Vivienne Westwood, iconic English brand forerunner of punk fashion, has been offering a fiercely creative design since 1971, directly inspired by the style and history of London fashion.
The brand has also been able to evolve over the years and it currently offers a design whose inspiration is rooted directly in Dame Vivienne Westwood's and Andreas Kronthaler's commitment for the environment and climate change.
**Vivienne Westwood Italy** is recruiting an experienced and proactive resource to join the Procurement Department/R&D team at our Milan Office.
The resource will be in charge of the Research & Development of raw materials for bags and shoes lines, directly reporting to the Purchasing and Procurement Manager and working closely with the R&D colleague to deliver prompt research proposals to the Design Team based in London office.
**Tasks and Responsibilities**:
- Analysing and working out the collection timetables together with the other teams in London and Milan (Designers, PD's and Merchandisers) and participating during meetings with the Design team to gather all requests regarding developments, trials and decisions;
- Contributing to the scouting of new raw material suppliers and visiting mills and fabric/leather fairs to verify the supplier's quality, supply chain, possibilities and negotiating prices and lead times for sampling and production;
- Guiding the Design team in their research and development, finding new solutions and sharing them with manufacturers;
- Gathering technical information and certifications about raw materials;
- After the allocation of styles and charts to the manufacturers, sending them the material structures to chase their RM needs; after receiving each manufacturer's needs coordinating promptly with the Procurement team in Milan the bulk orders to guarantee correct price and delivery;
- Follow up with manufacturer to check the status of their orders (arrival time, delays, upcharges in prices, quality issues, transfer from one manufacturer to another);
- Supporting the suppliers and the QC team in managing issues related to quality defects;
- Providing information to the Purchasing team in order to manage production orders;
- Actively participating in the implementation of VW sustainable strategy & circular economy principles defined by seasonal targets;
**Criteria**:
- At least 5 years previous work experience in the role and in similar environment/companies;
- Broad knowledge of the industrialization process of shoes and bags;
- Strong communication and project management skills;
- Good prior knowledge of PLM and Excel program;
- Flexibility and willingness to travel (in Italy and UK)
- Fluent in English (mandatory)
**What we offer**:
Stimulating workplace, as well as serene and caring for the individual.
Hybrid working (mix of physical presence in office and smart working) according to the tasks and role; tickets restaurant; flexible working time (morning clock-in and end of the day clock-out); clothing allowance after one year lenght of service; staff discounts; other benefits.
**Vivienne Westwood is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy or any other protected charateristic as outlined by local government laws.