Tapestry Director, Costing - Footwear

About Tapestry

Tapestry is a New York–based house of modern luxury, uniting the distinctive worlds of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. As an employer, the group offers the scale and sophistication of a global fashion leader while preserving the creative spirit and heritage of its iconic brands. Tapestry cultivates an inclusive, purpose-driven culture where design, craftsmanship, digital innovation, and commercial excellence intersect. Its teams are encouraged to think boldly, grow continuously, and contribute to a more responsible future for fashion, making Tapestry a compelling environment for talent seeking impact, creativity, and international opportunity.

Lead footwear product costing across Asia for Tapestry's luxury brands, directing cost analysis, cost sheet governance, and factory negotiations to support both quality and commercial targets. This director-level role encompasses end-to-end costing from development through production, team leadership, cross-functional partnership with Product Development, Technical, and Supply Chain Management, and strategic cost optimization initiatives across multiple factories and product categories.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead the footwear costing process from development through production handoff, including cost sheet preparation, review, validation, updates, and clear documentation of assumptions and approvals
• Maintain consistent costing methods and benchmarks for materials, components, consumption and yield, labor, manufacturing processes, and overhead across factories and product categories
• Review factory submissions for accuracy and completeness; challenge material usage, process assumptions, and cost changes with evidence, and resolve discrepancies with relevant teams
• Establish practical controls for costing milestones, version history, exceptions, and escalations to ensure decisions and approved changes are traceable
• Analyze pattern consumption and material yield using available tools including PROCAM or equivalent systems; validate findings with factory data and physical product construction
• Identify cost and efficiency opportunities through material, component, construction, and process analysis; assess quality, aesthetic, capacity, and delivery implications before recommending changes
• Lead cost negotiations with vendors and suppliers to achieve target IMU and AUC goals
• Build and maintain benchmarking data at country, regional, and global level to strengthen negotiating position
• Establish LOP by product type matrix by factory based on economic trends and brand health considerations
• Manage tooling cost negotiation and amortization strategy
• Monitor FX exposure and commodity price volatility, translating impacts into cost models and margin forecasts
• Forecast market labor trends to proactively flag risk
• Serve as subject matter expert on category-specific commodity cost drivers
• Recommend hedging or mitigation strategies for cost-increase risk tied to currency and raw material swings
• Support footwear-specific needs in costing tool and system development; partner with IT and PLM teams to define footwear requirements for costing modules
• Identify opportunities to streamline costing workflows, reduce manual rework and errors, and improve end-to-end system productivity
• Oversee data integrity and governance within costing systems
• Provide RM and SP training and support for system interfaces
• Lead, coach, and develop the footwear costing team; set priorities, strengthen technical capability, and ensure consistent quality and timely delivery
• Build effective working relationships with factories and regional and global teams, encouraging constructive challenge and shared problem-solving

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in footwear product costing, sourcing, or manufacturing, including at least 5 years leading teams or multi-factory costing programs
• Experience with premium or luxury footwear strongly preferred
• Proven ownership of end-to-end footwear costing across development and production, including cost sheet governance, factory cost validation, and direct cost negotiations
• Demonstrated ability to build country, regional, and factory benchmarks; assess LOP by product type and factory; and negotiate tooling costs and amortization
• Deep technical knowledge of footwear materials, construction, pattern consumption and yield, production processes, labor, overhead, and cost modeling
• Ability to interpret FX, commodity, trade, and labor trends, quantify their impact on product cost and margin, and recommend mitigation options
• Experience improving costing processes, data quality, and systems, including defining user requirements with IT or PLM partners
• Strong record of developing talent and influencing senior partners across PD, Technical, SCM, Finance, and global business teams
• Advanced Excel and analytical skills
• Familiarity with PROCAM or comparable tools
• Clear written and spoken English

Skills

Experience

10+ years of progressive experience in footwear product costing, sourcing, or manufacturing, with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity managing teams and multi-factory costing programs. Direct experience leading end-to-end footwear costing from development through production, cost negotiations, and factory cost validation. Proven success building and maintaining benchmarks at country, regional, and global levels. Experience with luxury or premium footwear is highly valued.

Education

Not specified

Workplace

Culture

Tapestry fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, craftsmanship, and consumer insight come together across its portfolio of iconic fashion and lifestyle brands. As an employer, it encourages entrepreneurial thinking, global perspective, and continuous growth, empowering teams to shape meaningful brand experiences while contributing to a culture of innovation and belonging.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.