Global Sourcing Manager - Women's Apparel

The Global Sourcing Manager owns end‑to‑end development and sourcing execution for assigned women's apparel product categories for Soft Surroundings, located in Creve Coeur, MO. This role is responsible for driving day‑to‑day development decisions, managing timelines, and working directly with vendors and cross‑functional partners to deliver production‑ready product that meets design intent, quality standards, cost targets, and delivery requirements.

• Own product development and sourcing execution for assigned categories, managing styles from concept through production readiness.
• Translate design intent into production‑feasible product by partnering closely with Design and Art, Merchandising, Planning, and Technical Design.
• Manage development timelines and milestones, ensuring fabric and style decisions support sample reviews, photo sample needs, and PO placement.
• Review and approve development samples, ensuring accuracy of construction, materials, cost, quality, and production feasibility.
• Identify and resolve development issues as they arise, escalating risks as needed to protect timing, cost, or quality.
• Guide team members on development
• Partner with leadership to guide sourcing team on long‑term sourcing strategy, vendor optimization, and COO diversification

• Drive fabric and material development for assigned categories, from initial concept through development approval.
• Partner with Design and Compliance throughout development and bulk approval to ensure materials meet aesthetic, performance, and quality requirements.
• Evaluate fabric options and alternatives, balancing cost, quality, lead time, and production feasibility.
• Track fabric development progress and secure timely approvals to support development milestones.
• Manage day‑to‑day relationships with vendors and agents for assigned categories, including communication, follow‑through, and issue resolution.
• Negotiate costs within established targets, ensuring alignment with margin goals and approved sourcing strategies.
• Manage seasonal costing activities and leadership recaps for all categories, ensuring accurate and timely costing and data updates in PLM and related systems.
• Monitor vendor development and production performance, addressing issues to reduce rework, delays, and downstream risk.
• Ensure commitments are clearly communicated and honored once styles and costs are confirmed.

• Work closely with Design and Art, Merchandising, Planning, and Technical Design to close development decisions and maintain calendar adherence.
• Partner with Global Sourcing Operations to support timely development closure and PO placement.
• Communicate status, risks, and decisions clearly across teams to support alignment and execution.
• Manage or mentor junior team members, supporting development execution and skill growth.
• Provide strategic guidance to junior sourcing team members on seasonal development decisions
• Contribute to a collaborative, accountable team environment through strong ownership, follow‑through, and problem solving.
• Support department goals by sharing insights, identifying improvement opportunities, and driving consistent execution.
• Lead cross‑functional alignment across all owned categories with Design and Art, Merchandising, and Technical Design
• Drive sourcing process improvements
• Other duties as assigned

• Candidate must have a minimum of 8+ years’ experience
• Demonstrate strong analytical, negotiating and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrates leadership and decision-making skills
• Demonstrates strong listening, written and oral communication skills
• Proficient in using MS Office applications, especially Microsoft Excel. PLM experience is a plus.
• Detail-oriented and highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Effective interpersonal skills to establish and maintain collaborative work relationships at all levels within the organization.
• Must be able to read, write and speak English fluently.