What You’ll Do

• Build relationships with your design and development partners to fully understand projects and then work with our vendor base to develop the material needs into reality.
• Create partnerships with our vendor base as well as factory partners and be able to troubleshoot issues and negotiate prices.
• Have a firm understanding of testing methods, be able to execute testing protocols, and be able to translate findings into building products.
• Understand how to build and maintain a materials library from scratch.
• Conduct market research in order to understand industry trends, functional  performance, and sustainability goals.
• Be able to travel domestically and internationally to meet with vendors, support products teams at factory, and attend trade shows.
• Identify and bring in new materials suppliers that can add to our already strong base in order to add abilities, solve sourcing problems, and achieve company goals.
• Experience in lab dipping fabrics and trims and working under a light box to get colors right.
• Knowledge of quality assurance standards incoming to the factory and how to create documents to assist all teams of how to handle and receive materials.
• Ability to thrive in the unknown and demonstrate a drive to want to improve processes and systems.

About You

• You have 2-3 years experience in materials development in a medium or large size company, preferably in the outdoor industry.
• Posses a working knowledge of Microsoft office suite, PLM system, CLO (training to be provided if you don’t have experience).
• Experience in working with international materials vendors and factory partners.
• Have a strong technical background in fiber applications, weaving/knitting methods, dyeing, and finishing techniques.
• A sense of business acumen to negotiate pricing, coordinate delivery of materials, and building relationships with partners.
• Ability to travel internationally and domestically 4-6 weeks out of the year.
• You are able and willing to work 2-3 days per week in our San Francisco office (Dogpatch neighborhood).
• You use and care a lot about gear (photography, outdoor, or other passion areas). You also have strong opinions about the products that you use in your life and enjoy debating what makes these products great.