We’re looking for a passionate Product Technologist who loves kids’ clothing as much as we do! Someone who is driven to deliver great value, quality, and exciting new products to our customers.
In this role, you’ll bring your technical expertise to our kids’ clothing range – supporting product development, elevating quality, and ensuring every garment meets our standards while aligning to our product strategy.
Key Responsibilities
Work closely with Buying, Trend & Design and Sourcing teams to continuously improve product performance, consistency and cost efficiency - ensuring we deliver the right product, at the right quality, at the right price for our Customers
To research, source and develop new and existing Apparel Products in accordance with Company strategy
To accurately Assess products against company standards and specifications in accordance with the critical path to ensure consistent compliance across all departments and suppliers
To maintain, communicate and issue standards and product specifications
To review and provide insights regarding necessary product specification adjustments in accordance with Company strategy.
Skills & Knowledge Required
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, with the ability to resolve technical product and production challenges
Ability to clearly communicate technical requirements to suppliers and translate complex technical information into practical insights for non-technical stakeholders
Confident in representing the business in engagements with suppliers, manufacturers and internal stakeholders
High level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly when reviewing specifications, samples and production outputs
Strong analytical capability, with the ability to interpret test results, identify trends and drive continuous product improvement
Effective planning, organising and time management skills to manage multiple product cycles and critical path deadlines
Well-developed interpersonal, networking and relationship-building skills, particularly within a supplier and manufacturing environment
Excellent command of the English language, both written and verbal, with strong report-writing capability
Technical Knowledge
Sound understanding of garment construction, pattern making and QA standards
Knowledge of relevant legislation and compliance requirements
Familiarity with South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) standards and testing requirements applicable to clothing
Understanding of product technology SOPs, quality standards and best practices across garment construction and production
Ability to apply technical knowledge to support product development, improve quality and ensure consistency across apparal ranges
Qualifications Required
Essential:
Grade 12 Certificate/Matric
Preferred
National Diploma in Clothing or Fashion design / Clothing Management OR
Bachelor Degree in Consumer Science (with specialisation in Clothing Management), OR Other Relevant Tertiary Qualification
Experience Required
3-5 years retail experience in Product Technology with broad exposure to Apparel
The Ackermans story goes back as far as 1916, when Gus Ackerman opened the first store in Wynberg in Cape Town. His vision for the store was to create a place where customers could find great products at fantastic prices, which is exactly what Ackermans became. Ackermans was, subsequently, bought by the Pepkor Group in 1986.
Today, there are more than 850 Ackermans stores in 5 countries, making us a leading value fashion retailer for the whole family – continuously setting the standard for value and affordability. With a wide selection of fashion for ladies, kids, babies and men, as well as homeware, cellular and key financial products, we’ll keep bringing value to your life every day.
Our purpose at Ackermans is: Bringing Value to Life, and it lies at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s to the lives of our customers and employees, or to the wider community and value retailing as a whole.
The secret to our success is simple – people. Hiring people who love what they do, and giving them every opportunity to shine. In fact, at Ackermans we’re so committed to this philosophy that we’ve named our staff members Phadimas – which means ‘shine’ in Northern Sotho. Every day, each of our employees is encouraged to shine, reach for the stars and take each other, and the Ackermans brand, to new heights of achievement and success.
We firmly believe that the future of our company rests in the hands of the people we employ. As such, every new Ackermans Phadima is put through a rigorous selection process and chosen with the greatest of care. This process ensures that each new Phadima is a perfect fit for our company culture, and will thrive in our environment of encouragement, motivation and inspiration.
If you feel that this is an environment that you could succeed in, we’d love for you to join us. View our current vacancies, and we could soon be welcoming you on-board as our newest Ackermans Phadima!
