Raw Materials Manager, R&D Fabric Knit & Woven (Fabric Technologist)

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview
The Raw Materials Manager, R&D Fabric Knit & Woven will provide Technical support to regional R&D team on innovation, research, and development menus on sustainable raw materials for both woven and knit.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

* Having strong fabric analysis & re-engineering knowledge is pre- request.
* Conduct initial risk assessment on developing new fabrics or materials; improve existing core to maximize the core's usage without potential quality call out.
* Maintain accurate track records of experiments, test results, and fabric specifications to support R&D team for quicker turn-around time on new fabric development.
* Develop new fabric formulations and manufacturing processes to achieve the company's sustainable goal; improve fabric performance and reduce production costs.
* Collaborate with R&D team, Testing team and Product development team to determine the fabric requirements for new products and applications.
* Communicate with Testing team to ensure fabric quality standards are being established before scaling up for mass production.
* Work closely with Testing team to review and analyze samples of fabrics, identify performance issues, and develop solutions.
* Act as a consultant role to trouble-shooting any fabric technical issues with fabric production, such as issues with equipment or manufacturing processes, to ensure that production goals are met.
* Work closely with internal and external stake holders to ensure newly adopted fabric meeting Ralph Lauren's requirements.
* Staying up to date with textile industry trend, innovation, new technology and sustainability that support new fabric development.
* Collaborate with Raw Material Procurement/Production team to drive consolidation & COO developments as per sourcing strategies.
* Utilize technical expertise to realistically translate the design intent on fabric and yarn requests to meet raw material cost parameters and guidelines.
* Develop & maintain a portfolio for regional vendors with curated vendor, market strength, capabilities, and opportunities.
* Responsible to assess and secure quality risks during development to ensure compliance with brand Testing requirements.
* Oversee sample fabric approvals with Design determining proper hand feel, wash, and construction.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

* Degree holder in textile technology or related discipline.
* Minimum of 5 years' experience in fabric industry; prefer experience from both fabric mill and buying office.
* Strong technical knowledge on Knit fabric; knowing a broad range of fabric types is a plus.
* Familiar with fabric testing standards; demontrate the ability to decide appropriate testing method or tool for new fabric development.
* Strong analytical mindset and trouble-shooting skill.
* Organized and systematic team player; attention to details and quality standards.
* Able to manage multiple projects and deliverable deadlines.
* Clear communication skills, both verbal and written. Able to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and deliver fabric knowledge and support.
* Strong computer knowledge in Microsoft Office, specifically Excel
* PLM & SAP system knowledge would be an advantage