Sourcing and Production Manager

TALA, a digital-first sustainably made women’s activewear company, has been on a rocket ship since its founding in 2019 by Fitness Entrepreneur Grace Beverley. Scaled on amazing organic social traction, we’ve matured into a business with a multi-faceted performance marketing strategy across multiple channels. Off the back of our success, we’ve raised funds with world class venture capital and are in a period of extraordinary growth.This full time role is the perfect opportunity for a Sourcing Manager experienced in performance fabrics, knitwear and beyond, to make their mark within a fast-paced, scaling business. In this role, you will lead TALA Sourcing & Production working across all product categories developing our Supply Base in line with our Strategy
Tasks
Day to day you will:
Continuously review current supplier base taking a strategic and practical eye to areas for improvement
Future proof the supplier base for scale
Guard the quality and timeliness of production
Work across the full life cycle of the seasonal critical path, first planning production, then supporting on sample reviews and approvals, and through to the management of bulk and in warehouse QC
Anticipate and supports expansion into new product areas at both long and short horizons
Continuously optimise for product costs, through increasing degrees of sophistication from cross costing to scale, open costing, pattern optimization and beyond
Maintain a supplier base which Is consistent with our commitment to ESG across the supply chain and organisation including up to date audits, certifications, inspections
Support the operations supply chain with production of packaging, tags etc consistent with our standards
Take ownership of finding new suppliers for both the core business and new product areas
Manage the onboarding process of new suppliers in line with TALA manual
With Garment Tech, ensure materials are suitable for their end use through wearer trials, reviewing the fabric specifications and approving the test reports
Build strong relationships across the supply base. Including through factory visits
Requirements
A minimum of 5 year’s Sourcing experience, preferably within Activewear or other performance categories
Demonstrable experience managing an evolving and optimising supplier base whilst a company scales
A track record of production excellence in timeliness, quality, esg standards, and costs
Ideally have experience / knowledge with Seamless Product
Knowledge of working with environmentally conscious materials and production standards
An in depth understanding of yarns and fabric types and their properties
Be comfortable working in a startup environment: working lean and quickly, being hands on and willing to get your hands dirty, working well both autonomously and collaboratively
Be able to work in our office in London a minimum of 3 days per week
Benefits
Competitive compensation package
Fun, startup working culture
A sense of mission, and contribution to the greater good
Flexible working environment
Mondays and Fridays usually remote, Tues – Thurs at our Vauxhall office
Half day Fridays (most of the time)
25 days AL
Clothing allowance and discount on the best athleisure in the game
Beautiful and bright offices in a historic building in central London (near Vauxhall) with other startups on site
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