DIRECTOR-MATERIALS (Fabric, Color, Trim, Components)

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.

The Materials Director leads the Asia (Bangkok) PCC team of fabric, trim, component developers & colorists. The focus areas are commercializing product, risk assessment, delivering to the business & sourcing strategies, innovation, and technical expertise to lead & train the team and be a consult to mills, vendors, and x-functional partners / brand. In addition, the role works closely with the team leads from product development to develop / explore new fabrics, unlock new technology while meeting time and seasonal action calendar requirements and providing seasonal metrics & dashboards on Materials performance & developments KPIs. This involves translating conceptual needs into marketable materials that meet cost requirements. Utilizes technical expertise to realistically translate the design intent and aesthetic into clear, executable direction for the material suppliers.

The role also includes providing quarterly material financial outlook analyses regionally and provide recommendations to mitigate any cost or lead-time headwinds. The Materials Director will execute Tier 2 sourcing strategies, aligning them with Tier 1 finished garment sourcing regional strategies. Additionally, the Director will focus on streamlining and optimizing the supplier base while collaborating with the TPA headquarters, Sustainability, and Sourcing teams.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

Material Development & Execution:

• Lead team of developers through prototyping , sampling, and production of all new materials (fabrics, components, trims, branding) and coloration of these materials, to service the requirements of Fanatics Brands.

• Consult & deliver to Material & Product Risk Assessment gates during the design and development cycle, providing technical expertise to avoid material and/or product concepts that will compromise the quality standards of the brand

• Drive calendar and OTP to Production Buy Ready deadlines, inclusive of escalation protocols to resolve approvals exceeding timeline limits and/or failing quality requirements. Provide root cause analysis and corrective action plans to improve overall product performance.

• Deep focus on team sports & team coloration – solution-oriented approach to leverage suppliers, minimize MOQ, and drive critical color matching needs.

Business Intelligence:

• Provide relevant material market information and intelligence through to business partners, inclusive of material direction, market trends, supplier activities, process technologies, material volumes, and recent innovations / developments or fabric insights on strategy.

• Align activities with Brand strategy and pricing / quality

• Provide local textile market information and intelligence through business networks, that yields accurate market data including, competitor activities, general market volume, global market indicators impacting cost and insights on production and manufacturing protocols

• Lead the team with gathering data to manage scorecards and metrics that maintains a mill Matrix of the best performing suppliers. Identify key performance areas requiring development, quality and service improvement to ensure the source strategy meets Fanatics brand and supply chain requirements. Ensure all required development inputs into the KPI dashboard (color, development, testing).

• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of all communication for material data & specification sheets, RMDS, trackers and quality hangers for all seasonal new and carryover materials.

• Drive business efficiencies on fabric developments and maintain a balanced fabric portfolio of carryover versus new fabrications and/or colors.

• Design and Maintenance of all SOPs related to the Materials team in the PCC.

• Closely partner & leverage processes / dashboards with other PCC office for a universal approach & communication back to TPA Head office.

Quality/ Product Integrity:

• Ensure product integrity of all business channels Fanatics and Nike by initiating the testing of all materials, inclusive of QC and domestic decoration testing, to meet the needs of customers and business requirements. Be a primary input and consul for all areas of material quality that would need improving from a standards POV as well as a manufacturing aspect.

• Support PI on root cause analysis and corrective action plan with any materials issue.

• Consistently utilize technical expertise to proactively minimize QA issues and propose solutions on any failures within the material itself and also fabric + color + decoration combinations.

Material Sourcing

• Sources, evaluates and drives the onboarding of new material T2 suppliers based on the brand strategy, price/quality objectives, capabilities and new/innovative fabrics.

• Partner with our sourcing colleagues on fabric pre-positioning on core programs.

• Negotiate, source and counter source where necessary materials are required to support the garment sourcing strategy for price, speed and flexibility.

• Build and maintain good relationships with the key mills, and ensures smooth, efficient and effective communications with all cross functional partners, in all Fanatics offices.

Coaching / People Skills

• Develop, Supervise, train and mentor Materials team in all responsibilities ensuring on-time, efficient and accurate Materials approvals & processing

• Evaluate and maintain enough material technicians to support the business, train Fanatics vendors (T1 / T2 / T3) and solve production issues when they arise when related to materials and components.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM

• Minimum 10-15+ years in textile / apparel or sports industry.

• 5+ years leading / managing regional teams.

• Bachelor’s Degree, in a related field of Textile study, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent functional experience.

• Strong technical fabric background with Knitting, Dyeing and Finishing techniques.

• Knowledge on different yarn types and knitted material characteristics (blends, count, weight, strength, warmth, wicking, etc).

• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe programs, Gerber, Web PDM, Excel and related, 3D development experienced is a plus.

• Able to build & grow strong relationships with mills & suppliers.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to partner cross functionally and effectively with design, merchandising, sourcing and overseas offices.

• Strong negotiation skills.

• Able to establish and enforce control-related and procedures.

• Self- starter with the ability to take charge, in a hands-on management style.

• Must be deadline driven and have a pro-active and creative approach to problem solving.

• Strong sense of urgency and intuitive sense of priorities and accuracy.

• Willing and able to travel extensively, often to foreign and/or remote locations.

• English proficiency required.

• PLM experience required.

• Natific experience preferred.

WHERE YOU’LL WORK

• This role is based in Bangkok, Thailand.