Leather Sourcing / Production Manager (IN)

JOB TITLE:

Manager. Material Production - Leather

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leather Inventory & Quality Control

• Oversee leather inventory levels to ensure adequate supply for tanning schedules while minimizing waste and overstock.
• Inspect and verify that only quality leather—meeting specified micron, length, and color consistency standards—is released into the tanning process.
• Implement checkpoints to catch non-conforming leather before production begins, preventing downstream defects.
• Coordinate with sourcing and warehouse teams to maintain accurate inventory records and proper storage conditions for raw leather.

On-Time Delivery (OTD) Management

• Own leather OTD performance, tracking delivery timelines from suppliers to tanneries and flagging potential delays.
• Proleatherly manage production schedules to ensure leather is available when needed, communicating risks to cross-functional partners.
• Resolve supply interruptions by expediting shipments or reallocating inventory as necessary to meet production deadlines.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for supplier lead times and delivery reliability.

Tanning & Production Support

• Partner with tanneries to ensure leather lots are processed according to technical specifications and quality expectations.
• Monitor leather consumption during tanning to identify discrepancies, yield loss, or quality deviations.
• Work upstream with suppliers to align leather bale composition, lot sizing, and traceability for smoother tannery integration.
• Maintain clear documentation of leather lots, test results, and production flow to support traceability and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with planners and production team to align leather availability with production demand and tanning schedules.
• Collaborate with R&D, Product Development, and Sourcing teams to support seamless production handoffs.
• Provide input on leather purchasing decisions based on production capacity, lead times, and quality performance history.
• Escalate production blockers (e.g., leather shortages, quality holds) with recommended solutions to meet OTD goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Degree in Textile Engineering, Material Science, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• Production Experience: Proven experience managing raw materials in a textile or apparel production environment, preferably with leather or other luxury leathers.
• Quality Focus: Strong ability to assess leather quality and enforce standards before tanning.
• Inventory & OTD Acumen: Demonstrated skill in tracking inventory levels and driving on-time delivery performance.
• Analytical Skills: Ability to use data to monitor leather usage, identify yield issues, and improve production flow.
• Collaboration: Experience working with tanneries, suppliers, planners, and internal production teams to resolve issues quickly.

Preferred:

• Experience with leather leather grading, testing, or lot management.
• Knowledge of tannery operations and leather-to-yarn conversion.
• Familiarity with inventory management systems or ERP tools.
• Understanding of sustainable leather sourcing and production practices.