Merchandising Manager – Apparel Sourcing (Knits)

Industry:

Location:

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Candidate Profile

Industry Experience

• 8+ years of experience in apparel merchandising or global apparel sourcing
• Strong, hands-on experience in knitwear merchandising is mandatory
• Proven exposure to managing international fashion brands, preferably European

Product & Category Exposure

• Men’s, Women’s, and Kidswear
• Strong specialization in Knits

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong execution orientation with the ability to manage scale and complexity
• Excellent communication skills; English proficiency is mandatory
• Basic Hindi is not mandatory but will be an advantage
• Ability to manage multiple seasons, stakeholders, and tight delivery timelines

Role Overview

Merchandising Manager – Apparel Sourcing (Knits)

based in Tirupur

Key ResponsibilitiesCustomer & Account Ownership

• Act as the primary merchandising SPOC for assigned

  international apparel brands

• Manage a customer mix that is

  predominantly European

  , with some exposure to

  US brands

• Drive customer satisfaction through structured communication, clear timelines, and execution reliability

Product Development & Order Execution

• Lead seasonal development and sampling for

  Men’s, Women’s, and Kidswear

  , with a strong focus on

  knitwear

• Own execution from tech pack handover through bulk production and shipment
• Manage costing, sample approvals, order confirmations, and bulk readiness

Critical Path & Delivery Management

• Build and manage detailed

  Time and Action (T&A) calendars

  across development and production
• Track key milestones including fabric and trim approvals, PP samples, pilot runs, packing, and ex-factory
• Ensure

  on-time delivery and full shipment performance

Supplier & Factory Management

• Coordinate closely with knitwear factories to align capacity, production planning, and execution
• Drive continuous improvement across quality, lead times, compliance, and responsiveness

Costing & Commercial Ownership

• Partner with account and sourcing teams to meet target pricing and margin objectives
• Identify cost optimization opportunities across fabrics, trims, CM, and logistics while protecting quality

Quality & Compliance

• Work closely with Quality teams to ensure inline and final inspections, testing, and buyer compliance
• Drive resolution of quality issues through root cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions

People Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of

  Merchandisers and Executives

• Set execution standards, review performance, and build capability within the team
• Report

  directly to the Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM)

Why This Role

• Opportunity to work within a

  globally scaled apparel sourcing platform

• Exposure to marquee international fashion brands
• High-ownership role combining execution and people leadership
• Based in India’s most established knitwear manufacturing ecosystem

About the Organization

The organization is part of a large, globally integrated apparel and fashion solutions group with decades of experience serving leading international fashion brands. Operating across multiple sourcing hubs and markets, the group combines design-led product development, manufacturing excellence, and supply chain scale to deliver end-to-end apparel solutions.

The platform works with top European and US fashion brands, offering deep category expertise, strong compliance standards, and long-term, partnership-driven customer relationships.