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Director - Specialty Materials

Quince· Material Sourcing
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Hybrid (Hong Kong; Shanghai; Shenzhen; Vietnam)$-1full-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Director of Specialty Materials responsible for setting the material vision and leading end-to-end sourcing, production, quality, and cross-functional collaboration across leather, denim, silk, synthetics, and novelty wovens to meet quality, sustainability, and affordability goals.

Responsibilities

  • Define the Material Vision: global raw materials strategy for leather, denim, silk, synthetics, and novelty wovens; partner with design on materials innovations and sustainable technologies.
  • Drive Innovation Across Material Categories: lead R&D of new materials, finishes, and technologies with emphasis on sustainability and performance.
  • Manage a Comprehensive Material Portfolio: build and maintain a material library including platformed materials for efficiency and speed-to-market.
  • Champion Cost Leadership: identify cost-optimization opportunities across the supply chain while maintaining ethics and integrity.
  • Lead Cross-Category Material Strategy: share best practices across leather, denim, silk, synthetics, and novelty wovens across the organization.
  • Sourcing & Supplier Development: build global supplier network; negotiate lead times, capacity, pricing; ensure quality and labor standards.
  • Production Oversight: own material pipeline from raw materials to finished goods; troubleshoot during sampling and mass production.
  • Quality Assurance: establish testing protocols for performance, regulatory, and chemical compliance; ensure materials meet end-use requirements and luxury parity.
  • Production Cost Management: align sourcing with pricing, margins, and cost engineering across categories.
  • Drive Traceability & Transparency: work with certification bodies (LWG, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, REACH) for chain-of-custody integrity.
  • Cross-Functional Leadership & Business Alignment: align with Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Production, and Supply Planning; translate visions into technical specs.
  • Lead and Mentor Material Experts: manage a global team of material experts; set goals and develop talent.
  • Business & Financial Accountability: own material sourcing direction and overrides balancing creativity with profitability.
  • Lead Cross-Category Evaluations: facilitate panels to validate luxury material perception and color accuracy before commercialization.
  • Foster Knowledge Sharing: drive collaboration to elevate the entire material portfolio.
  • People Leadership & Business Alignment: guide a diverse team of sourcing managers, quality engineers, and production experts; set goals and develop talent; own business accountability.

Qualifications

  • Degree in Textile Science, Material Science, Supply Chain Management, Color Chemistry, or related field
  • 15+ years of experience in material sourcing, production, quality management, or coloration for apparel, accessories, or home textiles across leather, denim, silk, synthetics, and wovens
  • Deep technical knowledge of leather tanning, denim weaving and washing, silk production, synthetic manufacturing, and woven construction techniques
  • Proven leadership experience managing cross-functional teams and mentoring talent in fast-paced retail or manufacturing environments
  • Strong cost analysis skills including cost modeling, yield optimization, landed cost analysis, and budget management
  • Experience building and maintaining quality standards and supplier compliance programs, including SKU rationalization and shade consolidation
  • Excellent communication skills to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders

Skills

Required:Material strategySupplier developmentQuality assurance & complianceCross-functional leadership

Benefits

  • Equal opportunity employer
  • Reasonable accommodations for disabilities
  • Background check as part of employment process
  • Security advisory on recruitment practices
Last updated Sep 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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About Quince

High Quality Essentials, Radically Low Prices

Quince brings luxury products like Mongolian Cashmere, Italian Leather, Turkish Cotton and Washable Silk to everyone at radically low prices. Shop premium essentials with no middleman.

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