Material Merchandiser - Accessories

Lead and direct a successful commercialization of Columbia Sportswear product categories from initial concept through product delivery. Liaise with Corporate Sourcing, Costing and Production sites to ensure timely execution from sample stage to production. Driving analysis and validation of vendor cost information throughout the entire creation process. Ensure compliance to agreed standards. Effectively negotiate with vendors for the best product cost to achieve the highest cost margin. Work collaboratively with sourcing to ensure products are sourced at suitable vendors that meet corporate financial expectations. Providing guidance and training to other team members, including cross-functional internal and external partners.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities:

• Source Plan Management

• Create and enter seasonal source plan and cap type into PDM.
• Determine best vendor based on brief and design requirements along with vendor capacity and capabilities

• Raw Material Sourcing and Development
  • New season innovation/concept sample collection
  • Work with RM and FG vendors to source and develop raw materials
  • RM cost validation and negotiation
  • RM quality testing
  • Arrange needed RM proto yardage and delivery
  • Material and Trim color approval
• Product Development/ Fit Skills

• PDM Spec Sheet creation and updates

• To Ensure fit consistency across gender and seasons, by communicating across HQ and Vendor teams, reviewing, and translating patterns with noted fit issues, instructions, and proto review feedback.
• To develop the proto samples according to the design and ship the samples on time for style review meeting
• To ensure the development can meet Columbia’s quality requirement and prevent the potential quality problem in bulk production
• To ensure material compatibility quality testing meets standards and product needs.
• To work with vendors for the less expensive version of CMT during the development and still maintain the required quality
• To create or update the spec package timely after each generation of development until the development is commercialized

• Costing Skills

• To Provide pre-proto cost estimates to determine design and target alignment
• To work out the reasonable/sustainable prices among the vendors and increase the margin for the company
• To be able to analyse the standard cost structure and negotiate prices with vendors
• To provide the suggestions when cost with challenge

• Allocation Skills

• To finalize the in-line and SRT allocation with the Sourcing team
• To work out the dual source within our partners in case capacity issue at initial vendor

• Buy Ready Skills

• To ensure Direct development commercialization, color approval, EMB/Print development & testing are ready, special workmanship approved before the Buy issue

• Team Player Skills
• Collaborate with Material, Production, QA depts. to ensure production meet company’s requirement and hit required On Time delivery
• Anticipate potential problems and support solutions with prepared answers.