Job Description

Working Pattern: Typically 5 days in the office, with core hours flexible between 8am-6pm.

The Role
NEXT Childrenswear are looking for a Fabric Technologist, ideally with wovens experience in childrenswear.

Your primary goal is to champion quality and innovation at the very beginning of the product lifecycle. As a Fabric Technologist, you are the technical gatekeeper, ensuring every roll of fabric meets Next’s rigorous standards for safety, durability, and performance before a single stitch is even sewn.

You won’t just be checking boxes; you’ll be making a tangible difference in the lives of our customers. By mastering the balance between aesthetic appeal and technical integrity, you ensure that:

Safety Comes First: Children’s clothing remains compliant with global safety regulations.
Quality Lasts: Customers can trust our products to survive wash after wash.
Innovation Thrives: You’ll help source sustainable and high-performance materials that keep Next ahead of the curve.

Our Fabric Technologists work hard to ensure the quality and variety of fabrics we offer are always innovative and on trend. Pushing the boundaries is what we do here at Next! Working alongside the team to ensure every aspect of the fabric is performing.

What You’ll Take On
As a technical expert in our Childrenswear division, you are the bridge between creative vision and physical reality. You will drive innovation from the fiber up, ensuring every material we use is safe, sustainable, and of world-class quality.

• Source and Develop: Identify and procure innovative yarns and fabrics by traveling directly to global factories, mills, and laundries to see production firsthand.
• Drive Innovation: Partner with suppliers to pioneer new fabric developments, keeping Next at the forefront of textile technology and performance.
• Elevate Quality: Set, review, and maintain rigorous technical standards for all materials, ensuring they exceed customer expectations for durability and comfort.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Act as an integral member of the product team, working alongside Designers and Buyers to translate trends into high-quality, viable products.
• Ensure Compliance: Guide the team through complex legal requirements and Next’s internal guidelines to ensure every product is safe and fit for purpose.
• Manage Supplier Relations: Build and maintain strong partnerships with global suppliers to improve manufacturing processes and fabric consistency.

What You’ll Bring

• Extensive Fabric Knowledge: A relevant qualification in Textile Technology (or a related field) and a proven track record of managing the technical lifecycle of fabrics.
• A Critical Eye: An exceptional eye for technical detail, allowing you to spot potential performance issues before they reach production.
• Performance Insight: A deep understanding of how fabrics behave—confidently advising on stretch, recovery, shrinkage, and durability.
• Clear Communication: The ability to translate complex technical data into "plain English" for Designers, Buyers, and suppliers.
• Organisation in Motion: The ability to stay grounded and organised during busy periods, managing multiple developments and deadlines simultaneously.
• Solutions-Oriented Mindset: When a fabric fails a test, you use your experience to find a practical, safe, and cost-effective solution.

• Collaborative Spirit: You thrive in a multi-functional squad but are equally comfortable working on your own initiative as a senior technical authority.

Sponsorship
Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned.

At NEXT, we believe the best work happens when there are no barriers to collaboration. That’s why we are a Google-powered workspace. From your very first day, you’ll be using the full Google Workspace suite; Docs, Drive, and Meet, to stay connected and move fast.

If your previous experience is rooted in other software suites, don’t worry! We’ll point you to a digital Google toolkit the moment you join, packed with handy guides and insider tips to help you transition smoothly and hit the ground running.

#LI-Onsite

You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!