Testing & Production Validation Manager

Varsity Brands•Indianapolis, IN

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Testing & Production Validation Manager owns the day-to-day operation and future development of the product testing lab, including testing intake, prioritization, scheduling, execution, documentation, sample retention, and stakeholder communication. This role Establishes testing practices for internal decoration methods, equipment, production materials, and process readiness; ensures wash, durability, adhesion, exposure, and other required testing is completed accurately and on time; and provides clear, documented results that support production readiness, quality, and business decisions. The Manager partners closely with Production Capabilities, Product Development, Quality, Sourcing, Production, Art, and other cross-functional teams and is expected to build and lead additional testing resources as the function grows.

Requirements

Strong lab, project, and workflow management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple testing requests, balance capacity, and meet committed deadlines.
Working knowledge of apparel, decorated-product, material, or quality testing methods, including wash, durability, adhesion, exposure, or comparable validation processes.
Ability to interpret specifications and testing requirements, apply sound judgment to pass/fail decisions, and escalate technical or business risks appropriately.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical test results into clear conclusions, risks, and recommendations for varied audiences.
High attention to detail and demonstrated ability to maintain accurate, complete, organized, and accessible lab records and physical samples.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, testing databases, dashboards, and project or workflow tracking tools.
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, coordinate cross-functional work, and build productive relationships across Product Development, Production, Quality, Sourcing, Art, and other teams.
Ability to coach, train, and develop team members as the function grows.
5+ years of progressive experience in product testing, quality assurance, laboratory operations, product development, apparel, manufacturing, or a related environment.
Experience owning or coordinating a testing lab, including schedules, samples, test execution, documentation, equipment, and stakeholder communication.
Experience with decorated apparel, printing, textiles, adhesives, heat-applied graphics, or high-variation manufacturing strongly preferred.
Prior formal or informal team leadership experience preferred; people-management experience may be as the team expands.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Textile/Apparel Science, Product Development, Engineering, Quality, Business, or a related field preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Own the daily operation, organization, capacity, and performance of the product testing lab, ensuring testing equipment, supplies, work areas, records, and retained samples are maintained in a safe, orderly, and production-ready condition.
Receive and assess testing requests; confirm scope, samples, test requirements, acceptance criteria, and due dates; prioritize work based on business needs and risk; and create and maintain testing calendars and project schedules.
Organize, perform, and oversee wash, durability, adhesion, exposure, decorated-apparel, material, and production-process testing in accordance with established methods, specifications, and safety requirements.
Track samples and projects through each stage of testing, monitor milestones and completion dates, follow up on overdue activities, and escalate risks, capacity constraints, test failures, or delays to the appropriate stakeholders.
Record test conditions and results, manage pass/fail documentation, summarize findings and recommended next steps, and communicate schedules, progress, outcomes, risks, and delays to cross-functional stakeholders.
Maintain complete and audit-ready test logs, specifications, photos, approvals, dashboards, and supporting documentation; categorize and retain historical test samples so prior results can be retrieved, compared, and referenced efficiently.
Develop and maintain test methods, lab procedures, templates, production-readiness criteria, reporting formats, sample-retention practices, and standard work that improve consistency, repeatability, traceability, and decision quality.
Partner with Product Development, Production Capabilities, Production, Quality, Sourcing, Art, Continuous Improvement, Sales, and vendors to define testing needs, resolve issues, support product and process validation, and ensure testing aligns with business and customer requirements.
Update testing dashboards and monitor workload, cycle time, on-time completion, failure trends, and recurring issues; recommend improvements to lab capacity, equipment, methods, workflows, and documentation.
Establish priorities and performance expectations for the testing function; train and develop future testing team members; and help define staffing, equipment, and capability needs as testing volume and scope expand.
Other duties as assigned