Role & Responsibilities:
As part of the Global Material Sourcing (GMS) Team, the Technical Material Developer will execute the GMS FTW material development activities that service all FTW brands, with a focus on supporting the needs of technical and functional footwear. This role is the technical fabric engineering partner for Brand/Product teams and suppliers, responsible for translating end-use performance requirements into engineered textile solutions (fiber/yarn selection, knit/weave/warp-knit structures, finishing/lamination/coatings, and functional chemistries) and for driving material construction readiness for commercialization. The individual is responsible for managing and overseeing footwear material development and pre-production activities. The role will operationally connect with Brands, Sourcing Development, Sourcing Operations, Material Quality and Responsible Sourcing & Sustainability teams, and external materials suppliers. Frequent influential communication to external partners and VF management is required.
Key Result Areas:
- Support the development of FTW materials through the go-to-market calendar to ensure all milestones are timely met, including construction lock, testing sign-off, and factory readiness.
- Act as a key liaison for Product Development across all brands and partner with Innovation teams and Global Material Sourcing leadership on material engineering priorities that support all manufacturing regions.
- Proactively identify, evaluate, and onboard suppliers with strong fabric engineering, construction, and innovation capabilities (fiber/yarn platforms, knitting/weaving/warp-knit, finishing, lamination/coating, and functionalization) to expand VFs technical footwear material ecosystem.
- Provide fabric engineering leadership to enable informed trade-offs (weight, stretch/recovery, abrasion, breathability, water management, durability, cost, and manufacturability), and to align the material package to technical performance and construction compatibility.
- Define and maintain engineered material specifications (BOM inputs, construction parameters, critical-to-quality characteristics, and tolerance windows) and ensure supplier submissions meet spec intent through development and pre-production.
- Partner cross-functionally with VF Materials Labs, Sourcing and Quality teams to manage material testing, validation, and functional performance assessment, including test plan definition, results interpretation, and readiness sign-off for factory adoption.
- Lead/support failure analysis and root-cause investigation of fabric-related issues (construction, finishing, lamination, delamination, pilling, colorfastness, seam/slip, stretch/recovery, coating performance) and drive corrective actions with labs, suppliers, and factories.
- Support material cost negotiation tactics against set costing targets by utilizing fact-based methodology and by linking cost drivers to engineered construction choices in supplier-facing discussions.
- Support material supply-chain strategy by mapping supplier capabilities, capacity, lead times, and risk considerations across regions where we manufacture footwear, with attention to process capability and quality risk for technical constructions.
- Actively support sustainable material roadmaps through identification of supplier capabilities, capacities, and innovative, lower-impact yarn/fiber and fabric alternatives.
Behavioral Competencies -
- High EQ in working with cross function/cultural partners
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written)
- Optimistic and dare to take calculated risks
- Team player and the ability to work independently
- Bold and creative thinking
- Competent in managing relationships with suppliers and internal business partners
- Able to work under pressure with multiple tasks simultaneously while meeting tight deadlines
Functional Competencies
- Advanced knowledge of synthetic fibers, yarns, and engineered fabric construction (fiber chemistry, filament vs. spun, yarn formation/texturing, denier/decitex, ply/twist, shrinkage/heat-set behavior) and how these variables impact performance.
- Fabric construction engineering: ability to define/interpret key construction parameters (e.g., gauge, courses/wales, stitch architecture, warp-knit structures, weave patterns, GSM, cover factor, porosity, stretch/recovery) and to specify them for repeatable commercialization.
- Strong understanding of fabric manufacturing and finishing processes (knitting/weaving/warp-knit, dyeing/printing, heat-setting, brushing/sanding, calendaring, bonding/lamination, coatings/membranes, and functional chemistries) and the ability to translate end-use requirements into manufacturable specifications.
- Test method literacy and performance validation: able to align on test plans, interpret results and variability, and connect results back to construction/process drivers to enable engineering decisions and sign-off.
- Technical troubleshooting / root-cause capability: investigate fabric-related failures and drive corrective actions across fiber/yarn, construction, finishing, and lamination/coating processes in partnership with labs, mills, and factories.
- Supplier technical capability assessment: able to evaluate and compare mills/vendors for fabric engineering depth, process controls, innovation maturity, and scalability for commercialization.
- General knowledge and understanding of FTW constructions and engineering techniques.
Minimum Relevant Experience:
Experience in Apparel, Footwear, Equipment materials and/or Sourcing and Supply Chain organizations, with demonstrated exposure to engineered textiles / performance fabrics and supplier development in knit/weave/warp-knit and finishing processes.
R-20260526-0017
