Senior Manager, Material Library

ABOUT YOUR ROLE:

As the Senior Manager, Global Materials Library, you will play a critical role in supporting the strategic leadership and operational excellence of VF's centralized materials library across apparel brands. Reporting to the Director of Material Library & Mill Portfolio, you will lead the execution of governance frameworks, lifecycle management, and digital transformation initiatives that enable material efficiency, cost leverage, and innovation. You will collaborate closely with Material Sourcing team, sourcing leaders, and suppliers to ensure the library is a high-performing, future-ready asset.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

Strategic Execution & Governance

• Support the Director in implementing and governing the centralized Global Materials Library across VF apparel brands.
• Operationalize processes to rationalize material development requests and reduce redundancies.
• Maintain and govern metadata and data attributes to enable material consolidation and strategic leverage.
• Lead seasonal and lifecycle core material reviews to assess relevance, usage, and optimization.
• Partner with sourcing and material leaders to manage the addition or retirement of materials based on business needs.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of 1–2 fabric developers to ensure high performance and alignment with library goals.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive team culture that supports innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship on fabric development, evaluation, and lifecycle management.

Materials Lifecycle Management

• Oversee the circulation, inventory, and lifecycle planning of materials in collaboration with regional teams.
• Ensure physical libraries are maintained in key global locations to support product and cross-brand initiatives.
• Manage material quality evaluations to ensure alignment with sustainability, innovation, and cost goals.
• Conduct regular audits to identify overlaps and opportunities for consolidation.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as a key liaison between the Director, brand teams, and Materials Development leaders to ensure alignment on material standards and supplier leverage.
• Provide centralized access to core materials and strategic insights for cross-functional teams.

Data & Digital Enablement

• Support the development and maintenance of analytics platforms to track material utilization, performance, and cost efficiency.
• Lead initiatives to digitize and streamline material workflows and integrate with PLM/ERP systems.
• Collaborate with IT and digital innovation teams to ensure the robustness of the material database system.

WHAT WE WILL BE LOOKING FOR IN YOU:

Technical Expertise

• Deep knowledge of fabric types, construction, finishing, and performance characteristics.
• Experience in material development, sourcing, and lifecycle management.
• Familiarity with sustainability standards and innovation in textile materials.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Proven ability to lead and develop small teams.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability to build trusted relationships across teams and suppliers.

Analytical & Strategic Thinking

• Strong analytical mindset with experience in data-driven decision-making.
• Ability to manage complex projects and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with PLM, ERP, or material library systems is a plus.

OUR EXPECTATION FOR DEMONSTATING LEADERSHIP:

Strategic Leadership

• Translates strategy into actionable goals for the team; aligns execution with broader business context.
• Compiles insights from industry and operational knowledge to contribute to long term strategy and vision building
• Identify team resource and capability gaps to deliver long term strategy and vision

Growing People & Teams

• Coaches team members for performance and career growth.
• Builds a collaborative team environment with a strong sense of purpose and accountability.
• Identifies team skill gaps and aligns opportunities with both business needs and individual aspirations.

Driving Results

• Takes ownership to ensure teams deliver on commitments with efficiency and effectiveness
• Takes ownership to lead execution cross-functionally to remove obstacles and optimize resources and drives through complexity
• Focussed on results optimized for VF, not function

Partnership

• Leads collaboration across functions to drive synergy and resolve conflicts.
• Strengthens relationships and communication across teams and levels, act as a connector between business areas
• Aligns stakeholders, tracks cross functional goals and drives follow through beyond own team

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US:

• Being a part of a movement that is Purpose led which enables us to have a positive impact on communities around the world, it gives greater meaning to the work we do.
• Working with a team of diverse and sharp minds that work with an inclusive and global mindset because our differences are what make us stronger together.
• Providing you with the best in class, work environment, well-being policies and work place flexibility that is about helping you show up and lean into life with your whole self – emotionally, physically and socially.