Head of Sourcing and Production; FTC Maternity Cover

JOB TITLE Head of Sourcing and Production

ROLE TYPE Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Leave Cover, 12 months May 2026 to May 2027)

DEPARTMENT Supply Chain

REPORTING TO CEO

LOCATION Fitzrovia, London

SALARY Competitive

Orlebar Brown (Chanel group) launched in March 2007 as a more tailored approach to men’s beach and swim shorts. Based on the traditional pattern of a tailored pair of trousers for men, and with their distinctive side fasteners, they are not just a swim short; they are the original and best shorts you can swim in.

Today, our collections are built into broader lifestyles imagined around Beach, Resort, Coast and Sport. We have multiple product releases, including capsules, new categories and services, over the calendar year to maintain excitement, and interest for our customers.

Since 2007, we have built the brand to achieve our stated purpose which is - to encourage, excite and inspire everyone to ‘Holiday Better’. This is our purpose and why we get out of bed every morning.

The brand has rapidly gained global recognition and is sold through online, more than 30 O.B. stores, and the best retailers and hoteliers in the world. Our customer is truly international, so whether they are in St Barth’s for Christmas with family, Miami for a wild Spring break, a conference in Dubai with a few days off, tacking a boat off the coast of St Tropez, volunteering to replant mangrove plantations in Puerto Rico, walking along a cliff top in Cornwall, or diving off one into a beautiful blue ocean then O.B. should be there to help you do it better.

Our business is built on relationships with those customers, and we strive to maintain our relationship with them, wherever they might be, and provide world class service, when and where they want. It is also built on finding new customers to the brand by welcoming them to join the ever‑growing O.B. community.

As the Head of Sourcing & Production, you will own the end‑to‑end supply chain journey – from SMS handover to on‑time delivery into the warehouse. This is a leadership role that ensures the brand meets seasonal launch deadlines, delivers impeccable product quality, and maintains a resilient and commercially agile sourcing and sustainable strategy.

Reporting directly to the CEO, you will lead and empower the Production team while partnering closely with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, and Logistics to bring collections to life.

• Manage the sourcing and production process with a focus on driving quality margin and innovation.
• Support the business with creation of a successful sourcing strategy and supplier’s portfolios.
• Closely collaborate and negotiate with factories (predominantly Portugal and Italy) to ensure OB has enough capacity with each supplier.
• Manage any counter sourcing and costing opportunities – collaborating closely with product development and design.
• Partner closely with design, development, merchandising, logistics to ensure a seamless handover of critical path & dates are met.
• Collaborate with Production & sustainability manager, review the production critical path dates collated from suppliers each season, in advance of final range review and any early buys needed are communicated to internal stakeholders.
• Review and analyse seasonal collection for margin and suggest if any improvements can be made on product not meeting target margin with internal stakeholders.
• Plan dates for forecasting and pre-booking key fabric and trims. Understand costs involved and ensure sign off when booking annual fabrics that all stakeholders understand fabric liability potential.
• Plan production dates with factories to achieve target delivery dates with the overarching aim of 95%+ production delivered on time. Additionally, aiming for 75% US sea shipment from Portugal & Italy.
• Support production team in resolution of any production issues, ensuring team is well equipped to deal with issues in a timely manner, as well as identify when to escalation to you if further support is needed.
• Ensure production admin (style set up, PO creation & closure) is created on time and be accountable for accuracy by carrying out…