PD Sourcing Coordinator
Full-Time | On-site – Los Angeles, CA
The PD Sourcing Coordinator plays a pivotal role within the Product Development team, driving the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative raw materials and components. This position centers on researching and sourcing new fabrics, trims, embellishments, and packaging solutions, while supporting key seasonal programs from early concept through production handoff. Success in this role requires strong cross-functional partnership with Design, Sales, and Production to deliver high-quality, on-brand product on aggressive timelines.
Primary Responsibilities
- Own and manage development calendars for raw materials and components, tracking milestones and following up with stakeholders to keep projects on schedule.
- Build and maintain accurate material records in PLM/PDM, including construction details, technical attributes, regulatory/safety documentation, preliminary testing results, and cost information.
- Research, source, and evaluate new fabrics, yarns, trims, labels, packaging, and related technologies to support both internally driven initiatives and updates to existing or future styles.
- Lead creation of novelty embellishments (such as prints, embroidery, garment dye and wash techniques, and allover pattern applications) in partnership with external suppliers and internal decoration/printing teams.
- Identify, qualify, and manage suppliers, sub-suppliers, and contractors, including counter-sourcing efforts, cost comparisons, basic compliance due diligence, and ongoing vendor relationship management.
- Coordinate with nearshore and offshore development partners to execute sourcing strategies, monitor material development, and ensure timely delivery of samples and approvals.
- Work hand-in-hand with Design and Sales to interpret creative direction, provide options on construction and execution, and clearly outline technical and cost implications for proposed ideas.
- Collaborate with downstream product developers and Production to confirm sourcing strategies, finalize vendor/factory allocations, and support the transition from development into bulk production.
- Support development of core body/blank programs by building BOMs, outlining decoration processes, trims, packaging requirements, and any special handling instructions; partner with technical design on specs and sample/fit review.
- Manage sampling workflows for core body/blank styles (proto, fit, quality, and salesman samples), ensuring priorities, timing, and expectations are clearly communicated to internal teams and external partners.
- Lead cost negotiations for core bodies/blank programs, including both domestic CMT and full-package scenarios; benchmark costs across vendors to protect margins and highlight efficiency or savings opportunities.
- Maintain well-organized physical and digital libraries of fabrics, trims, embellishments, and core body styles to support quick access and decision-making for PD, Design, and Sales.
Role Characteristics
- Day-to-day focus is heavily centered on raw material innovation and research, often starting from open-ended or exploratory briefs provided by Design.
- Regular interaction with senior design leadership and commercial stakeholders; must be comfortable presenting options, trade-offs, and recommendations in a clear, solution-oriented manner.
- Requires the ability to move fluidly between less-structured R&D initiatives and more process-driven tasks such as costing, documentation, and production handoff.
- Works closely with PD managers to transition newly developed materials, techniques, and embellishments into style-level adoption and scalable production.
- Shares responsibility for coordinating sampling resources (cutting, sewing, technical design) to balance workloads, manage priorities, and avoid bottlenecks.
- This is a newly established role, and responsibilities may evolve over time; flexibility and willingness to help shape new processes and best practices are essential.
Key Competencies
- Strong understanding of apparel construction, textile fundamentals, and the end-to-end product development and sourcing lifecycle.
- Effective written and verbal communicator who can tailor messaging to various audiences and solicit clear, actionable feedback.
- Highly collaborative and relationship-oriented; actively seeks cross-functional alignment and values a team-first mindset.
- Organized and detail-focused, with the ability to quickly reprioritize and shift between multiple projects and workstreams.
- Strong time-management skills; comfortable working against tight lead times while balancing individual deliverables with broader team and company objectives.
- Curious and growth-oriented; motivated to deepen technical knowledge and market awareness and to take on new, challenging assignments.
- Self-driven and accountable; takes ownership of responsibilities and follows through with minimal oversight.
- Innovative, solutions-focused mindset with solid problem-solving skills and a practical approach to turning concepts into manufacturable, cost-effective product.
Qualifications
- Minimum 5 years of experience in apparel product development and/or sourcing.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken); Spanish language skills are strongly preferred.
- Practical experience with Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint).
- Significant hands-on experience with PLM or PDM systems for material and style management.
- Familiarity with ERP systems is preferred.
- Ability to work on-site in Los Angeles and travel domestically or internationally as business needs require.
Job Type: Full-time, on-site
