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Reformation · 2 months ago

Materials Manager, Product Innovation

Los Angeles, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Mid, Senior Level

$90K/yr - $105K/yr

5+ years exp

Reformation is a sustainable fashion company on a mission to bring eco-friendly clothing to everyone. The Materials Manager will partner with design teams to develop innovative materials, manage vendor relationships, and ensure compliance with sustainability protocols across various product categories.

E-CommerceFashionManufacturing

Responsibilities

Partner with Design to interpret seasonal concepts into fabric, trim, and component R&D across Footwear, Handbags, Swim, and Jewelry

Attend trade shows and supplier fairs, researching and presenting trend and innovation opportunities by category

Build and manage vendor relationships, onboarding new mills and maintaining a supplier matrix with scorecards based on performance, capabilities, and COO

Negotiate costs, terms, and lead-times with mills/suppliers; counter-source nominated materials as needed

Partner with Sustainability on Tier 2+ supply chain initiatives, certifications, and traceability requirements

Collect, validate, and log LDS/FDS, spec sheets, cost sheets, and compliance data in shared systems: PIM, PLM (Centric), Sustainability Management Software (Elm/Quickbase)

Align and standardize materials from development through production; build and maintain category-specific material libraries

Support Sourcing with positioning, bulk approvals, and usage reconciliation across production

Resolve issues in the materials lifecycle, ensuring compliance with brand standards, regulatory testing, and sustainability protocols

Monitor industry and regulatory developments in materials and chemical standards; update processes and roll out to suppliers

Track and document key material order benchmarks on shared trackers; highlight at-risk deliveries against the Development Calendar

Manage domestic/import deadstock sourcing, maintaining a preferred supplier network and portal

Troubleshoot material and component production issues in partnership with QA, Sourcing, and vendors

Support strategic or special projects in materials innovation and development across all categories

Qualification

Materials sourcingSupplier negotiationTechnical knowledge of materialsLeather goodsTrend researchMicrosoft Office proficiencyData trackingPassion for sustainabilityProject managementCommunication skillsCollaboration skills

Required

5+ years of experience in materials sourcing, R&D, or management within Footwear, Handbags, Swim, or Jewelry

Experience with leather and leather goods required; bonus points for experience with traceable and regenerative supply chains

Strong supplier negotiation skills with proven ability to manage global vendor relationships

Deep technical knowledge of materials and components, including development, QA/testing, and compliance standards

Familiarity with certifications and standards (GOTS, RWS, GRS, Prop 65, EUDR, and REACH testing)

Skilled in trend research, trade show sourcing, and sustainable innovation

Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, and G-Suite; PLM/ERP systems experience preferred

Excellent organizational, project management, and data tracking skills

Strong communicator and collaborator with cross-functional partners

Passionate about sustainability, innovation, and creating best-in-class materials programs

Preferred

PLM/ERP systems experience preferred

Benefits

Employer-sponsored private medical, dental, and vision insurance

Commuter benefits to help support your travel to and from work

Competitive paid time off policies including vacation, sick leave, and company holidays

Retirement planning support for eligible employees, including the option to invest in Environmental Social Governance-aligned (fancy way to say sustainable) funds

Access to fertility care support through Carrot, and up to a $5,000 USD reimbursement for related fertility expenses after 1 year of employment

Donate to community efforts on a yearly basis

Clothing discount

Culture events (like our annual Ref Values week and Volunteer Time Off)