Senior Materials Developer - Fabric

At Fanatics Commerce, we’re more than just a leader in licensed sports merchandise – we’re a team united by a relentless passion for our fans and a commitment to innovation. We live by our BOLD Leadership principles: We Build Championship Teams, we’re Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined and Relentless Mindset. If you’re ready to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment that thrives on collaboration and growth, we want you to be part of our team.

We are looking for a Senior Material Developer - Fabric to work closely with various cross-functional partners including design, product development, QA, suppliers, vendors and PCC material team, as well as internal cross-functional teams. This Senior Material Developer needs to be highly organized, detailed, action oriented with a proactive focus on risk assessment, time management, and project prioritization while working on multiple seasons and should have the ability to be flexible and manage a team and large workload in a fast-paced environment.

The primary responsibility of this position is leading the research & development of any nominated material of assigned product lines from Fabric from concept to commercialization, in accordance with end-user needs, corporate standards for quality, consistency & functionality, while meeting price, minimums, and sourcing strategies. Maintaining complete and accurate records, physical & digital libraries & toolboxes, and providing technical fabric expertise & support to the brands. Establish control-related standards and procedures.

How you will make an impact :

• Leverages advanced technical knowledge of textiles, finishes and emerging material technologies to drive innovative solutions that enhance product performance, sustainability, and differentiation in the marketplace. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to pilot and scale innovative material applications from concept through commercialization.
• Works closely with Product Development group to lead development of new fabrics, technologies and decorations, meeting time and action calendar requirements. This involves translating conceptual needs into marketable fabrics and decorations that meet cost, quality, & compliance requirements.
• Communicates development specifications to PCC and/or mills/vendors to enable development sourcing according to price, lead-time and aesthetic needs of product development group and business objectives. Inclusive of but not limited to decoration and color compatibility requirements specific to Licensed Sports complexity and service requirements.
• Provide solution-oriented support to cross-functional partners, managing adherence to calendar deliverables throughout every step of the process (Design, Art, Merch, Sourcing, Vendors, Materials Team, Product Integrity). Provide options/solutions alternatives for Design, Sourcing and Merchandising on costing & QA challenges. Drive decision making on fabric, trim, color, & costing.
• Creates, organizes, presents and maintains seasonal research and development in collaboration with product development, strategic sourcing team and the PCC. Propose seasonal updates to fabrics and trims, incorporating relevant trends and performance attributes.
• Manages, tracks, approves/rejects and comments on all material development with PCC and/or supplier to meet brand standard requirements. Facilitates and prioritizes work to meet time and action calendar delivery requirements. Communicates production concerns and presents solutions, inclusive of root cause analysis and corrective action plan targets.
• Identify opportunities within the process to increase speed, efficiency, and quality. Partner with Director/Manager on process improvement implementation
• Creates, organizes, and maintains complete and accurate material library/Toolbox in accordance to calendar deadlines to meet on-time performance targets. Ensures consistency of material standards and data integrity across all approved materials in toolboxes, databases, testing reports & RMDS specifications.
• Understands lab testing methodologies, reviews testing failures, collaborates with Product Integrity team for resolution.
• Reviews and presents material key performance metrics through analysis, leveraging this insight to influence strategy.
• Facilitates and maintains material testing performance, in conjunction with PI, to meet brand standard requirements in development that are relevant to the end product consumer use and industry standard.
• Travel as necessary to finalize the development of materials & seasonal research
• Support and guide developers on development related questions and supporting manager in any special projects

What you bring to the team:

• Years of Related Professional Experience in Textiles: 7+
• Bachelors degree in fashion design or textiles or comparable combination of education and experience
• Must be able to provide technical expertise of fabric and decoration
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate change and improvement in processes
• Must be able to identify issues and analyze relevant data to determine course of action
• Demonstrated ability to generate innovative solutions to work situations
• Professional communication skills (presentation, written, verbal)
• Proven organizational skills
• Must be detail oriented
• Proven ability to meet deadlines
• Strong computer skills (Excel / PLM)
• Excellent analytical skills
• Score of Superior on Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test preferred
• Experience using spectrophotometer preferred

At Fanatics, we value transparency and honesty. If you don’t meet every single requirement, that’s okay – we still want to hear from you! We believe in the power of diverse experiences and talents. If you’re excited about the role and confident that you can contribute, don’t hesitate to apply. We’re genuinely interested in how your unique skills and perspective can help us build something amazing together.

What’s in it for you:

• Culture: Join a team where you're surrounded by top-tier talent, driven by a shared passion to relentlessly enhance the fan experience. With a focus on collaboration, support, and continuous development, you’ll be empowered to help shape our culture that celebrates both individual and team successes.
• Benefits: We provide a wide range of health, financial, legal, and development assistance, including wellness programs with fitness and weight management partners, paid maternity paternity leave, and infertility treatment. Additionally, we offer flexible time off to help you recharge, along with a competitive 401k plan to support your financial future. At Fanatics, we’re dedicated to supporting you in all aspects of work and life.