Senior Specialist, Footwear and Equipment, Product Stewardship

The Senior Specialist, Product Stewardship – Footwear & Equipmentis responsible forstandard setting and testing governance fortheFootwear and Equipmentproductcategories. This role ensures materials and finished products meet internal standards, brand requirements, and applicable regulatory obligations through disciplined test report review, risk-based approval/rejection decisions, corrective action governance, retesting approval, and shipment disposition based on test evidence. The role partners closely withvendors,suppliers, factories, internal teams, and laboratory partners to ensure consistent execution across development and bulk production.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Standard Setting and Category Stewardship (Footwear & Equipment)

• Develop,maintain, and continuously improve testing standards, requirements, and protocol templates for Footwear & Equipment materials andfinishedproducts.

• Translate standards into clear, practical execution guidance for internal partners,vendors,suppliers, factories, andnominatedlaboratories.

• Maintain consistency of testing requirements across development and bulk production; support periodic reviews and updates based on performance trends, risk signals, and evolvingregulatory and brand-specificrequirements.

• Ensure standards and updates are communicated and implemented effectively across stakeholders.

• Test Report Review, Risk Assessment, and Disposition (Approve/Reject)

• Review nominated laboratory test reports for completeness, accuracy, and compliancetorequired test packages and category standards.

• Provide technical assessment and risk evaluation of results; issue clear approval/rejection decisions and document decision rationale.

• Identifyincomplete testing packages and require completion of missing test components before approval.

• Maintain disciplined follow-up and closure of testing requests in the testing management system.

• Failure Management, Corrective Actions, and Retesting Approval

• Manage test failures by requesting, reviewing, andvalidatingcorrective action plans (CAP) and root cause analysis.

• Confirmcorrective actions are specific, evidence-based, and sufficient to address failure mechanisms and prevent recurrence.

• Approve retesting only when corrective actions meet definedrequirementsandappropriate evidenceis provided.

• Validate retest scope and outcomes; confirm final disposition after passing results.

• Shipment Disposition Based on Test Evidence

• Provide shipment approval/hold decisions within defined governance based on material and product test results and risk assessment.

• Escalate high-risk issues, repeat failures, or exceptions to required stakeholders per escalation expectations.

• Ensureshipmentdisposition decisions aretimely, clearly communicated, and traceable to test evidence and standards.

• Supplier and Factory In-House Laboratory Certification Program

• Manage and support the supplier/factory in-house laboratory certification/accreditation program,including supporting the audit and re-certificationcadence,profiencytesting, and inter-laboratory comparisons.

• Monitor lab performance and certification status; drive corrective actions and improvement plans when capability gaps or compliance issues areidentified.

• Support alignment of in-house lab testing practices to internal standards and data integrity expectations.

• Third-Party Laboratory Engagement and Performance Management

• Manage day-to-day engagement withnominatedthird-party laboratories for assigned category scope to ensure correct methods, reporting quality, and service performance.

• Address report quality issues (e.g., missing data, inconsistent reporting, incorrect methods) and drive corrective actions with lab partners.

• Support continuous improvement and standardization of lab deliverables and turnaround performance.

• Training, Education, and Stakeholder Enablement

• Responsible for training and educating internal stakeholders and external partners (including vendors, factories, and suppliers) on material and product testing requirements,onboarding and use of technology platform fortest requestsand results, functional and performance claims and related testing, interpretation of test results, and governance expectations (CAP, retesting, and closure criteria).

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

• Training and education coverage and completion across internal and external stakeholders.

• Test report disposition turnaround time (report available to decision).

• Disposition quality (rate of rework/reopen due to missed requirements or incomplete packages).

• CAP cycle time (failure to CAP acceptance; CAP acceptance to retest approval).

• Retest effectiveness (first-retest pass rate; repeat failure rate).

• Shipment decision timeliness after final required results.

• In-house lab certification health (certification currency; closure time for lab findings).

• Third-party lab performance (on-time reporting; report quality defect rate; responsiveness).

• Standards and protocol coverage/currency forFootwear & Equipment.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Technical and Professional Expertise

• Strong understanding of apparel andaccessoriesmaterial and product testing, laboratory operations, and test governance.

• Working knowledge of corrective action and retesting processes across complex supply chains.

• Leadership and Communication

• Clear written and verbal communication; able to translate technical outcomes into actionable guidance.

• Ability to proactively influence relevant stakeholders.

• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management across internal partners, suppliers, factories, and laboratories.

Analytical and Problem-Solving

• Risk-based judgment; ability to interpret incomplete or complex information and drive practical solutions.

• Ability toidentifytrends and drive preventive action and continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical discipline or equivalent experience.

• Typically3–5+ years of relevant experience in testing, quality, product stewardship, or regulatory compliance.

• Strong systemdiscipline and attention to detail.