Materials Manager, Product Innovation

Reformation • Vernon, CA

73d • $90,000 - $105,000

About The Position

As a Materials Manager at Reformation, you will partner with Design to interpret seasonal concepts into fabric, trim, and component R&D across various categories including Footwear, Handbags, Swim, and Jewelry. Your role will involve attending trade shows and supplier fairs to research and present trend and innovation opportunities. You will build and manage vendor relationships, negotiate costs and terms with suppliers, and partner with Sustainability on supply chain initiatives. Additionally, you will be responsible for collecting and logging compliance data, aligning materials from development through production, and resolving issues in the materials lifecycle. You will also monitor industry developments in materials and chemical standards, manage deadstock sourcing, and support strategic projects in materials innovation.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in materials sourcing, R&D, or management within Footwear, Handbags, Swim, or Jewelry.
• Experience with leather and leather goods required; bonus points for experience with traceable and regenerative supply chains.
• Strong supplier negotiation skills with proven ability to manage global vendor relationships.
• Deep technical knowledge of materials and components, including development, QA/testing, and compliance standards.
• Familiarity with certifications and standards (GOTS, RWS, GRS, Prop 65, EUDR, and REACH testing).
• Skilled in trend research, trade show sourcing, and sustainable innovation.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, and G-Suite; PLM/ERP systems experience preferred.
• Excellent organizational, project management, and data tracking skills.
• Strong communicator and collaborator with cross-functional partners.
• Passionate about sustainability, innovation, and creating best-in-class materials programs.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Design to interpret seasonal concepts into fabric, trim, and component R&D across Footwear, Handbags, Swim, and Jewelry.
• Attend trade shows and supplier fairs, researching and presenting trend and innovation opportunities by category.
• Build and manage vendor relationships, onboarding new mills and maintaining a supplier matrix with scorecards based on performance, capabilities, and COO.
• Negotiate costs, terms, and lead-times with mills/suppliers; counter-source nominated materials as needed.
• Partner with Sustainability on Tier 2+ supply chain initiatives, certifications, and traceability requirements.
• Collect, validate, and log LDS/FDS, spec sheets, cost sheets, and compliance data in shared systems.
• Align and standardize materials from development through production; build and maintain category-specific material libraries.
• Support Sourcing with positioning, bulk approvals, and usage reconciliation across production.
• Resolve issues in the materials lifecycle, ensuring compliance with brand standards, regulatory testing, and sustainability protocols.
• Monitor industry and regulatory developments in materials and chemical standards; update processes and roll out to suppliers.
• Track and document key material order benchmarks on shared trackers; highlight at-risk deliveries against the Development Calendar.
• Manage domestic/import deadstock sourcing, maintaining a preferred supplier network and portal.
• Troubleshoot material and component production issues in partnership with QA, Sourcing, and vendors.
• Support strategic or special projects in materials innovation and development across all categories.

Benefits

• Employer-sponsored private medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Commuter benefits to support travel to and from work.
• Competitive paid time off policies including vacation, sick leave, and company holidays.
• Retirement planning support including the option to invest in sustainable funds.
• Access to fertility care support through Carrot, with reimbursement for related expenses after 1 year of employment.
• Donations to community efforts on a yearly basis.
• Clothing discount and culture events like annual Ref Values week and Volunteer Time Off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees