Yarn & Materials Developer

Location: Solihull, England, United Kingdom; minimum expectation of four days per week onsite at hirify.global HQ

Company

hirify.global develops performance apparel and seamless products for a global conditioning community.

What you will do

• Develop and industrialise seamless yarns, knit constructions, and material platforms across product categories.
• Translate performance needs such as compression, sculpting, breathability, softness, opacity, sweat management, and comfort into yarn and knit solutions.
• Support fibre selection, yarn specifications, elastane construction, covering methods, feeder allocation, yarn pathing, and machine setup.
• Develop seamless knit architectures including rib, mesh, jacquard, tuck, float, plating, engineered ventilation, waistbands, under-bust structures, and body-mapped compression zones.
• Collaborate with technical development, knit programming, product development, design, colour, sourcing, suppliers, manufacturers, and machine technicians.
• Interpret laboratory, wear-trial, and supplier testing data; maintain technical documentation and develop yarn, stitch architecture, and material libraries.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of experience in material development, yarn development, seamless development, performance fabrics, or related technical product development.
• Strong technical knowledge of seamless materials, fibres, yarns, knit constructions, garment technology, fit, grading, and body-zone performance.
• Understanding of seamless circular knitting technology, preferably Santoni or equivalent machinery, including yarn covering, draw-in, feeder allocation, plating, yarn pathing, and tension principles.
• Experience with laboratory and commercial testing standards for performance activewear, including stretch and recovery, compression, opacity, dimensional stability, abrasion, pilling, colour fastness, and wash durability.
• Experience working with yarn suppliers and seamless manufacturing partners, plus strong communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, organisation, and documentation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and PLM or similar systems; willingness to travel when required.

Nice to have

• Experience with Santoni seamless suppliers or equivalent circular knitting manufacturers.
• Experience developing women's or men's seamless activewear.
• Knowledge of sculpting, compression, body-mapping, engineered ventilation, and support-zone technologies.
• Experience with covered elastane, air-covered yarns, textured yarns, recycled polyamide or polyester yarns, and performance synthetic yarns.
• Experience managing yarn libraries, stitch architecture libraries, material platforms, or innovation programmes.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive equal-opportunity workplace with reasonable adjustments available during recruitment.
• Performance-based bonus opportunity and funded healthcare benefit.
• 25 days of holiday, an additional birthday day, and bank holidays.
• Contributory employer pension, life assurance, enhanced family leave, and wellbeing support.
• Flexible benefits including an EV salary-sacrifice scheme, dental insurance, cycle-to-work and technology schemes, and holiday trading.
• Gym membership, onsite lunch and coffee bars, and EV charging at the HQ.