Position Overview

The Regional Raw Materials Lead, Americas will be responsible for achieving the business objectives related to cost and mill and vendor management. The Lead will develop and lead an integrated material procurement process within the Western Hemisphere inclusive of upstream supply chain mapping. The Lead will ensure that our vendors and sourced materials meet Ralph Lauren compliance requirements through the lens of Quality, Testing, Sustainability, G-Citizenship and Traceability.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Drive Regional Raw Material E2E Procurement Process:

• Seasonal/Yearly Raw Material plan based on Global Raw Material Plan through ‘’Supply Demand Plan’’
• Raw Material Cross Quotations for Capacity Booking & Plan
• Platform and position raw materials by partnering with Raw Material Supplier/mills and Regional Sourcing Teams to meet platform raw material goals.
• Monitor raw material monthly plan & placed and obtain updates from Raw Material Suppliers/Mills on Available Material status.
• Monitor raw material prices as well as macro factors to secure in season price as well as annual plan and build risk mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with Regional Sourcing Team to identify & develop core, key and novelty fabrics that meet the Product & Material strategy. (Price, capability & capacity development for higher complexity, new production class or bottleneck products)
• Manage and execute on seasonal calendars and activities to meet deadlines and drive continues process improvements.
• Support In-Brand Team with material identification, core identification, and price tiering needs. Request qualities missing based on Product/Brand Strategy for seasonless development
• Drive and collaborate with teams across the organization to ensure development of effective relationships with raw material suppliers/mills and preferred vertical vendors and help enhance the quality of fabric and trim supplier relationships towards strategic partnerships.
• Provide technical consultancy to support Innovation projects. In collaboration with the Innovation team, drive the roll out of projects when ready for scale up.
• Lead efforts in material development including the establishment/development/maintenance of the material library.
• Keep abreast of industry changes, market intelligence, fashion trends, new resources and opportunities by attending trade show & effective communication with mills.
• Partner with Americas Sourcing team on price, lead-time, Moq negotiation.
• Explore new raw material suppliers/mills to provide affordable and workable innovation.
• Drive cost saving by leveraging material opportunities across the business by material product type, mill/supplier capability and strategy.
• Provide training to materials suppliers; investigate new techniques and technologies to achieve category requirements

Seasonal Strategies and Hindsight:

Collect and communicate Seasonal strategy and hindsight information. Ensure Brands are aware of trends in the global marketplace as they work to adopt raw materials into their lines.

Risk Assessment:

• Ensure any materials offered from Western Hemisphere to the Brands are vetted and risk accessed prior to presentation to the Design and Product Management Teams.
• Manage the investigation of fabric production problems and partner with mills, garment factories and Regional/Global Quality team to resolve on a timely manner.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

§ Progressive corporate experience in fabric sourcing, R&D and development with a proven track record in meeting business objectives

• Ability to travel globally to textile mills and factories
• Indepth understanding of techniques finishes, washes, and printing processes
• Experience or displayed interest in traceability initiatives and transparency roadmaps
• Proven ability to effectively navigate a wide range of business relationships, collaborate, influence and negotiate
• Proven ability to motivate and develop team members; displaying both superb leadership and management skills.
• Comprehensive market knowledge
• Effective prioritization and organization skills
• Displays strong communication skills throughout the organization, and the flexibility to operate effectively in rapid-change environment
• Proven ability to think conceptually and strategically regarding the business; be a creative problem solver with a focus on operational effectiveness
• Champions positive results & change management efforts
• Provides clear team performance expectations and feedback
• Able to lead a diverse team across different regions of the organization