Job Description

We're the feel-good fashion brand making style accessible and fun for over 55 years, on our website, mobile app and over 300 stores in the UK.



By living our values - we play to win, customer obsessed, we are one and it starts with me - we deliver That New Look Feeling for our customers and each other.



THE ROLE

Quality means consistently meeting customers' expectations whilst ensuring fitness for purpose and meeting regulatory requirements. Within your department you will drive the quality of the delivered products by driving the implementation of the New Look quality framework. To work with the wider teams to deliver better value, cost price and lead time through product engineering and supplier management.

To apply your proven knowledge of quality assurance techniques and processes to drive continuous improvement and to set an example of what good look like to the wider quality and BMD teams.

We are looking for a Senior Technologist on our Footwear Department.

WHATS IN IT FOR YOU

40% staff discount plus friends & family discounts throughout the year Access to our reward platform for external discount and offers Private pension scheme Profit related bonus scheme Option to join our Healthcare Private Medical Scheme Virtual GP access for you and your children - it allows you to speak to a doctor at a time and date that suits you All employees are covered by our life assurance policy from day one Unlock extra leave with our buy more holiday scheme. Celebrate YOU! Enjoy an extra paid day off on your birthday each year Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, and shared parental leave. Spread the cost of your commute with interest-free season ticket loans Do your bit for the environment and save money with our Cycle2Work scheme We're proud to partner with the Retail Trust and Fashion & Textile Children's Trust

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING (RESPONSIBILITIES)

Strategy:

Understands the Business Strategy and how that impacts your Department

Plays a part in forming and implementing Quality Strategy within your own product category whilst contributing across the wider quality team.

Is able to represent the quality team in appropriate x business forums

Knowing customer and market:

Works with customer insight and tools to understand customer expectations.

Conduct regular New Look store visits and DC E comm visits to stay in touch with delivered quality and customer reactions .

Stays informed with current market trends, and regularly benchmarks product to identifying competitor advances to drive development.

Uses data from all customer insights to implement change, for continuous product improvement

Working with BMD:

Ensures all quality processes are aligned and feed into the department critical path.

Collaborate with BMD team to develop and drive department strategy.

Regularly works to co-ordinate wider cross department activities on behalf of the quality team.

Full knowledge of key profit drivers and supporting the associated trading activities.

Proactively challenge BMD at every stage to ensure customer expectations are met.

Quality management:

Owns and drives the Quality Framework, ensuring it is embedded in the departmental WOW.

Focus on quality assurance and maintains robust quality management processes throughout the value chain.

Recognises the global nature of the business and ensures that product meets legal obligations.

Proactively uses the feedback data from all streams to implement corrective action plans for continuous improvement.

Consult and inform other areas of the business as appropriate to maintain brand consistency.

Regularly steps outside of their immediate department responsibilities to promote best practice

Acts as a mentor and coach in the wider quality team

Manufacturing Knowledge:

Uses manufacturing knowledge to agree product construction and suitability for mass production.

Use product engineering to deliver best cost price and value whilst operating within the quality framework

Uses comprehensive supply base knowledge to develop the right product with the right capable supplier.

Be the go to person in BMD team for all things quality or manufacturing related.

As a senior technologist identifies the benefits of a transfer of their skills and knowledge to the wider quality and BMD teams to improve decision making and purchasing practices.

Uses their supply and commercial knowledge effectively to support in negotiation and mediations

Risk Assessment:

Be the risk assessment ambassador for the product category.

Practising and embedding risk assessment as part of the quality framework process.

Where product falls outside the framework, use the risk assessment skills deliver solution based corrective action/continuous improvement.

Knowing product:

Use your specialist product knowledge to deliver product that is right first time

Share your specialist product knowledge to upskill the BMD team

Continuously updating & maintaining the framework to ensure consistent quality within agreed lead times

Specify product:

Apply material/component knowledge to assure performance and compliance.

Deliver consistent standards of fit through knowledge of body shape, pattern technology and grading.

Manage packing and labeling requirements to ensure consistency of brand and compliance.

Solutionises and promotes the right transit methods for products, ensuring no erosion of their value to customer and New Look.

Quality Assurance Practitioner:

A senior technologist fully embraces an assurance approach.

Is employing new technologies , feedback loops and recognizes the benefits of frameworks, process and supplier engagement over a product by product approach to deliver consistent product.

Promotes best practice internally and externally

Will often oversee test and learn projects.

Team management:

Responsible for the motivation and personal development of direct reports.

Proactively mentoring and coaching direct reports

Support with the development of colleagues, deliver training and transfer skills.

Deputises effectively in Technical Manager's absence.

WHO YOU ARE:

Specialist product knowledge/Footwear experience essential

Assimilates and articulates a clear understanding of customer and expectations and what that means for standard setting and the importance of a Quality framework.

Applies first hand experience of manufacturing environments.

Knowledge of product construction, material performance.

Proficient in running a fit session (clothing/ footwear)/ pre-production meeting (accessories).

Makes solution-based decisions from skilled interpretation of test reports.

Understand open costing and able to support buying team through product engineering.

Proficient risk assessment skills

Proactive in benchmarking product - production for consistency and competitors for innovation.

Is able to specify packaging and presentation requirements of a product throughout the value chain.

Understanding of New Look brand and sub-brand strategy and actively participating in the development and delivery of department strategy.

Actively implement regulatory requirements within their product area.

Confident subject matter expert in X business forums.

Understand roles and responsibilities within the BMD team, uses this to ensure impacts of decisions widely considered and has developed networks networks.

Assimilates KPI reports and responds appropriately and in a timely way to manage and implement change.

Ability to convert product requirements into technical terms.

Ability to conduct a technical factory audit, reporting non-conformances and agreeing corrective actions.

Will demonstrate a natural tendency towards leadership in a team to achieve results.

Proactive & appropriately challenging in their approach within departments and the wider team

Growing knowledge and willingness to embrace new technologies

Clearly visible & vocal within the BMD team meetings; sign offs, reviews, order signing etc.

Delivering and operating the New Look values.

Excellent negotiation and influencing skills

Good interpersonal/ communication skills at all levels.

Is a team player. Ability to initiate and build strong relationships with BMD and wider business.

Ability to initiate and build strong relationships with all suppliers.

Makes decisions from an informed standpoint, and is confident and assertive, ensuring all decisions are solution focussed.

Risk assessment and SWOT analysis skills.

Numerical and analytical skills.

Technical networking outside the business.

Ability to line manage, motivate and develop team

Previous experience as a Technologist / Senior Technologist within a major retailer / department within New Look

Product specialist in Footwear



Why New Look?



We care about you and the planet and believe fashion should be a force for positive change. We celebrate inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We're proud of our inclusive culture and our talented team members who embrace our shared purpose, behaviours and values.



We prioritise development, offering training to support your progression, so you can be your absolute best and achieve your goals.



We pride ourselves on being a flexible employer, our colleagues work a range of patterns. If you have a specific pattern in mind, we're keen to discuss this with you in line with the output needed for the role.



Please ensure that your CV is in simple format e.g. Microsoft Word when applying using your CV to ensure smooth application?process