Manager, Material Quality, Polymer – Trims
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Job Description
Material quality manager improving leather, polymer and trim quality for VF footwear products. Leading supplier quality, risk management and team development in Hanoi.
Responsibilities:
- Manage footwear raw-material quality, focusing on leather and polymers
- Ensure materials meet VF quality, performance, compliance, sustainability and brand requirements throughout bulk production
- Manage quality standards and risk assessments for leather, footwear polymers and trims
- Establish and maintain leather quality requirements covering grading, cutting yield, thickness, shade, grain appearance, physical performance and restricted-substance compliance
- Assess tannery controls for incoming hides, wet-end and finishing processes, recipe management, lot segregation, color continuity and lot-level traceability
- Prevent and resolve leather-specific defects including shade variation, loose grain, cracking, peeling, dye transfer, crocking, water spotting, mold and finish inconsistency
- Review material specifications, test results, production processes, failure trends and root causes; recommend corrective and preventive actions
- Identify and manage material quality risks during development, commercialization and bulk production
- Evaluate supplier quality systems, technical capability, process controls and production readiness
- Use audits, scorecards, performance data and KPIs to improve supplier quality and accountability
- Maintain quality controls and traceability from T2 material suppliers through T1 footwear factories
- Lead or support material certification, supplier training, technical calibration and continuous improvement
- Partner with Product Development, Global Materials, GMS, Color, Technical Development, Sourcing, Quality, Compliance, brands, suppliers and laboratories
- Communicate risks, business impact, options and recommendations to stakeholders
- Set priorities and provide coaching, feedback, technical guidance and development support to the team
- Set direction, connect team goals with business priorities and clarify roles, expectations and decisions
- Use technical knowledge, consumer needs and data to improve operations
- Build cross-functional partnerships and develop a high-performing team through coaching, feedback, accountability and career development
- Ensure materials meet VF and brand requirements, risks are resolved early, corrective actions remain effective, supplier capability improves, milestones are supported and team collaboration grows
Requirements:
- 8+ years of experience in footwear raw materials, material development, R&D, manufacturing, engineering, supplier quality or a related field
- 3+ years of people leadership, team-lead, project-lead or matrix-leadership experience
- Strong knowledge of leather and/or footwear polymers and trims, manufacturing processes, performance, failure modes and quality controls
- Hands-on knowledge of leather types, tanning and finishing methods, grading systems, color approval, physical and chemical testing, and tannery quality management
- Experience with ISO 9001, 8D, SPC, CPK, FMEA, Six Sigma and 5S
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, project-management and stakeholder-management skills
- Good knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint; Tableau or similar analytics experience is helpful
- Excellent written and spoken English
- Ability to travel based on business needs
- Bachelor’s degree in Leather technology, Polymer Science, Chemical engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering or a related field preferred
- Mandarin or another relevant Asian language is helpful
Benefits:
- Benefits that encourage mental, physical and financial well-being
- Inclusion and diversity initiatives
- Respectful, open and authentic workplace culture
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