PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIST (HOME TEXTILES), Manchester
Client:
House of Fashion Associates Ltd
Location:
Manchester, United Kingdom
Job Category:
Other
EU work permit required:
Yes
Job Reference:
2fbc5f5c7d74
Job Views:
71
Posted:
18.02.2025
Expiry Date:
04.04.2025
Job Description:
PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIST/ SOFT FURNISHINGS
MANCHESTER
HYBRID 1-2 days a week
£30K
The Role
An exciting opportunity for a Product Technologist in the Home Furnishings industry, supplying UK High Street retail and e-commerce sectors. Your job is to ensure a product moves from its design and development stage into the hands of the retailer or end user. You will work closely with internal stakeholders, overseas manufacturers, and the customer to fully meet or exceed expectations for product compliance, quality, packaging, sustainability, on-time delivery, and end-user performance. The successful candidate will have experience working in the bedding/textiles industry, liaising with overseas suppliers in the Far East, GOLD SEAL, critical path, and product sampling.
Reporting Lines
This role will report into our Product & Quality Manager and work alongside our other Product Technologists and Commercial team members.
Responsibilities
- Attend and contribute to pre-prod handover meetings via close liaison with Design, Development, and Customer Account stakeholders to ensure selected products are suitable and compliant for bulk manufacture, performance, presentation, and customer expectation.
- Lead weekly PDS meetings.
- Ensure timely completion and issue of detailed product, imagery, and outer packaging specifications to our overseas manufacturers and internal e-commerce stakeholders via a PIM based system and using Illustrator to create packaging templates. Strong admin and organisational skills required for this aspect of the role.
- Populate, maintain, and manage relevant sections of a detailed critical path to ensure timely customer product launches through analysis and proactive actions including chasing suppliers for fabric, product sampling, and packaging proofs.
- Lead weekly critical path meetings.
- Take a hands-on role with the sample sealing process involving checking of strike/bulk fabrics, packaging proofs, test/inspection reports, and gold seal samples to ensure compliance with internal and customer requirements.
- Communicate appropriate approvals and rejections back to the supplier.
- Provide regular updates with internal and external stakeholders on sample activity and progress.
- Hold suppliers accountable and maintain KPIs for performance on sampling, testing, and inspection dates including ‘right first time’ sample submission within agreed deadlines.
- Deal quickly and effectively with daily email communications to and from suppliers, customers, and internal stakeholders.
- Control, evaluate, and approve pre-shipment inspection reports in partnership with our overseas teams via strong communication.
Skills and Experience
- Experience in a similar role in textiles/online brand/GOLD SEAL SAMPLES/CRITICAL PATH/OVERSEAS SUPPLIERS.
- Enthusiastic team player, with a proactive approach, good communication skills, and a collaborative attitude.
- Organised, and capable of prioritising multiple tasks.
- Exceptional attention to detail.
- Confident to make decisions and take responsibilities, yet unafraid to seek advice.
- An inquisitive mindset, with a keen interest in developing themselves, and ambition to grow their insight and knowledge within the industry.
- A desire for continuous product excellence and improvements.
- A 360 thinker able to see the bigger picture when problem-solving.
- A strong communicator with the ability to present confidently via email, audio conferencing, and face-to-face with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and customers.
- A positive approach and mentality to product data harvesting, document population, maintenance, and management.
- Ability to work effectively in a high volume, fast-paced environment.
- Previous experience in Home Textiles is essential.
Benefits
- Salary commensurate with experience
- Pension plan with 3% employer contribution
- Death in Service Life Assurance
- Employee discounts on all products
- Employee Assistance Programme
- HYBRID 1/2 days a week
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