Fabric Sourcing & Technology Manager - Menswear in Leicester

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.
• 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.

Note: 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.

What's Next?

Show us what you can do. Submit your application online and our recruitment team will take a first look at your experience and strengths. Inform Let’s talk. We will get in touch for an initial conversation by phone or video to learn more about you and share what the team is looking for. Review If you are invited to an interview, you may be asked to present an interview task or portfolio and talk through your experience in a competency based interview. It is also your chance to ask questions and get to know us. Offer If it’s the right match, our recruitment team will be in touch with a job offer and next steps. This is where your journey with NEXT begins.

Team Overview

This is where ideas become incredible collections. Designers, Buyers, Merchandisers, and Technologists collaborate to create products our customers love. You'll spot global trends, strategically balance our range plans and meticulously test quality so every season feels fresh, inspiring and exceptional.

About NEXT

You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 500 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 70 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global! Challenges. Opportunities. The future. Let’s take it on at NEXT.