Footwear Technologist

Footwear Technologist

Department: Garment Tech

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Head Office, Chelsea House

Reporting To: David Spencer

The Garment / Product Tech department at River Island supports the Buying and Design teams to ensure product delivered is in line with our brand strategy and values. This is achieved through strong Buying team, Design team and Supplier relations. A strong commercial awareness and application is essential. The Senior Technologist leads the implementation of development and approval processes for their Department / categories - and the achievement of this in line with the critical path and brand priorities.

Your strong knowledge of fit, manufacturing and understanding of your supply base ensures risk‑based consideration in achieving delivery of the required standards. Your market and industry awareness drive your contribution to ongoing review of River Island standards to support growth in market share.

• Is the lead for all Technical considerations on their departments/ categories – guiding team and influencing all stakeholders on Technical aspects
• Manage a team effectively, setting the direction and objectives to be achieved for your team, ensuring individuals are working towards those objectives, providing timely feedback and support to enable each to work to the best of their abilities; includes identifying training needs and supporting development planning.
• Through your market/ industry awareness as well as knowledge of River Island customer, you identify opportunities for improvements to process and / or product.
• Supports the Tech Manager in reviewing the divisional tech strategy considering own department business goals and objectives as well as emerging developments and trends in the industry.
• Lead the product development process – focusing on ‘Right First Time’, to support consistency in fit and quality and to reduce the time taken to seal a product.
• Leads an efficient and effective product approval process – is responsible for ensuring the relevant KPI’s are achieved and delivery is compliant to all RI standards (includes those of wholesale partners and all markets in which River Island has a presence).
• Conducts regular reviews of fit and quality standards across product areas and feeds back/ challenges team and suppliers where necessary to ensure standards are maintained or exceeded.
• Brand Sizing – in conjunction with peers in the division, regularly monitor and review grade rules to ensure consistent application and relevance; organise / drive regular ‘Fit Squads’ across product areas (including Home Production where relevant) to ensure fit remains consistent and relevant.
• Thorough analysis of customer returns information – identify and implement relevant initiatives / recommendations that reduce future returns and/ or recover revenue for lost sales / brand damage. Includes suppliers and buying teams in establishing opportunities for improvements.
• Focus on continuous improvement through the regular analysis of returns and customer feedback, retail feedback, awareness of competitor and industry developments and standards.
• Maintain a knowledge of current and changing global legislation – and ensure implementation into our product. Support management of non‑compliance e.g. product recalls.
• Contribute to setting, reviewing and communicating standards and manuals in conjunction with other River Island Technical/ Compliance teams.
• Ensure understanding of and commitment to River Island ways of working; also, achievement of fit and quality standards.
• Communication with suppliers to encourage them to achieve product standards and to comply with River Island procedures.
• Conduct regular reviews of supplier performance according to agreed KPI’s; support suppliers to improve.
• Feeds into the dept supplier strategy – highlighting technical strengths and risks.
• Develop suppliers to take accountability for management of RI processes.
• Sustainability – support the Sustainability team in achieving their objectives.
• Ethical – Support the ethical team in achieving their objectives.

• Previous experience as an Experienced…