About Your Role

The Manager, Costing will manage development costing activities for Timberland and NAPA footwear, ensuring product costs are accurate, competitive and delivered in line with seasonal development milestones.

This role will partner closely with Product Development, Sourcing, Engineering, Materials, Finance and Product Vendors to validate product costs, identify cost-saving opportunities and support design-to-cost decisions.

The Manager will bring strong footwear manufacturing and costing knowledge and use fact-based analysis to improve cost accuracy, transparency and profitability. The role will also support consistent costing methodologies, process improvements and the adoption of more efficient and digital ways of working.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

Product Costing & Profitability

• Manage end-to-end development costing activities for assigned Timberland and NAPA footwear products.
• Review and validate product costs, including materials, labour, overhead, tooling, molds and other relevant manufacturing costs.
• Partner with Product Development and Sourcing to establish accurate cost estimates and support achievement of target costs and margins.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities through design-to-cost, material optimization, construction changes and manufacturing efficiencies.
• Monitor product costs against agreed targets and highlight key variances, risks and opportunities.
• Provide costing insights and recommendations to support product and sourcing decisions.

Cost Analysis & Validation

• Review vendor cost breakdowns and challenge costing assumptions where necessary.
• Understand and validate key footwear cost drivers including uppers, outsole/midsole components, materials, labour, tooling, molds and manufacturing processes.
• Assess cost implications arising from changes in product design, construction, materials, specifications, order volume or country of manufacture.
• Support cost negotiations through fact-based analysis, benchmarks and alternative costing scenarios.
• Identify unusual cost movements and work with relevant stakeholders to understand root causes.

Costing Governance

• Ensure costing information is accurate, complete and delivered within seasonal timelines.
• Support consistent application of costing standards, methodologies and tools.
• Maintain transparency around cost assumptions, changes and key decisions.
• Ensure alignment between Product Vendors and internal functions on agreed costing processes.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with Product Development, Sourcing, Engineering, Materials, Finance and Product Vendors.
• Understand product requirements and translate them into clear cost implications and recommendations.
• Facilitate resolution of costing issues throughout the product development cycle.
• Communicate cost risks, trade-offs and savings opportunities clearly to stakeholders.
• Build effective working relationships across brands, regions and functions.

Process Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve costing accuracy, productivity and efficiency.
• Support standardization of footwear costing processes and methodologies.
• Reduce repetitive or manual activities through improved tools, automation and data.
• Use costing information to identify trends and recurring cost opportunities.
• Participate in cross-functional costing initiatives and improvement projects.

Capability Building

• Share footwear costing knowledge, methodologies and best practices with relevant teams.
• Support onboarding and development of costing associates where required.
• Provide guidance on footwear manufacturing, construction and product cost drivers.
• Promote consistent use of costing standards and processes.

Travel

• Approximately 10%, depending on business requirements.

What We Will Be Looking for in You

• Strong technical understanding of footwear product costing, construction and manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of footwear materials, components and manufacturing cost drivers.
• Good commercial acumen with the ability to connect product decisions with cost and profitability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Comfortable reviewing and challenging vendor cost breakdowns.
• Able to translate complex costing information into clear business recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills.
• Comfortable working across different brands, functions and geographical locations.
• Organized and able to manage multiple priorities within seasonal timelines.
• Digital and analytical mindset with an interest in process efficiency, automation and data.
• Clear, concise and diplomatic communicator.

Skills & Experience

• Relevant experience in footwear costing, footwear development, engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, buying office or trading company.
• Strong knowledge of footwear construction and manufacturing processes.
• Practical understanding of upper materials, bottom components, outsole/midsole construction, labour, tooling, molds, manufacturing overhead and supplier cost structures.
• Experience reviewing detailed vendor cost breakdowns and supporting cost negotiations.
• Experience working with Product Development, Sourcing, Engineering, Materials, Finance and footwear manufacturing partners.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel or relevant costing/data-analysis tools.
• Experience improving costing processes, tools or ways of working.
• Experience within a global matrix organization would be an advantage.
• Experience with digital costing platforms or automated costing tools would be an advantage.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Footwear Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Business, Finance or a related field.
• Equivalent relevant footwear industry experience may also be considered.