Materials & Product Integrity Specialist

Materials & Product Integrity Specialist

We are a fashion-lifestyle brand of big dreams, colorful confidence, and inspired design. Founded on Family, Fashion and Philanthropy, we believe that our employees and customers are the heart and soul of our brand, and that giving back is the truest form of success. Fashion meets innovation in the design of our two state-of-the-art facilities based in the heart of Austin, Texas, and overflows into the design of our growing retail environment across the country.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Materials & Product Integrity, the Materials & Product Integrity Specialist supports material development, sourcing, testing, and product quality activities. Working independently within established processes, this role reviews assigned material and product submissions against defined requirements, maintains accurate PLM and approval documentation, and supports the investigation of reported quality concerns. The Specialist partners with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Production, overseas suppliers, and agents to communicate priorities, track deliverables, and identify and escalate risks.

The role supports materials and products that meet design intent, cost, timing, brand, and quality requirements while coordinating assigned operational workflows, including material sample orders, supplier quotes, invoices, shipments, and the maintenance of physical and digital material libraries.

• Support seasonal material sourcing and development within established design, cost, quality, and timing requirements. Communicate feedback to suppliers and cross-functional partners, escalating feasibility or execution risks as needed.
• Review assigned material and product submissions for color, appearance, construction, consistency, quality, and alignment with approved specifications and design intent.
• Maintain accurate material records in PLM, including material setup, specifications, size associations, supplier quotes, testing documentation, and approval status.
• Coordinate requests for material specifications, size capabilities, testing documentation, and other information required to evaluate and approve materials.
• Partner with the Senior Manager, Materials & Product Integrity, to create and distribute material and product-quality knowledge resources for cross-functional teams.

• Coordinate material sample orders and supplier quotes in PLM and issue corresponding handoff notifications to suppliers.
• Prepare and coordinate shipments of samples and materials to external and overseas partners.
• Review, approve, and track supplier invoices, partnering with accounting to support timely payment and following up with suppliers on outstanding submissions.
• Maintain organized physical and digital libraries for catalogues, material samples, and approved production range standards.

• Track material sample ship dates against the Product Development calendar, communicate priorities to suppliers, and proactively identify solutions or escalate delays that may affect material or range approvals.
• Manage the timely receipt of supplier quotes, gemstone identification reports, and material-content testing documentation to support development milestones.

• Review assigned materials and products against established KS brand and quality standards, documenting discrepancies and escalating concerns outside established requirements.
• Coordinate required testing for assigned products throughout development and production. Review test reports for completeness and alignment with established requirements, escalating failures, discrepancies, or missing documentation.
• Coordinate wear testing, track results, and communicate findings to the Senior Manager, Materials & Product Integrity, and relevant cross-functional partners.
• Document and track quality concerns received from Retail, Customer Service, the Distribution Center, and cross-functional partners. Identify recurring trends and support the preparation of high-level updates for leadership.
• Support root-cause investigations, corrective-action tracking, and product…