Leather Raw Material & Skins Technical Management
Drives seasonal leather raw material in alignment to RM strategy , including macro's(like to like skin cost season on season) , driving localization, approval of all new leather qualities while ensuring testing and master standards as part of SOP.
Manages tannery relationships and ensures full compliance to LWG with RL's global standards on quality, sustainability, and traceability.
Manage & maintain leather master standard library - color & quality level in seasonal base and support production team for bulk color and qualities issues.
Drive technical system operations including T2/T3 mapping, VMS onboarding, MID creation, RM macros, inventory controls, BCCU movements, LWG tracker, and standardization frameworks.
R&D (Seasonal Research, Material Innovation & Vendor R&D Rooms)
Drive season ahead leather research and innovation, aligning new material development with Global R&D direction and seasonal strategy. Research and development of new leather qualities in close working with vendor partners & tannery .
Integrates seasonal leather menus (new hides, finishes, washes, textures, sustainability processes) and ensures full 360° vendor R&D room updates.
Works cross functionally to translate R&D outputs into vendor ready direction, ensuring concepts are commercially executable ahead of seasonal kickoff.
Concept / Design Development
Drive early stage in season concept development for leather products across multiple categories for in season development.
Translates brand direction and seasonal creative briefs into executable material and construction concepts working closely with Design , Vendor and Sourcing Development RLI team
Ensures material readiness in alignment with seasonal buy calendars and cross functional timelines and handover to sourcing team.
Leads cost negotiations for new leather developments, secures testing ,manages SMS delivery, costing/MOQ alignment, and updates all partners with accurate flash costing inputs.
Drives effective communication between internal teams and tannery/vendor partners to secure appropriate lead times and pricing that meet business objectives.
Proactively reviews and flags potential risks to NY counterparts, providing clear corrective recommendations ahead of seasonal milestones.
Supports troubleshooting of leather/skin issues, risk mitigation, quality escalations, and delivery challenges. Provides solutions for bulk leather quality issues to support smooth production
