Fabric & Compliance Technologist

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity to join the Fabric & Compliance Team as a Fabric & Compliance Technologist. In this role, you will help to deliver our ambitious fabric programme – setting high standards, achieving best quality and consistency, and offering technical support to our Suppliers.

You will also guide Suppliers on product compliance, managing Superdry product compliance projects via product testing and certification, meeting international legislation and territory-specific requirements and supporting our Chemical Compliance Roadmap. As well as strong technical knowledge, the role requires great communications skills (both written and verbal) and a creative and solutions-focused approach.

• Manage Suppliers to deliver best quality fabrics and provide fabric submission comments in line with the departmental SLA, ensuring they are set up for successful bulk production and on-time delivery
• Encourage a right-first-time approach, challenging Suppliers to improve performance, communication and ways of working where necessary
• Actively take ownership of fabric quality and delivery, from photo sample though to shipment
• Engage in product risk assessment meetings, highlighting areas of concern and helping to advise on solutions and improvements, enabling a timely resolution
• Manage test results and product disposition on fabric testing platforms
• Actively manage failures, coordinating with all stakeholders on rejected base fabrics and ensuring fabrics are improved and re-submitted without delay
• Ensure Suppliers consistently adhere to testing requirements, providing weekly updates to highlight late and incorrect submissions
• Input all comments and fabric specifications onto our Product Lifecycle Management system (PLM) and ensure all Fabric and Colour Libraries are well managed, coded and up to date. You will also ensure standards are signed off and available to all stakeholders
• Support Sourcing initiatives, working with Suppliers where fabric developments are required and ensuring Superdry's high fabric quality standards are met and maintained
• Create relevant technical information, reports and manuals, developing the data in close collaboration with stakeholders to deliver quality and consistency
• Support your line manager with training for our Regional Office Tech Teams and Suppliers
• Issue updates to Superdry performance protocols
• Contribute to the development of a robust compliance strategy, based on a comprehensive understanding of international and territory-specific regulations and legislation
• Propose considered courses of action to ensure Superdry compliance to new legislation
• Manage all territory-specific compliance or retailer-specific requirements
• Manage Suppliers to be accountable for their product compliance, and collect all necessary product certification, e.g., Tencel, recycled fabrics, etc.
• Manage certification requirements, advising on renewal timelines, risk assessments / RAG ratings / product exclusions and factory audits as necessary
• Support the Lead Fabric & Compliance Tech on the delivery of chemical compliance strategy, including adherence to REACH and our ZDHC Roadmap to Zero
• Gather data for mapping projects, e.g. chemical elimination, working with Suppliers and Regional Offices and maintaining accurate records for seasonal analysis
• Support the delivery of fabric- and compliance-related training for Regional Office Teams and Suppliers
• Work in a flexible and agile way to promote Superdry as a sustainable global brand

• A textile expert with a minimum of 3 years’ experience
• University educated in a technical textile discipline
• Knowledgeable in all aspects of fabric production and components, across wovens and knits, a wide variety of product categories, print techniques, wash and finishing processes
• Familiar with PLM systems, ideally with practical experience of using them to manage data
• Able to demonstrate expert understanding of product compliance challenges and solutions
• Experience in working on chemical compliance initiatives across multiple products types
• Experienced in the testing of fabrics and components, able to interpret the results and recognise the impact on product
• Able to…