Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
•Develop and execute sourcing strategies for apparel, lifestyle products, travel accessories, gifting solutions, and merchandise categories.
•Translate business plans into sourcing roadmaps, procurement plans, budgets, and category targets.
•Support category expansion, new product introductions, and supplier diversification initiatives.
•Balance quality, cost, lead time, and scalability requirements across categories.
Vendor Development & Supplier Management
•Identify, evaluate, onboard, and develop manufacturers, fabric mills, merchandise suppliers, printing partners, and packaging vendors.
•Build a strong supplier ecosystem capable of supporting growth, innovation, quality, and delivery requirements.
•Conduct supplier assessments covering capability, capacity, quality, compliance, cost, and delivery performance.
•Manage supplier scorecards, reviews, audits, and improvement programs.
•Develop alternate sourcing options to mitigate supply risks.
Commercial Negotiation & Cost Optimization
•Lead negotiations for pricing, MOQs, payment terms, lead times, and commercial agreements.
•Develop costing models, supplier comparisons, and sourcing benchmarks.
•Drive cost reduction, value engineering, and procurement savings initiatives.
•Monitor market and commodity trends impacting apparel and merchandise categories.
Production Planning & Execution
•Manage sourcing activities from sampling, costing, vendor selection, and production planning through final delivery.
•Coordinate with suppliers to ensure adequate capacity and timely production.
•Ensure material availability and smooth flow from raw material procurement to finished goods.
•Drive OTIF (On-Time In-Full) delivery performance and resolve supply bottlenecks proactively.
Product Development & Quality Management
•Support product development through supplier selection, sample approvals, material sourcing, and production readiness.
•Collaborate with Design, Merchandising, and Quality teams to ensure products meet brand standards.
•Monitor product quality, packaging, trims, finishing, and manufacturing consistency.
•Drive corrective actions for quality, delivery, and supplier performance issues.
Inventory & Supply Chain Management
•Develop procurement and replenishment plans aligned with demand forecasts.
•Optimize inventory levels while minimizing stock-outs, excess inventory, and obsolescence.
•Coordinate closely with operations, warehousing, logistics, and planning teams to ensure supply continuity.
Governance & Performance Management
•Maintain sourcing dashboards, supplier scorecards, procurement trackers, and cost reports.
•Monitor KPIs related to quality, delivery, cost, supplier performance, and inventory.
•Ensure compliance with procurement policies, contractual obligations, ethical sourcing standards, and audit requirements.
•Provide regular updates on sourcing performance, business risks, and improvement opportunities.
Education Qualification
Essential
•Bachelor's Degree in Textile Engineering, Fashion Technology, Apparel Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration or related discipline.