Costing Engineer - Intimates

Centric Brands is a leading lifestyle brand collective that designs, sources, markets and sells high quality products in multiple segments, including women’s, men’s and kid’s apparel, accessories, entertainment and beauty.  Centric Brands is focused on our customers and our brands that will drive the company’s future growth. We are defined by innovation as we seize new opportunities and thrive in an environment informed by creativity and thinking that is both analytical and outside the box.  Centric Brands reflects a team built on respect, for others and for the hard work it takes to achieve our goals and build our bright future together.

From staying up to date with fluctuation in global commodities and labor costs, to partnering with production and design teams, as well as vendors and mills on costing and product engineering efforts to achieve the desired prx point while maintaining the design aesthetic our costing engineering team is responsible for ensuring we keep our standards high while building cost effective product which meets design intent and customer expectations, to ensure our business is profitable at every step of the journey. If you are a focused, results -driven, tenacious and highly flexible team player, we’ll give you every opportunity to build a rewarding career with one of the world’s foremost major lifestyle brand collectives

The Costing Engineer supports the production team with early costing, detailed product analysis, and detailed work with vendors on garment construction optimization and opportunities for cost savings.  

Strategy & Innovation

• Continuously track changes in global commodities labor costs. Summarizes and reviews with Sourcing VP and Sourcing Directors on a monthly basis.
• Track and identify significant innovations relevant to Intimates and Socks product manufacturing which could improve product execution and generate savings.
• Maintain archive of detailed cost breakdowns by product category on a seasonal basis.

Operations and Results

• Support production with early costing for very new / innovative styles, to verify cost viability for the intended prx point.
• Run detailed GSD sequence of sewing operations for constructed styles which will serve as a baseline for garment cost negotiations.
• Review all seasonal cost breakdowns, identify areas of cost reductions and present to Production Director / VP.
• Where appropriate, suggest alternative options for garment construction to drive best possible cost, while maintaining the design aesthetic.
• Work with factories on consumption. Analyze and suggest optimal cuttable width for maximum marker optimization. When needed, create mini marker internally to determine correct consumption.
• Support Production Director / VP in cost negotiations with factories. Review with factories key cost drivers (sewing minutes, cost per minute, expected efficiency, consumption, material costs, etc) to ensure the right parameters are being considered in the cost.
• Compare and contrast multiple factory costs to identify opportunities to achieve best possible costs.

Customers & Relationships

• Partner with Production, as well as mills and factories to ensure we are building the possible product at the most competitive cost.
• Communication and follow-up with factories and mills in regards to requests for cost options, lowers costs, and any open points.
• Perform special projects as assigned
• Travel to factories, where appropriate.

Leadership & Teams

• Contribute positively to team dynamic and manage up where necessary
• Monitor and evaluate the success of all costing efforts season over season. Identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Superior organizational skills and excellent communication skills; team oriented
• Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines; highly detail oriented and meticulous
• Creativity, technical capability and sensibility for merchandising/design
• Very strong knowledge of product construction, including material costs and consumption, garment manufacturing, country specific labor costs, capabilities and efficiency levels. Specific to Intimates and Lounge categories, both seamless and cut & sew product.
• Bachelor's Degree
• Pattern Making knowledge and experience preferred.
• 8 -10 years’ experience in apparel product costing; 5 years of experience with Intimates product.
• Expert level computer skills (advanced Excel), including pattern making software.
• GSD certified