Raw Materials Manager

Reports To: VP of Product Development (COO for Interim)

Job Type: Full-Time Employee

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Location: Vancouver based; hybrid 1-2 days, Office 3-4 days per week

Salary: $95,000-$110,000

We believe that everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their skin. For too long, we’ve been trained to think that the way we look is more important than the way we feel, and we’re on a mission to change that.

Huha is an underwear brand making healthier, comfier skin-layer basics that encourage one’s sense of body positivity and self-love. In the process of creating what is healthier for our bodies and minds, we are creating what is healthier for the planet, too.

We are a small but dedicated team with great ambitions. As a fast-growing startup, we believe that if we set our minds to a unified goal and work together to achieve it, the sky is the limit. Since our inception, we have doubled our growth year-over-year, given back to dozens of wonderful charities, and garnered tens of thousands of loyal customers who believe what we believe: that comfort is more important than vanity.

Huha is on a mission to create healthier, more comfortable garments that improve one’s sense of body positivity and self-love. Our values guide our work and our mission guides our values. Want to join us?

Together - Every voice shapes the future

Ownership - Embody integrity and reliability

Evolve - Rise to meet challenges

We’re looking for a Raw Materialist to own the sourcing, development, and quality of our fabrics and trims. The Raw Materialist will spearhead fabric and trim innovation, working closely with the executive and product development team to make product visions come to life. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring our materials meet our standards for performance, sustainability, and comfort, while building relationships with our vendors extending from fiber producers, to spinners, knitters, dyehouses and beyond.

• Lead the sourcing and development of fabrics, trims, yarns, and raw materials tailored for intimate apparel
• Build and manage a multi-mill sourcing strategy, including primary and secondary mills for all key fabrics
• Attend fabric shows and maintain close relationships with mills to identify innovations, trends, and sustainability opportunities
• Partner with mills to develop, modify, and optimize materials balancing comfort, durability, performance, and cost
• Manage the seasonal and recurring material development calendar from concept through commercialization
• Own test yardage approvals, bulk material adoption, and readiness for production
• Build redundancy strategies, including:
  • Secondary mills for key fabrics
  • Back-up yarns for functional blends
  • Alternative finishes when mills hit capacity
• Identify and proactively mitigate geopolitical, cost, capacity, and lead-time risks across the supply chain
• Manage raw material production lead times and delivery deadlines to support production timelines

• Lead material innovation initiatives by partnering with mills to engineer custom yarns, blends, finishes, and knit structures unique to Huha
• Manage R&D projects with mills to develop proprietary knits, yarn blends, and fabric differentiators
• Develop and evolve Huha “signature” platform fabrics that scale across collections
• Oversee handfeel, weight, stretch and recovery, pilling resistance, breathability, and durability enhancements
• Negotiate exclusivity or preferential agreements with mill partners where appropriate
• Research and integrate next-generation, skin-friendly fibers and textile technologies

• Lead development of seasonal color books, lab dips, and strike-offs in partnership with Design
• Own approvals for color and print, ensuring all standards are met for bulk production
• Build and oversee an in-house testing lab, managing internal performance testing and validation
• Collaborate with QA on AATCC/ASTM testing, wear tests, and performance reviews
• Interpret test results and drive material approvals or refinements
• Maintain material libraries, quality benchmarks, and…