Production & Sourcing Manager

The Role

Nero is hiring a Production + Sourcing Manager to oversee the full product life cycle of our all natural activewear range from concept to final delivery. This individual will be responsible for setting and maintaining the seasonal calendar and driving forward the execution and logistics in order to achieve overall business objectives. They'll lead sourcing and cost engineering across the range, making sure every product holds the quality bar and delivers on our mission to build the best activewear in the world from natural fibres.

Key Responsibilities

Sourcing and Development:

• Source and develop products that meet quality standards, identifying cost solutions from initial development through final costing.
• Actively scout and qualify new fabric mills, finishers, trim suppliers, and garment manufacturers across Europe and Asia, building a deeper and more resilient supplier base for Nero.
• Ensure accurate and timely handover of tech packs and BOMs, and keep costing current and aligned with company targets across all styles.
• Own the critical path, maintaining it throughout the season.
• Track all rounds of sampling, and photo shoots, and attend fittings as needed.

Fabric Ordering and PO's:

• Place all fabric orders across our mill partners, managing lead times, minimums, and quality specs end to end.
• Hold a working level of greige and core finished fabrics in stock so we are never gated by 120-day mill lead times on bestseller reorders.
• Forecast fabric consumption against the demand plan and place forward orders early enough that safety stock is always replenished before it runs out.

Production and QC:

• Manage time and action calendars in partnership with our freelancers, holding vendors accountable to key deadlines.
• Lead vendor onboarding, communicate Nero's production and quality requirements, and track performance through seasonal vendor scorecards.
• Monitor shipment status, coordinate split PO’s by warehouse location, and schedule third-party in-line QC.
• Flag high-risk issues, quality, costing, or delivery, to the founder and cross-functional partners early.
• Continuously push for more efficient and sustainable production practices.

Operations and Sustainability:

• Coordinate inbound shipments with freight forwarders and 3PLs, managing documentation through customs and communicating delivery status across the team.
• Create ASNs in the WMS ahead of deliveries and ensure packing lists reach the 3PL on time.
• Maintain accurate Style masters each season.
• Partner with Design and Technical Design on end-of-season hindsights to improve future costing, fit, and construction.
• Stay current on US and EU environmental regulations and support EPR compliance reporting.

Collaboration and Communication:

• Reports to the founder, upholding quality standards, timelines, and industry best practices.
• Work closely with the whole team and keep everyone aligned on status and deadlines.
• Build strong relationships with manufacturing partners and conduct international vendor calls as needed.
• Show up to weekly and milestone meetings as an engaged, collaborative contributor.

Who you are:

• 6-10 years of experience in Product development or Production (Apparel & Clothing) - Luxury brand is a bonus.
• Strong cost negotiating skills combined with a detailed knowledge and understanding of garment construction and cost breakdown.
• Accountable, entrepreneurial, and proactive with a strong work ethic and can-do attitude.
• Must be tech-savvy; working with Microsoft Office, Acrobat, Google, Dropbox, Centric. Experience with Illustrator is preferred.
• Highly proficient with AI tools, Claude in particular. You use AI daily as a genuine force multiplier: drafting supplier comms, building tracking tools, stress-testing decisions, summarising complex info, and accelerating everything you do. We're an AI-native business and expect every hire to be the same.
• Ability to work on both long-lead and speed-to-market developments; agile and efficient while remaining detail-oriented.
• Highly organized and able to productively self-manage workloads and prioritize top deliverables

How we work:

• In-office in Manchester with flexibility to work from home periodically.
• Collaborative, fast-paced, and deeply cross-functional.

Perks + Benefits:

• Opportunity for vested equity overtime.
• Performance bonus applied to specific KPI's.