Head of Merchandising & Acquisition

Head of Merchandiser Senior Apparel Costing, Sourcing & Production Manager

📍 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
🏢 Work Arrangement: On-site | Frequent Factory Visits
🌍 Industry: Apparel / Garment Manufacturing & Sourcing

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Apparel Costing, Sourcing & Production Manager with strong hands-on experience in the Bangladesh apparel industry.

The successful candidate will be responsible for garment costing, factory sourcing, commercial negotiations, production execution, and supplier management from product development through ex-factory shipment.

This is a commercially focused role for a professional who can independently evaluate garment costs, establish target prices, negotiate directly with factories, and identify the right manufacturing partners for different product categories.

Key Responsibilities

Costing & Commercial Management

- Prepare detailed garment cost breakdowns covering fabric, trims, labor, processes, overheads, and factory margins.
- Calculate fabric and trim consumption accurately.
- Apply CM, CMT, FOB, SMV/SAM, cost-per-minute, efficiency, productivity, and related costing principles.
- Establish competitive target prices and identify opportunities for cost optimization.
- Compare quotations from multiple factories and prepare commercial recommendations.

Factory Sourcing & Negotiation

- Identify and evaluate suitable factories based on product category, capacity, quality, pricing, compliance, and delivery performance.
- Maintain strong professional relationships with reliable manufacturers across Bangladesh.
- Negotiate directly with factory management on pricing, MOQ, capacity, lead times, payment terms, and commercial conditions.
- Secure competitive pricing while maintaining required quality and delivery standards.

Production & Order Management

- Manage orders from development through ex-factory shipment.
- Coordinate product development, sampling, fabric and trim sourcing, approvals, production planning, and shipment readiness.
- Monitor production progress through regular factory visits.
- Identify production risks, delays, material shortages, and bottlenecks and drive corrective actions.
- Review POs, quantities, pricing, colorways, size breakdowns, and delivery schedules.

Quality & Compliance

- Ensure production follows approved samples, technical packs, specifications, and quality standards.
- Monitor fabric and garment testing, including shrinkage, colorfastness, GSM, measurements, and performance.
- Work with factories on inline and final inspections and AQL requirements.
- Ensure corrective actions are implemented before shipment.

Product Category Experience

Strong experience across multiple apparel categories is preferred, including:

- T-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies and knitwear
- Denim
- Activewear and sportswear
- Polyester, polyamide and spandex products
- Woven shirts and casualwear
- Trousers, shorts and bottoms
- Sweaters / flat knits
- Other men's and casual apparel categories

Required Experience & Skills

- 8+ years of experience in the Bangladesh apparel industry.
- Strong hands-on experience in garment costing, sourcing, factory negotiation and production management.
- Proven experience working directly with apparel factories.
- Strong understanding of international apparel manufacturing and buyer requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate competitive prices and identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Strong knowledge of garment construction, fabric consumption, production processes and manufacturing costs.
- Experience with PPC, quality control and AQL standards.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills for costing and commercial analysis.
- Ability to understand technical packs and communicate effectively in English.
- Strong factory network and knowledge of Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing landscape.

Language Skills

- Professional working proficiency in Bengali and English is required.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for a commercially minded, ethical and proactive professional who can:

- Calculate garment costs independently.
- Establish realistic and competitive target prices.
- Negotiate confidently with factory management.
- Select the right factory for each product category.
- Manage orders from development to shipment.
- Identify problems early and take decisive corrective action.
- Maintain transparent and professional supplier relationships.
- Travel frequently for factory visits.

Integrity & Confidentiality

The successful candidate will be expected to maintain strict confidentiality regarding company pricing, suppliers, product information and commercial strategies.

The role requires a strong commitment to ethical business practices and avoidance of conflicts of interest.

Selection Process

Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete a practical assessment covering garment costing, consumption calculation, target pricing, factory selection, commercial negotiation and production problem-solving.

If you have strong hands-on experience in apparel costing, factory negotiation and production management in Bangladesh, we would like to hear from you.