Manager, Materials Development

Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always been colorful, bold, and optimistic. Today, it is a global lifestyle brand that designs extraordinary things for the everyday, delivering seasonal collections of handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, home décor, and more. Known for its rich heritage and unique brand DNA, Kate Spade New York offers a distinctive point of view and celebrates communities of women around the globe who live their perfectly imperfect lifestyles. 

Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

The RTW Raw Material Manager is responsible for managing all aspects of raw material sourcing, development and procurement for the Ready-to-Wear division. This includes fabric and trim sourcing, supplier relationships, costing and ensuring timely delivery of raw materials to support seasonal product calendars.

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in raw materials to...

• Manage RTW raw material development from design ideation to standard and color approval to proceed to bulk.
• Identify and source fabrics and trims aligned with seasonal direction.
• Partner closely with Design and PD partners to ensure raw materials sourced meet both aesthetic requirements and IMU targets.
• Partner with Product Development to source fabric and trims in key manufacturing regions. Each season identify with Product Development the key programs to be vertically sourced with FG factories. My R & R + manager support
• Collaborate with HK raw material teams at Design concept to review overall seasonal sourcing strategy. My R & R + manager support
• Negotiate pricing and lead times with suppliers to meet target margins.

• Understand all technical properties of materials and work with Design and PD on correct application to the product. Ensure materials are fit for purpose.
• Allocate developments to raw material suppliers based on supplier’s capabilities.
• Oversee the development, allocation, ordering, scheduling, tracking, and reporting on all seasonal proto & market week materials
• Manage RTW RM WIP report & daily communication with suppliers & overseas partners.
• Monitor seasonal KPIs - strive to ensure acceptable adoption rates & buy ready status of all raw materials by bulk order placement

• Support supply chain priorities and prioritize the search for best-in-class sustainable materials, practices and suppliers  My R & R + manager support

• Research and understand textile & hardware innovation and industry trends

• Ensure all raw materials meet company quality standards and regulatory compliance. My R & R + manager support
• Key partner to HK raw material team throughout material testing supporting the team on quality assurance, compliance and problem-solving issues.
• Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships and stay updated with industry trends.
• Support the creation of seasonal development calendar and adhere to all milestones.   My R & R + manager support

• Communicate daily with the Design Team, PD, overseas offices, and suppliers

The accomplished individual will possess...

• 4+ years of experience in production/product development
• Knowledge of jewelry manufacturing processes and materials
• Proficiency in Microsoft office, PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, EcVision or other PLM systems
• Experience in excel with demonstrated ability in formulas and pivot tables

An outstanding professional will have…

• Exceptionally well-organized, efficient, and analytical
• Proven ability to work within tight deadlines
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Demonstrated attention to detail and strong problem – solving skills
• Experience working in a global company with overseas partners

Our Competencies for All Employees

• Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
• Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
• Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
• Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
• Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
• Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
• Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Our Competencies for All People Managers

• Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
• Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Kate Spade is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant's or employee's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under the consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or employeerelations@tapestry.com

Visit Kate Spade at www.katespade.com.                                                                                                                                   

Work Setup: HYBRID

BASE PAY RANGE $80,000.00 TO $90,000.00 Annually                                                                     

Here are some of the benefits that we offer: Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401 (K), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits.

#LI-HYBRID #LI-MC2