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About Neemans
Neeman’s is at the forefront of blending comfort, sustainability, technology, and design in the footwear space. We aim to create products that elevate our customers' everyday experiences and lifestyle. The ideal candidate is proactive, collaborative, with excellent communication skills, a keen attention to detail, and a strong sense of ownership in delivering high-quality work.
Website- www.neemans.com
What You’ll Do
- Own end-to-end product quality across development, sourcing, incoming materials, in-process, and finished goods for all footwear lines (men’s/women’s/kids; lifestyle & performance).
- Design, implement, and govern SOPs & quality norms across factories and vendors; standardize inspection criteria (AQL), test protocols, traceability, and documentation.
- Scale quality operations to support multiple lakh pairs per month, planning manpower, tooling, checkpoints, sampling plans, and line-yield improvement.
- Build and lead a high-performing QC organization (on-site/in-line/final inspection teams); coach, set KPIs, run audits, and drive continuous improvement (CAPA/8D).
- Establish vendor quality management: qualify new suppliers, define SLAs, conduct process audits, and run supplier scorecards with corrective/ preventive actions.
- Own compliance & product safety: manage chemical & physical testing regimes (e.g., RSL/REACH, Chromium VI, azo dyes, colorfastness, abrasion, flex/peel, hydrolysis for PU, slip resistance).
- Drive DFM/DFA with Product, Design & Sourcing to prevent defects upstream, material specs, tolerances, last/upper/sole interfaces, bonding systems, and packaging.
- Lead issue resolution: root-cause analysis, failure mode tracking, and rapid containment for market returns, field complaints, and e-commerce quality feedback.
- Quality data & reporting: define dashboards for FPY, RTY, defect ppm, cost of poor quality, on-time QC release; present to leadership and influence cross-functional decisions.
- Champion sustainability & durability standards aligned to Neeman’s brand promise (e.g., wear-life targets, eco-material validation, and waste reduction on the line).
Must Haves
- 10–12 years total experience in footwear quality (athleisure, casual, performance, or outdoor footwear).
- Proven track record setting up SOPs & quality norms from scratch and running QC at scale (handling multiple lakh pairs annually/monthly across multi-factory ecosystems).
- Deep knowledge of footwear materials & processes: leather/synthetics/knits, EVA/TPR/PU/rubber, cutting/stitching/lasting/bonding/molding/finishing.
- Hands-on expertise with AQL, CAPA/8D, PFMEA, SPC, and audit frameworks (process & product).
- Strong vendor management across India/Asia, including qualification, audits, and improvement roadmaps.
- Familiarity with global standards & testing: SATRA/ASTM/ISO, RSL/REACH compliance, lab coordination, and certification workflows.
- People leadership: hiring, coaching, and performance management of distributed QC teams.
- Data-driven problem solver; builds clear dashboards and makes decisions from trends, not anecdotes.
- Excellent stakeholder management upward (leadership reviews, trade-off decisions) and cross-functionally (Design, PD, Sourcing, Ops, CS).
Preferred:
- Led quality for direct-to-consumer or fast-growth brands with short development cycles and seasonal drops.
- Experience introducing new constructions (e.g., strobel/board lasting variants, knit uppers, recycled materials) and validating them for mass production.
- Exposure to automation & digital QC (e.g., inline scanners, vision systems, barcode/traceability, PLM/QMS tools).
- Green/Black Belt or ISO 9001 auditor credentials.
- Managed external labs and cost-of-quality reduction programs (scrap, rework, returns).
- Ability to operate in Hindi/English (and regional languages) across supplier bases.
