Materials Manager - Clarks Shoes

The Materials Manager will implement the Materials Sourcing Strategy in partnership with the Offshore Product Development teams and our suppliers. This is to create products which meet consumer expectation whilst optimizing price, profitability, the supply base, shortened lead times, creative progress and innovation. The manager will follow and enhance our global materials processes to ensure through vendor testing and process control all materials are fit for purpose and compliant with Clarks standards.

What you’ll be doing:

• Supplier Relationship Management, work closely with vendors implementing Clark’s material processes and standards based on agreed contracts/SLA’s to drive financial benefits, reduce lead times, secure product supply and understand innovative  materials.
• Manage the materials Risk Assessment processes to ensure Nominated items are fit for purpose and pass Clark’s quality standards.
• Support the vendors in location to ensure they are providing the appropriate data for Clark’s systems to ensure there is visibility of the active materials, testing standards, material attributes, test results and prices.
• Regularly publish operational information and key metrics into function and the wider organization so there is process transparency and clarity for the Global Materials and Quality Manager.
• Support supplier audits to ensure ongoing improvement and compliance meet Clark’s requirements and policies.
• Understand material price architecture and the impact of material choices on finished good prices to ensure the correct and appropriate materials are applied to the product.
• Understand and report market innovations particularly sustainability stories in materials to the wider business to drive new choices and concepts into the Range Development process.
• Organize events and sessions such as “Vendor Fairs” to enable suppliers to display key materials stories. All parties are able to make informed choices within the spec process, innovation can be captured and reported to the wider business and ensure suppliers are continually engaged with the Clarks Brand.
• Approved material supplier management/on boarding new supplier protocol adherence.
• Gate keeps new material selection and only compliant and commercial materials will be introduced to BU for material trials and product development.
• Support color designer to finalize seasonal color and coordinate new color development with suppliers and offshore material team.
• All required material data are held on GMD.
• Material commercialization completes 8 weeks before 1st bulk production commences.
• Satisfactory follow-up audits ensuring agreed CAP adherence.
• Update material library and materials ‘toolbox’ to enable material consolidation and relevant to BU’s collections/segmentation.
• Serve up viable and commercial options for consideration.
• Manage against CTC calendar key range building milestone dates and gate keep material and color frozen deadline.

What You’ll Bring With You:

• High level of technical competence required with detailed knowledge of material standards, material composition and colour. Detailed knowledge of leather supply base within region.
• Understanding of materials suitability for production use including restricted substance control and material finishing.
• Detailed knowledge of material and chemical principles and the drivers of price change and opportunity to reduce cost
• Full understanding of footwear leather manufacturing processes, understanding of lead time requirements and geographic variations that exist
• Full understanding of footwear processes and shoe construction
• Understand and be able to set commercial quality standards
• Quality Control Management
• Fully understand leather cutting methodology, capability to demonstrate and train
• Fully understand leather pricing architecture/leather grade selection permutations to support costing efficiencies
• Understand the principle of material colour management and the variation within a natural manufacturing process.
• Confident to be the regular and ongoing face of Clarks to suppliers and be confident to challenge and audit other organizations..
• Good interpersonal skills
• Strong communication skills in English ( written & verbal)
• Strong Presentation skill
• Project management skill
• Decision making
• Experience in working with a dispersed global team
• Some experience in merchandise planning
   

About Clarks

Clarks, based in Somerset, England, has been at the forefront of innovative shoemaking since its foundation in 1825, when brothers James and Cyrus Clark made a slipper from sheepskin off-cuts. At the time it was ground-breaking: a combination of invention and craftsmanship that has remained at the heart of what the brand does now. In the Clarks archive of more than 22,000 pairs are shoes that have sparked revolutions and defined generations. From the original Clarks Desert Boot, first designed by Nathan Clark and launched in 1950, to the iconic Wallabee, each design has an instantly recognizable signature that makes it unmistakably Clarks.

This season, we’re proud to introduce the Clarks Collective: five incredible activists championing authentic social change. From mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights to greater racial equality, these trailblazers are committed to creating a brighter future for us all – bringing to life Clarks’ new global campaign, For the World Ahead. Through spotlighting their stories and supporting their chosen charities and initiatives, we’re ready to lead the way. After all, we’re originators, not imitators. It’s who we are, who we’ve always been. And to change the world of tomorrow, we’re doing things differently today.

Clarks International believes that the principle of equality of opportunity is fundamental to the company's operations. Our long-held aim is to provide just and fair treatment for all employees. We will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, age, disability, marital status, color, race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or gender reassignment.