Fabric Sourcing

About the Role:
Our team of Designers, Technologists, Buyers, and Merchandisers at Next is dedicated to continuous innovation, focusing on emerging trends, elevating quality and expanding our offering for our extensive customer base.

As the Fabric Sourcing & Technology Manager within our Menswear department, you will play a pivotal, leadership role, directing the fabric sourcing strategy across the entire menswear department.

This role requires a highly elevated taste level, strong technical knowledge and a love of newness. You will work alongside the Design Manager to identify key fabric trends well in advance of the season, initiating new fabric developments bespoke to Next's Menswear division. You will continuously improve our quality standards.

What You'll be doing
Strategy, Leadership, and Impact

• Lead Strategic Direction: Formulate a vision, develop a strategy and lead your team to deliver.
• Drive Innovation: Spearhead the driving of new and bespoke fabrics and yarns, continually improving quality standards.
• Influence: Present the latest trends and innovations to the wider menswear floor, influencing key stakeholders to embrace newness.
• Team Management: Lead, mentor, and develop the team, fostering accountability and strong supplier relations.

Sourcing, Development, and Negotiation

• Global Direct Sourcing: Strategically improve the fabric supplier portfolio through sourcing trips, focusing on direct sourcing.
• Market Intelligence: Attend major global trade fairs and key sourcing territories to identify innovations, gather intel, and secure long-term strategic partnerships.
• Integrated Expertise: Apply technical knowledge (composition, structure, finish etc.), to create fabric perfect for the end use.
• Commercial Awareness: Ensure alignment of cost targets with brand positioning and value equation.
• Sourcing: Work closely with the garment tech manager to ensure fabrics are fit for purpose and that fabric and garment sourcing strategies are aligned.

Quality, Risk, and Compliance

• Quality Assurance: Ensure all fabrics meet high quality standards (aesthetic and performance), and oversee production quality.
• Production Management: Provide the expertise to manage production of fabrics, overseeing critical paths to ensure on time delivery.
• Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing: Collaborate internally to understand Responsible Sourcing & Production Legislation. Ensure all materials meet sustainability requirements. Assess and mitigate supply chain risks. Drive responsible sourcing forward.

About You:
You will have:

• Extensive experience with a proven track record of operating at a senior level within fabric sourcing, development and technology - ideally gained within a major UK or international fashion retailer or brand.
• Exceptional leadership qualities with experience managing, motivating, and developing a team, including managing managers.
• A demonstrable, advanced knowledge of the global textile market, including complex supply chains, fabric construction, finishing processes, and commercial costing methodologies. A strong technical background and knowledge of all fabric types and processes is needed to ensure fabrics developed meet Next's quality standards.
• Strong commercial awareness.
• Highly developed negotiation and influencing skills, capable of building and maintaining relationships with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• A love of travel The role requires frequent and extensive international travel to key sourcing regions and major global trade fairs.

Sponsorship: 
Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see:

We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may
close earlier than planned.

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