---
title: 'Materials Development Manager at The People Brand'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/materials-development-manager-the-people-brand-rigby-ppz912cg8h4f'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Materials Development Manager at The People Brand

- **Company:** The People Brand
- **Location:** Rigby, ID
- **Compensation:** $120k–$140k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-18
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand/f6bbd639-68c0-4843-a02b-4dc44c621856

## Job description

A leading technical apparel and outdoor products company is seeking a Materials Development Manager to lead the strategy, direction, and execution of materials development across multiple performance-driven product lines. This role will guide the evolution of the materials function, delivering high-performance and innovative solutions aligned with brand, product, and business objectives.

The position combines deep technical materials expertise with team leadership, including setting priorities, developing team capabilities, and driving cross-functional alignment. The Materials Development Manager will partner closely with internal teams and external suppliers to support long-term innovation, product performance, and scalability.

This is a compelling opportunity to shape material strategy and influence product innovation across highly regarded technical apparel brands.

## Key Responsibilities

- Lead a small materials team while defining and driving the material development strategy aligned to brand vision, product roadmaps, and business goals.
- Manage and develop the materials team through hiring, coaching, performance management, and capability building.
- Establish priorities and manage workloads across seasonal calendars to ensure timely execution and delivery.
- Oversee the development and implementation of new materials, ensuring performance, durability, quality, and cost objectives are achieved.
- Own and advance the material innovation pipeline by identifying new technologies, materials, and supplier capabilities.
- Build and manage strategic supplier relationships, including mills and development partners, to support innovation and scalability.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Design, Product Development, Sourcing, and Operations to align material direction and product integration.
- Oversee material testing standards and validation processes to ensure consistency, compliance, and performance expectations.
- Drive continuous improvement of material development processes to enhance efficiency, quality, and speed to market.
- Establish and monitor key performance indicators, using data to inform decisions and improve outcomes.
- Identify and mitigate risks related to materials, suppliers, and development timelines.
- Oversee material library strategy and infrastructure to support current development and future innovation.

Desired Competencies

Leadership: Ability to inspire, guide, and empower others by setting clear direction, fostering trust, and creating an environment where team members feel supported, motivated, and accountable.

Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across functions and levels, contributing to shared goals while respecting different perspectives.

Technical / Functional Expertise: Strong technical and professional knowledge within materials development, with the ability to stay current on innovation, performance standards, and industry trends.

## Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree required; degrees in Textile Development, Materials Engineering, or a related field preferred.
- 7+ years of experience in materials or textile development for technical products.
- Experience in technical outerwear required; experience with powersports, snow, moto, or related performance apparel preferred.
- Expertise in waterproof/breathable fabrics, insulation technology, and protective textiles.
- Strong experience managing global supplier networks and strategic mill partnerships.
- Proven ability to set direction, prioritize work, and manage multiple initiatives across seasonal timelines.
- Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional influence skills.
- Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Deep understanding of apparel manufacturing processes, costing, and material application.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 10%.
- This position is not eligible for sponsorship.
- Role is based on-site in the Mountain West region with a hybrid work environment.

## About The People Brand

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: The People Brand is a female-founded, owned, and operated talent acquisition agency specializing in executive and professional placements within the outdoor, lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and CPG industries.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Bootstrapped)
- **Headquarters**: Carson, California, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Tiffany and Angella (both former HR executives from Nike, Hurley, and Fox Racing - last names not publicly available)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Talent Acquisition & Recruitment (niche focus on lifestyle, outdoor, beauty, wellness, and CPG)
- Target customers: Startups to Fortune 500 companies across outdoor, lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and CPG sectors; mid-to-executive level job seekers in those industries
- Mission or purpose statement: To connect exceptional talent with leading brands that share their values, prioritizing cultural alignment, work-life balance, competitive compensation, DEI initiatives, and sustainability goals.

## Products & Services
- **Executive & C-Suite Recruitment**: Headhunting and placement for senior leadership roles within target industries.
- **Functional Recruitment Services**: Specialized placements across Marketing/Communications, Design/Graphic Design, Pattern Making/Technical Design, Product Development/Production, Merchandising, Sales, eCommerce/Digital, Finance/Accounting/Planning, Supply Chain/Operations, Human Resources/Talent Acquisition, Customer Service, Retail Stores and Operations, and Technical/Engineering.
- **Consultative Talent Strategy**: A collaborative approach with clients to define and strategize roles before initiating a search, leveraging the founders' HR leadership experience.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private, no disclosed funding)
- **Key Metric**: 9 out of 10 success rate in hiring; maintains a low attrition rate for placements.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly available (no disclosed investors). Partner brands span startups to Fortune 500 companies in their target sectors.
- **Growth Signals**: Expanding job postings via their Lever careers page ([jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand](https://jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand)), indicating active recruitment for their own team.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Industry Specialization**: Deep domain expertise in outdoor, lifestyle, and CPG sectors, which they call being "outdoor, lifestyle & CPG EXPERTS." This niche focus differentiates them from generalist agencies.
- **Founder-Led Experience**: Founded by former HR executives from top lifestyle brands (Nike, Hurley, Fox Racing) with 20+ years of in-house HR experience, giving them insider knowledge of both client and candidate needs.
- **Transparency**: Unique in the agency space for sharing salary information and company names upfront with candidates, a stated departure from typical industry practices.
- **Cultural Fit Emphasis**: Invests significant time understanding company culture and candidate values, with a stated policy: "If we wouldn't place our own loved ones in a role, we certainly wouldn't place you there either."
- **Personalized, Low-Volume Approach**: A "do things the right way" mentality that avoids rushing placements, resulting in high success and low attrition rates.

## Strategic Focus
- Deepening partnerships with forward-thinking brands that prioritize work-life balance, DEI, and sustainability.
- Leveraging their consultative HR background to provide high-touch, strategic talent solutions rather than transactional recruitment.
- Utilizing AI tools to support parts of the hiring process (reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, identifying verification signals).
- Building on their reputation as a female-founded, owned, and operated firm to attract mission-aligned clients and talent.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: The agency itself prides itself on being a culture-first organization, emphasizing trust, mutual respect, and true partnership. They seek to work with brands that share these values.
- **Work Environment**: Based in Carson, CA, with a mix of on-site and hybrid roles posted for their own team. Positions include full-time roles in locations like Carson, CA and Detroit, MI.
- **Transparency**: As an employer, they use AI tools to support hiring but also tout radical transparency (sharing salary and company names) as a core principle, suggesting a straightforward, honest internal culture.
- **Team & Leadership**: Founded and led by two experienced, purpose-driven HR leaders with a “do the right thing” mentality. You'd be learning from veterans who deeply understand the talent landscape.
- **Impact**: Work directly with top-tier lifestyle and CPG brands, placing talent that drives those industries forward. The agency's small, specialized nature means your work has a direct impact on client success.

## Sources
1. [The People Brand - Official Website](https://thepeoplebrandusa.com/)
2. [The People Brand - About Page](https://thepeoplebrandusa.com/about)
3. [The People Brand - Candidates Page](https://thepeoplebrandusa.com/candidates)
4. [The People Brand - Careers Page (Lever)](https://jobs.lever.co/thepeoplebrand)
5. [The People Brand - Job Board Portal](https://jobs.thepeoplebrandusa.com/)

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- [HR Generalist](https://feeny.ai/job/hr-generalist-the-people-brand-orange-county-swvbd1gjadrs) — Orange County, CA
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