel experience to T2 mills/suppliers and T1 factories
• Proven experience managing cross-functional material development projects
• Deep knowledge of performance fabric, garment construction methods, and manufacturing processes
• Demonstrated success in driving innovation in performance materials
• Strong analytical and organizational skills with ability to present to leadership
• Leadership and mentorship capabilities and ability to work independently in a matrixed organization
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Agility to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

• collaboration
• communication
• negotiation
• performance textiles expertise
• garment construction methods (bonding, seam-sealing, knitting)
• PLM system