The Senior Specialist, Product Stewardship – Footwear & Equipment is responsible for standard setting and testing governance for the Footwear and Equipment product categories. This role ensures materials and finished products meet internal standards, brand requirements, and applicable regulatory obligations through disciplined test report review, risk-based approval/rejection decisions, corrective action governance, retesting approval, and shipment disposition based on test evidence. The role partners closely with vendors, suppliers, factories, internal teams, and laboratory partners to ensure consistent execution across development and bulk production.  

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES 

• Standard Setting and Category Stewardship (Footwear & Equipment) 

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve testing standards, requirements, and protocol templates for Footwear & Equipment materials and finished products.  

• Translate standards into clear, practical execution guidance for internal partners, vendors, suppliers, factories, and nominated laboratories.  

• Maintain consistency of testing requirements across development and bulk production; support periodic reviews and updates based on performance trends, risk signals, and evolving regulatory and brand-specific requirements.  

• Ensure standards and updates are communicated and implemented effectively across stakeholders. 

• Test Report Review, Risk Assessment, and Disposition (Approve/Reject) 

• Review nominated laboratory test reports for completeness, accuracy, and compliance to required test packages and category standards. 

• Provide technical assessment and risk evaluation of results; issue clear approval/rejection decisions and document decision rationale. 

• Identify incomplete testing packages and require completion of missing test components before approval. 

• Maintain disciplined follow-up and closure of testing requests in the testing management system. 

• Failure Management, Corrective Actions, and Retesting Approval 

• Manage test failures by requesting, reviewing, and validating corrective action plans (CAP) and root cause analysis. 

• Confirm corrective actions are specific, evidence-based, and sufficient to address failure mechanisms and prevent recurrence. 

• Approve retesting only when corrective actions meet defined requirements and appropriate evidence is provided. 

• Validate retest scope and outcomes; confirm final disposition after passing results. 

• Shipment Disposition Based on Test Evidence 

• Provide shipment approval/hold decisions within defined governance based on material and product test results and risk assessment. 

• Escalate high-risk issues, repeat failures, or exceptions to required stakeholders per escalation expectations. 

• Ensure shipment disposition decisions are timely, clearly communicated, and traceable to test evidence and standards. 

• Supplier and Factory In-House Laboratory Certification Program 

• Manage and support the supplier/factory in-house laboratory certification/accreditation program, including supporting the audit and re-certification cadence, profiency testing, and inter-laboratory comparisons. 

• Monitor lab performance and certification status; drive corrective actions and improvement plans when capability gaps or compliance issues are identified. 

• Support alignment of in-house lab testing practices to internal standards and data integrity expectations. 

• Third-Party Laboratory Engagement and Performance Management 

• Manage day-to-day engagement with nominated third-party laboratories for assigned category scope to ensure correct methods, reporting quality, and service performance. 

• Address report quality issues (e.g., missing data, inconsistent reporting, incorrect methods) and drive corrective actions with lab partners. 

• Support continuous improvement and standardization of lab deliverables and turnaround performance. 

• Training, Education, and Stakeholder Enablement 

• Responsible for training and educating internal stakeholders and external partners (including vendors, factories, and suppliers) on material and product testing requirements, onboarding and use of technology platform for test requests and results, functional and performance claims and related testing, interpretation of test results, and governance expectations (CAP, retesting, and closure criteria). 

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) 

• Training and education coverage and completion across internal and external stakeholders. 

• Test report disposition turnaround time (report available to decision). 

• Disposition quality (rate of rework/reopen due to missed requirements or incomplete packages). 

• CAP cycle time (failure to CAP acceptance; CAP acceptance to retest approval). 

• Retest effectiveness (first-retest pass rate; repeat failure rate). 

• Shipment decision timeliness after final required results. 

• In-house lab certification health (certification currency; closure time for lab findings). 

• Third-party lab performance (on-time reporting; report quality defect rate; responsiveness). 

• Standards and protocol coverage/currency for Footwear & Equipment. 

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS 
Technical and Professional Expertise 

• Strong understanding of apparel and accessories material and product testing, laboratory operations, and test governance. 

• Working knowledge of corrective action and retesting processes across complex supply chains. 

• Leadership and Communication 

• Clear written and verbal communication; able to translate technical outcomes into actionable guidance. 

• Ability to proactively influence relevant stakeholders. 

• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management across internal partners, suppliers, factories, and laboratories. 

Analytical and Problem-Solving 

• Risk-based judgment; ability to interpret incomplete or complex information and drive practical solutions. 

• Ability to identify trends and drive preventive action and continuous improvement. 

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical discipline or equivalent experience. 

• Typically 3–5+ years of relevant experience in testing, quality, product stewardship, or regulatory compliance. 

• Strong system discipline and attention to detail.