Responsibilities
This role is essential for ensuring high-quality garment production while fostering strong partnerships with suppliers and subcontractors, ensuring clear communication of expectations and standards, ultimately contributing to the overall success and competitiveness of the company.
You are responsible for overseeing the development stage including the sample development process, coordinating with merchandisers and internal and external teams based in Belgium – China – Bangladesh to ensure that prototypes and samples meet design specifications and quality standards. This role involves managing a team of technicians, sample makers and pattern makers. You actively manage the inventory of raw materials for the sample room in Suzhou.
You will conduct regular evaluations of suppliers to assess workmanship, compliance with production requirements and troubleshoot issues, resolve concerns, and implement corrective actions.

-Team Management:
Lead and mentor a team of garment technicians, providing training and guidance in technical processes and quality standards.
Supervise and mentor the sample room team consisting of sample room workers and pattern makers, providing training and support and assign their tasks and manage workloads to ensure efficiency in sample development.
Conduct performance evaluations and manage team schedules to ensure operational efficiency.

-Sample & Pattern Development:
Oversee the creation of sample garments based on design specifications.
Ensure that samples are constructed accurately, adhering to design intent and technical requirements.
Arrange the patterns based on merchandiser’s requirements and resolve consumption discrepancies.
Provide the patterns for CPGL before PP stage.
Develop and maintain a timeline for sample development, ensuring deadlines are met and coordinate with production teams to align sample timelines with production schedules.
Stay informed about current manufacturing practices, quality standards, and changing industry trends to identify areas for improvement in the sample development process.

-Garment Raw Materials Inventory Management:
Oversee the inventory of raw materials, including fabrics, trims, and accessories used in sample creation.
Maintain accurate records of material stock levels, ensuring adequate supplies for ongoing sample development.
Monitor usage trends to anticipate future material needs and make recommendations for replenishment towards merchandisers.

-Technical Oversight:
Review and approve garment samples from development stage until production shipping samples, ensuring adherence to technical specifications and quality standards.
Develop and maintain technical specifications for all garment styles, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
Provide technical advice to reduce production and material cost, support, and identify potential challenges during development and production stages towards merchandising team, QC team and internal and external production teams.
Maintain daily communication on the technical part for development and production with internal teams in China and Bangladesh, and external teams wherever production is scheduled.
Prepare and provide fitting comments on garment fit and construction throughout sampling and production processes.
Oversee workmanship, fabrics and trims, approve fittings, manage size sets, and resolve technical issues.
Conduct thorough inspections of samples for fit, construction, and quality and provide feedback and recommendations for adjustments to improve garment fit and aesthetics.
Communicate fitting comments and offer technical advice to factories to ensure adherence to product and sample standards.
Work closely with internal and external design teams and merchandisers to ensure that designs are technically feasible and aligned with production capabilities. Only need to communicate with external design teams when they visit our company in Suzhou.

-Workmanship Control:
Hand over development stage documents and information to merchandisers team and support QC manager with the company’s quality assurance processes throughout the production cycle, working closely with suppliers and subcontractors.
Identify and resolve potential risks and issues related to workmanship and technical part of production, facilitating effective communication with technical counterparts of manufacturers and subcontractors, both internal and external.

-Continuous Improvement with suppliers including CPGL:
Support and analyze production methods and workflows, identifying opportunities for process enhancements and efficiency gains.
Collaborate with pattern makers and garment technicians to ensure technical feasibility.
Assist in driving improvements in fitting performance.
Lead initiatives aimed at improving supplier performance and reducing defects, collaborating on best practices and innovations.
Stay informed on industry trends, technologies, and best practices to drive improvements within the supply chain.
Ensure all garments produced in the development stage meet customers’ standards and requirements.
Advocate for sustainable practices within the garment production process and among suppliers.

-Documentation and Reporting:
Maintain accurate records of garment specifications, sample specifications, fitting comments and supplier evaluations.
Prepare reports on supplier performance, supplier metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives for senior management.
Prepare reports on daily sample checking records of the technician team with future planning.
Prepare reports on daily pattern maker workload with future planning.
Document and communicate any issues encountered during the sample development process.
Prepare monthly report of material inventory in sample room, share with merchandiser team.
All reports to be accessible on Sharepoint.