Product Development & Sourcing Specialist- Women’s

Roots is more than just an/the iconic Canadian retailer, we are a group of passionate employees who act with integrity, trust each other and do what is right. We work in a space where people can grow and develop, with a team of people who own results and are dedicated to seeing Roots win. We seek to build longstanding relationships with partners who share our commitment to maintaining high ethical standards of operation.
We are currently seeking a Product Development & Sourcing Specialist- Women’s who will seek inspiration from our roots, can commit to achieving results the right way and loves to think big to join us on our journey.
The Product Development & Sourcing Specialist- Women’s will be responsible for managing the Development & Sourcing process by collaborating closely with Design, Materials Merchandising, Technical Design, Buyers and Vendors. The role ensures that design integrity, product quality, and target price are maintained and that products are developed on schedule and delivered within the allocated timeline.
The Product Development & Sourcing Specialist for Roots will be responsible for and evaluated on the following:

• Work in partnership with Design from initial concept to maintaining product life cycle
• Collaborate on technical packages in PDM, focusing on BOM, and T/pkg updates for production
• Determine best construction options during fittings in tandem with Technical Designers
• Propose changes and development/ production perspectives to improve products, for better costing and ensure successful commercialization.
• Communicate all style development progress to the vendor keeping them updated and addressing concerns to ensure accurate delivery of the product
• Facilitate an effective and accurate costing process, including cost negotiation and delivery of 1st protos, to achieve best possible margin
• Perform root cause analysis and communicate finding; recommending solutions to resolve issues
• Anticipate and identify potential obstacles and issues from all aspects of development, costing & delivery
• Manage Product Samples and production submissions to ensure that deliverables are maintained for all Milestone Meetings
• Develop and maintain strong cross-functional relationships with design, buyers, TD, R&D, and merchandising regarding changes / discrepancies / on time delivery etc.
• Responsible for final and accurate Tech Packs to vendor
• Adhere to company’s product calendar by solving production issues to meet calendar timelines
• Responsible for reviewing weekly vendor WIP & calling out production concerns. Management of Pos & POCNs Maintain production tracker & other relevant excel documents.

Top candidates for the Product Development & Sourcing Specialist- role will have the following:

• 5+ years’ experience in apparel Product Development
• Knowledge of garment construction and ability to communicate effectively with factories
• Strong organizational skills-able to access accurate information as needed
• Strong communication skills verbal and written - gives concise and focused information
• Excellent time management skills - ability to adhere to calendar deadlines and manage workflow accordingly
• Ability to work both independently and cooperatively with a diverse group of people
• Team player - ability to negotiate and build consensus across multiple functions.
• Proficient PC skills (Microsoft Office) and PLM data management system experience

Founded in 1973, Roots Canada is a publicly held Canadian lifestyle brand that sells apparel, leather bags, small leather goods, footwear, and active athletic wear with over 100 retail stores in North America and Asia.