Product Technologist – Menswear - 3 Month Fixed Term Contract

Job description

Job Description

Product Technologist – Menswear - 3 Month Fixed Term Contract
Location: Reading

Purpose of role:
To ensure product developed and supplied to Primark complies with Quality Assurance Standards. To work alongside buying teams, suppliers and key stakeholders to establish and maintain best practise and to meet the Primark customer's expectations.

Product and Process
•Understand and support delivery of the Primark Departmental and Quality strategy to deliver the customer promise.
•Strong technical expertise to deliver quality products that are safe, legal and fit for purpose.
•Apply quality standards and commercially evaluate product testing
•Responsible for ensuring all products signed off meet the relevant quality requirements
•Adheres to “the Best Practice” sample process flow
•Quality benchmarking of Primark and key competitors for fit, quality and performance
•Working alongside the Primark Compliance team to ensure the Primark Quality Standards are in line with industry standards (Value/Volume retail).
•Demonstrates an understanding of the legal requirements for labelling
•Proactive problem solving to identify potential fit, fabric or component quality issues
•Participate in the delivery of the key line programme to ensure Primark quality standards and cost efficiencies are achieved.
•Supports and resolves quality issues in a timely manner with clear solutions and communication to all relevant stakeholders.
•Evaluating risk and ability to make commercial recommendations on quality priorities in a volume environment.
•Monitors the Returns Report to identify high returning styles/products, working with the supply base to resolve and improve future deliveries.
•Identifies risk suppliers/product for Pre-shipment and CFS inspection.
•Aware of emerging trends, innovations and legal requirements to proactively support product development.
•Liaise with retail teams to understand and interpret customer feedback on quality issues.

Suppliers 
•Through reporting (portal testing, store visits, pre-shipment inspections, returns and CFS reports) identify quality issues within the supply base and work with the buying teams and the Technical Product Lead to support solutions.
•In partnership with the buying teams participate in supplier meetings to drive the quality agenda.
•Maintains regular updates to the supply base on Primark quality standards
•Engages with Sourcing and Ethical to understand supplier performance.
•Identify opportunities where process efficiencies can be developed and drive cost savings

Communication and Influence
•Through regular, timely and robust communication promote and represent Quality Assurance within the department, facilitating a culture of continuous improvement.
•Through training and engagement with Buying and Suppliers, improve the sampling hit rate.
•Supports and delivers departmental updates and presentations both internally and externally
•Attends B&M department meetings representing Quality Assurance 
•Demonstrates ability to influence Buyers, Controllers and Directors with their decision making regarding quality standards.

Working with others / Leading and Managing others
•Coaches others to identify their skills, abilities and development areas and aligns these to stretching and challenging development activities while maintaining motivation.
•Conducts regular, open discussions with direct reports about their strengths and development areas, facilitating an understanding of performance expectations and the creation of formal development plans
•Facilitates team decision making, consistency and fairness when working with others
•Actively seeks out stretching opportunities to support own development
•Contributing to and supporting the delivery and content of the Primark Quality Academy training courses
•Provides coaching and up-skilling to the Buying teams as required
•Provides training in best practice for sample approval to QA, buying teams and suppliers
•Provide regular updates to the buying teams and suppliers regarding new sections within the QA manual 
•Identifies new training opportunities or training providers for Primark
•Provide training support to the CFS in rejections

Req ID

39242BR
Function

Sourcing
Location

Reading
Full Time / Part Time

Full Time
Country

United Kingdom
Employee Status

Fixed Term Contract