The posting
How You Will Make a Difference
Manage footwear raw-material quality, with a main focus on leather and polymers. Ensure materials meet VF quality, performance, compliance, sustainability and brand requirements throughout bulk production. Work with internal teams, suppliers, factories and laboratories to identify risks early, solve quality issues, improve supplier performance and develop the material quality team.
What You Will Do
Material Quality & Risk
- Manage quality standards and risk assessment for leather, footwear polymers and trims, including molded parts, films, foams, adhesives, laces, webbings, labels, hardware and accessories.
- Establish and maintain leather quality requirements covering grading, cutting yield, thickness, shade, grain appearance, physical performance and restricted-substance compliance.
- Assess tannery controls for incoming hides, wet-end and finishing processes, recipe management, lot segregation, color continuity and lot-level traceability.
- Drive prevention and resolution of leather-specific defects, including shade variation, loose grain, cracking, peeling, dye transfer, crocking, water spotting, mold and finish inconsistency.
- Review material specifications, test results, production processes, failure trends and root causes; recommend practical corrective and preventive actions.
- Identify and manage material quality risks during development, commercialization and bulk production.
Supplier Quality & Improvement
- Evaluate supplier quality systems, technical capability, process controls and production readiness.
- Use audits, scorecards, performance data and KPIs to improve supplier quality and accountability.
- Maintain quality controls and traceability from T2 material suppliers through T1 footwear factories.
- Lead or support material certification, supplier training, technical calibration and continuous improvement.
Partnership & Team Leadership
- Partner with Product Development, Global Materials, GMS, Color, Technical Development, Sourcing, Quality, Compliance, brands, suppliers and laboratories.
- Communicate risks, business impact, options and recommendations clearly to stakeholders.
- Set clear priorities and provide coaching, feedback, technical guidance and development support to the team.
How You Will Lead
- Set clear direction, connect team goals with business priorities and clarify roles, expectations and decisions.
- Use technical knowledge, consumer needs and data to make sound decisions and improve operations.
- Build trust through open, respectful and inclusive communication and strong cross-functional partnership.
- Develop a high-performing team through coaching, timely feedback, clear accountability and career development.
- Model self-awareness, learning agility, influence, integrity and a consistent drive for results.
What Success Looks Like
- Materials consistently meet VF and brand requirements.
- Polymer and trim risks are identified and resolved early.
- Corrective actions are completed on time and remain effective.
- Supplier quality and process capability improve.
- Development and production milestones are supported on time.
- Team capability, accountability and collaboration continue to grow.
Skills for Success
- 8+ years of experience in footwear raw materials, material development, R&D, manufacturing, engineering, supplier quality or a related field.
- 3+ years of people leadership, team-lead, project-lead or matrix-leadership experience.
- Bachelor’s degree preferred in Leather technology, Polymer Science, Chemical engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering or a related field.
- Strong knowledge of leather and or footwear polymers and trims, manufacturing processes, performance, failure modes and quality controls.
- Hands-on knowledge of leather types, tanning and finishing methods, grading systems, color approval, physical and chemical testing, and tannery quality management.
- Experience with ISO 9001, 8D, SPC, CPK, FMEA, Six Sigma and 5S.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, project-management and stakeholder-management skills.
- Good knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint; Tableau or similar analytics experience is helpful.
- Excellent written and spoken English; Mandarin or another relevant Asian language is helpful.
- Ability to travel based on business needs.
VF Values
Integrity | Consumer-Focused | Growth Mindset | Simplicity | Win Together
Free to Be, Inclusion & Diversity
As a purpose-led, performance-driven company, we foster belonging through respect, connection, openness and authenticity. We value diversity and enable associates to bring their authentic selves to work every day.
What's In It for You
We unleash human potential through the ideas, energy and commitment of our people, supported by benefits that encourage mental, physical and financial well-
being.
We just have one question. Are you in?
R-20261103-0068
