Overview
Job Title: Product Technologist – Socks & Hosiery (Ladies, Men's, Children's)
Reports To: Quality Manager
Team: Ladies Essentials
Location: Dublin
Job Type: 12-month fixed term contract
Purpose of the Role: To ensure any product developed and supplied to Primark complies with international Quality Assurance Standards & Regulations. To work alongside buying teams, suppliers and key stakeholders to establish and maintain best practise and to meet the Primark customer's expectations.
Responsibilities
* Understand and support delivery of the Primark Departmental and Quality strategy to deliver the customer promise.
* Demonstrate strong technical expertise to deliver quality products that are safe, legal and fit for purpose.
* Demonstrate proven experience developing ladies, men’s, children’s including baby categories across socks and hosiery.
* Possess deep technical knowledge of socks and hosiery product construction, and fit.
* Apply strong commercial awareness to develop socks and hosiery products at entry, mid, and exit price points, understanding the requirements and differences between each.
* Partner with Buying and Design to interpret creative direction into commercially viable, well-constructed, safe and compliant products for all our retail markets.
* Provide innovative, solution-oriented approaches to product development challenges while maintaining quality, cost, compliance and speed to market.
* Demonstrate a strong understanding of testing standards and an ability to commercially evaluate testing, including knowledge for children’s testing and safety requirements.
* Responsible for ensuring all products signed off meet the relevant quality and compliance requirements.
* Adheres to Best Practice ways of working, focusing on Risk Assessment Review / Black Seal / Gold Seal approval.
* 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 socks and hosiery products including the substantiation of claims.
* 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 at store level, working with the supply base and offshore team 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.
* Manage the customer complaints providing support to Quality Manager – conducting investigative process to a resolution.
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 Quality Manager to support solutions.
* In partnership with the buying teams and Quality Manager participate in supplier meetings to drive the quality agenda.
* Maintain regular updates to the supply base on Primark quality standards.
* Engage with Sourcing and Ethical teams 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.
* Works with the Quality Manager on the strategy for the socks and hosiery teams.
* Through training and engagement with Buying and Suppliers, improve the sampling hit rate and support innovation.
* Supports and delivers departmental updates and presentations both internally and externally.
* Attends allocated department meetings representing Quality Assurance.
* Demonstrates ability to influence Buyers, Heads of 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.
* Provides training in best practice for sample approval to QA, buying teams and suppliers.
* Work in collaboration with the offshore Quality Team and buying on CFS rejections.
Our fashion isn’t one-size-fits-all and neither is our culture. Primark promotes equal employment opportunity, we strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can be themselves, access opportunities and thrive together.
REQ ID: JR-555
Seniority level
* Not Applicable
Employment type
* Full-time
Job function
* Product Management and Marketing
Industries
* Retail
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
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