Materials Development Coordinator

Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always been colorful, bold, and optimistic. Today, it is a global lifestyle brand that designs extraordinary things for the everyday, delivering seasonal collections of handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, home décor, and more. Known for its rich heritage and unique brand DNA, Kate Spade New York offers a distinctive point of view and celebrates communities of women around the globe who live their perfectly imperfect lifestyles. 

Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Primary Purpose

The Materials Coordinator supports the sourcing, development, organization, and execution of raw materials for leather goods from initial concept through bulk production approval. This role is responsible for coordinating materials development activities across leather, fabric, and hardware categories while serving as a key liaison between suppliers, lobal materials teams, and cross-functional partners.

Key Responsibilities

Material Development and Coordination

• Support sourcing and development of seasonal and core materials across leather, fabric, and hardware categories
• Track new material developments and maintain master development charts on a daily basis
• Obtain, organize, and archive material costing sheets
• Maintain and update material databases and seasonal material charts
• Distribute article master information to internal stakeholders and global teams
• Collaborate closely with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, and Supply Chain teams throughout the development process
• Communicate regularly with suppliers regarding development status, submissions, and material updates

Material Library Management

• Maintain material libraries, article masters, and seasonal material boards
• Label all material samples with complete article information and corresponding tracking details
• Organize and maintain seasonal material rails and developments
• Create and distribute material swatches to cross-functional teams
• Update core and seasonal material boards with approved swatches
• Maintain organization and inventory of article master closets and material storage areas

Shipping and Receiving

• Manage receipt, processing, and distribution of incoming material packages
• Open and review packages in a timely manner with the Materials team
• Verify sample contents and update corresponding tracking charts
• Label materials and ensure proper documentation
• Distribute materials and swatches to appropriate teams
• Coordinate outbound shipments to suppliers and global teams
• Update Materials teams with tracking information within 24 hours of shipment
• Maintain accurate shipment records and tracking logs

Core Development Support

• Create and maintain seasonal color palettes for internal and external distribution
• Set up color requests within designated systems and databases
• Create new colors and update color information within material databases
• Track color proxy development status and manage receipt of submissions
• Organize and distribute seasonal color proxy rings to internal partners

Materials Sourcing and Organization

• Maintain the Raw Materials Sourcing Closet and development areas
• Ensure sourcing resources, sample libraries, and development materials remain organized and accessible
• Support ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement of team organizational processes

A Successful Individual Will Have...

• Accurate and timely maintenance of materials databases, charts, and development tools
• Effective coordination and communication with suppliers and global teams
• Timely processing and distribution of development samples and shipments
• Partnership with cross-functional teams: Design, Product Development, and Merchandising
• Consistent organization and upkeep of material libraries, sourcing areas, and sample inventories

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in materials development, product development, merchandising, sourcing, or a related function; a combination of education and experience will be considered
• Excellent organizational and project coordination skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience working with PLM or material management systems preferred
• Interest in leather goods, materials development, and product creation

Our Competencies for All Employees
Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
 
Our Competencies for All People Managers
Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.                                                                                                    
 

Kate Spade. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or [email protected]

Visit Tapestry, Inc.

Base Pay Range

Here are some of the benefits that we offer: Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401 (K), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits.