Director of Raw Materials

Overview

The Veronica Beard Fabric team manages both fabric development and bulk production, working on VB RTW Collection, VB CORE, VB Jeans, and VB Swim. We are looking for a dynamic candidate with strong textile experience, excellent communication skills, and a passion for growing the Fabric team. The ideal candidate will maintain a strong bridge across Design, Product Development, Technical, and Production teams.

This role is based in our NY office and reports to the Senior Director of Raw Materials.

• Strategize sourcing with the Sr. Director for both nominated and factory‑sourced materials across wovens, cut & sew, and leather to align with design vision and financial goals.
• Lead fabric R&D and color execution, ensuring excellence from concept to bulk production.
• Foster cross‑functional collaboration to translate creative concepts into scalable, commercially viable solutions and mentor teams on material construction, technology, quality, and costing.
• Work closely with the Design team on fabric selection and partner with global sourcing to align fabric and material choices with consumer and brand needs.
• Manage all overseas full‑package programs and push vendors for newness in raw materials.
• Spearhead sustainability opportunities at the onset of the season while working within the price matrix.
• Manage and strengthen strategic mill and raw materials supplier partnerships, driving accountability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee raw material quality and assurance programs aligned with VB standards.
• Maintain a generic fabric library and conduct seasonal fabric research.
• Place sample POs and coordinate sample shipments to both domestic and overseas factories.
• Attend weekly meetings with Product Development teams and manage fabric mill dates to meet milestone calendar dates.
• Partner with the Print Designer each season to identify basecloth and repeat limitations of each print base and maintain calendar deadlines.
• Maintain financial tracking for spending per season and reduce budget where possible.
• Attend PD WIP meetings with up‑to‑date status for all materials.
• Confirm system accuracy and documentation across platforms.
• Keep records of unused sample yardage inventories and allocations.
• Manage bulk projections, negotiations, and final order placements with mill partners and ensure target delivery dates.
• Manage risk mitigation for materials through country and supplier diversification.
• Contribute to creating seasonal GTM calendar and manage seasonal calendar deadlines for materials.
• Manage materials costing and minimums to hit FOB and IMU targets.
• Lead and negotiate material lead times to support speedy delivery to market.
• Partner with the production team to manage capacity planning and material staging.
• Partner with the Design team on material innovation ideas and roadmap and collaborate with material suppliers on new material techniques and innovation.
• Manage and approve material development and production tests to meet material test standards.
• Support production and quality teams on any material issues during production.
• Manage the PLM System and data integrity for materials, create material codes, and maintain the PLM material library.
• Establish, report, and analyze material KPIs.
• Lead, manage, develop, and coach the materials team.
• Attend fabric shows and independent agent fairs seasonally.
• Build a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• 12+ years of raw materials and textiles sourcing and development experience with 3+ years of management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in apparel, textiles, materials manufacturing, design, or related field (preferred).
• Deep understanding of textile construction and the ability to cost engineer.
• Strong knowledge of all aspects of material sourcing, development, and production.
• Strong cost negotiation skills.
• Proactive, extremely organized and detail‑oriented.
• Ability to multitask and strong problem‑solving skills.
• Exceptional follow‑up skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient in PLM, Excel, Outlook.
• Self‑motivated, collaborative, positive‑minded, passionate about material development, and willing…