Director, Quality Assurance

About the Role

The Director – Raw Materials, Apparel is responsible for defining and executing the global raw material strategy for apparel businesses, ensuring quality, compliance, cost competitiveness, sustainability, and supply continuity across fibers, yarns, fabrics, trims, and embellishments. You will build a resilient, future-ready raw material ecosystem by partnering with cross-functional teams and a global network of mills, suppliers, and service providers. You will set governance, drive traceability, manage risk, and enable speed-to-market through material innovation and standardization.

About the Team

The role partners with Sourcing, Product Development, Design, Merchandising, Compliance, Sustainability, and Supply Chain to protect customer trust and enable profitable growth. The Raw Materials team strengthens upstream capabilities—setting standards, qualifying mills/suppliers, and improving material performance—so downstream teams can deliver consistent quality, responsible sourcing, and reliable supply at scale.

What you’ll do

• Raw Material Strategy & Governance: Define and execute the global raw material strategy aligned to business objectives, brand standards, cost targets, quality benchmarks, and sustainability commitments.
• Standards & Material Governance: Establish and maintain material standards, approved supplier/mill matrices, nomination strategies, and risk classification frameworks.
• Traceability & Responsible Sourcing: Drive fiber-to-finished-fabric traceability and responsible sourcing practices across the raw material supply base.
• Innovation & Trend Leadership: Evaluate macro trends in fibers, fabrics, and material science; translate insights into material roadmaps and capability plans.
• Quality & Testing Programs: Define and oversee raw material quality standards, testing protocols, and technical specifications.
• Mill Capability & Audits: Lead mill capability assessments, technical audits, and continuous improvement programs to strengthen performance and reliability.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate raw material supply chain risks impacting continuity, quality, compliance, and cost.
• Supplier & Mill Ecosystem Development: Build and manage a global network of strategic mills and suppliers; drive onboarding, nomination, and performance management.
• Performance Scorecards: Establish supplier scorecards/KPIs; lead regular performance reviews and corrective action plans.
• Sustainability & Compliance Leadership: Integrate environmental, social, and chemical compliance standards; ensure alignment with regulatory and customer requirements.
• Cross-Functional Enablement: Partner with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, and Sourcing to enable cost engineering, material rationalization, and speed to market.
• Talent & Organization Development: Build and lead a high-performing global raw materials team; drive mentoring, development, and succession planning.
• Budget & Performance Management: Manage functional budgets and track KPIs for material performance and strategic initiatives.
• Travel: Extensive international travel to mills and suppliers.

What you’ll bring

• Raw Materials Leadership: 15+ years of global apparel raw material and/or sourcing leadership experience.
• Technical Manufacturing Expertise: Extensive knowledge and hands-on experience within Woven and Knit manufacturing environments.
• Quality & Risk Management: Proven ability to set standards, implement testing/specifications, and manage upstream supply chain risk.
• Supplier/Mill Management: Demonstrated experience building strategic mill ecosystems, onboarding/nomination, and performance governance.
• Sustainability & Compliance Acumen: Working knowledge of environmental, social, and chemical compliance expectations and preferred materials strategies.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Strong ability to partner with and influence Design, PD, Merchandising, Sourcing, Compliance, Sustainability, and Supply Chain.
• Communication & Executive Presence: Ability to translate technical material topics into clear business decisions and trade-offs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Textiles, Apparel Engineering, Materials Science, Engineering, or Business.
• Experience: 15+ years in global apparel raw materials and/or sourcing leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree in a related field.
• Deep Technical Expertise: Advanced expertise in fibers, fabrics, testing methodologies, and sustainability standards.

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities and qualifications for this position. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties and is subject to change based on business needs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting and valuing unique styles, experiences, identities, ideas and opinions while being welcoming of all people.

Walmart doesn’t charge any recruitment or similar fee in the recruitment process, including but not limited to interview, offering, and onboarding.