Junior Technologist - Footwear/Accessories in London

The Role: To develop and manage a product offer that meets customer requirements for quality and fit, maximising sales and profit opportunities while minimising faulty and fit returns. As a Junior Technologist you will be responsible for managing your own department from first fit through to delivery. This role requires you to be in the office 4 days a week.

What you’ll be doing:

• Take responsibility for fitting and sealing of a department.
• Maintaining departmental quality, fit, testing and grading standards to uphold manual compliance with support from your manager.
• Working with design and supply base to develop product briefs, providing accurate measurement and fabric requirements.
• Risk assess product and supplier capabilities to ensure correct quality standards are achievable.
• Manage the product development process from first fit through to production, liaising with design, buying, merchandising, suppliers, franchise, international, supply chain and E-Commerce as required.
• Understand product construction and suitability for mass production.
• Understand how to adapt product to minimise costs.
• Negotiate effectively with suppliers to achieve desired quality and fit objectives.
• Ensure full understanding of packaging and labeling requirements to ensure consistency of brand and quality.
• Conducting regular New Look store visits to identify faults and action improvements.
• Monitor the market, identifying competitor advances in quality/ fit, and highlight to managers.
• Monitor and manage weekly faulty returns using weekly reports and highlight to suppliers and BMD.
• Review supplier compliance in a commercial manner to resolve DC on holds within 48 hours of ‘Supplier Compliance Authorisation’.
• Manage test reports through ‘Datalink’.
• Completes factory/ testing laboratory/ distribution center trips in line with departmental needs.
• Providing reporting on quality and fit at department level in order to identify which areas to focus improvements with support from your manager.
• To be responsible for the motivation and development of direct reports in your department.

Who you are:

• Good understanding of fit requirements for product area and ability to communicate clearly the relevant changes required to achieve an approved fit and required quality.
• Ability to put together a comprehensive and clear design brief outlining measurements and fabric requirements.
• Good understanding of product testing with the ability to review failed results commercially in line with the product.
• An understanding of grading and sizing.
• Understanding of fabric and trim requirements to ensure suitability for product type.
• Understanding of open costings.
• Understanding of supply chain issues, for example: lead times/ flexibility/ supplier capability.
• Start to understand factory processes to identify potential issues and cost saving opportunities (lay planning/ construction/ line flow/ etc).
• Knowledge of the current competitive market place to identify relevant product developments in quality and fit.
• Understanding of labelling, packaging and presentation of a product to include legal compliance.
• Numerical and analytical skills in order to review returns data and grade rules.
• Risk assessment skills.
• Previous experience in quality with a major retailer / supplier/ department within New Look.