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Quince is a manufacturer-to-consumer (M2C) fashion and accessories brand on a mission to deliver high-quality essentials at low prices, fairly and sustainably. This Director of Specialty Materials role is a strategic leadership position overseeing all specialty materials—leather, denim, silk, synthetics, and novelty wovens—ensuring they meet Quince's standards for quality, sustainability, and affordability.
You will define and execute the global raw materials strategy across all material categories, aligning with design, quality, sustainability, and margin objectives. This includes serving as a creative partner to the design team, proactively identifying new material innovations, sustainable technologies, and emerging trends.
Key responsibilities include:
**Strategic Leadership & Innovation:** Lead research and development of new materials, finishes, and technologies. Build and maintain a comprehensive material library spanning seasonal innovations and core "platformed" materials for efficiency and speed-to-market. Champion cost-optimization opportunities across the supply chain without compromising ethical standards or product integrity. Provide strategic direction across all specialty materials, ensuring innovations and best practices are shared organization-wide.
**End-to-End Sourcing & Production:** Build and curate a best-in-class global supplier network spanning tanneries, mills, dye houses, and vertical partners. Negotiate lead times, capacity, and pricing while ensuring suppliers meet Quince's quality, sustainability, and labor standards. Own the material pipeline from raw materials through finished goods, collaborating closely with production teams to troubleshoot issues during sampling and mass production. Ensure all materials are market-ready at scale.
**Quality Assurance & Compliance:** Oversee quality standards, testing protocols, and compliance across all material categories. Work with quality teams to establish and maintain rigorous testing standards and certifications.
**Cross-Functional Collaboration:** Serve as the central hub connecting sourcing, production, quality, and design teams across global markets. Partner with finance to optimize material costs and margins. Collaborate with sustainability teams to advance Quince's environmental commitments.
This is a hands-on leadership role requiring deep technical expertise in material science combined with strategic supply chain leadership and the ability to drive innovation at scale.
