Fractional Apparel Sourcing Executive for Growing Specialty Apparel Brand.

# Fractional Apparel Sourcing Executive **Location:** United States-based, remote **Engagement:** Part-time / Fractional / Contract **Industry:** Apparel, uniforms, clergy wear, ceremonial garments, accessories **Experience Level:** Senior executive or director-level sourcing experience preferred ## About Divinity Clergy Wear Divinity Clergy Wear is an established and growing apparel company serving clergy members, churches, religious organizations, and denominational leadership throughout the United States. Our product assortment includes clergy shirts, robes, vestments, uniforms, ceremonial apparel, women’s clergy wear, accessories, custom garments, and organization-specific apparel programs. We currently work with sourcing agents and factories in China and are also interested in expanding our manufacturing relationships into additional countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, and other suitable apparel-producing regions. As the company grows, we are looking for an experienced fractional sourcing executive who can bring greater organization, accountability, strategy, and professional oversight to our global sourcing and product-development operations. ## The Opportunity We are seeking a United States-based apparel sourcing professional who can act as Divinity’s internal sourcing leader while working directly with our overseas sourcing agents, factories, suppliers, freight partners, and internal team. This is not simply a factory research or virtual assistant position. We need someone with meaningful apparel-industry experience who understands how to manage the entire process from product concept and costing through development, production, quality control, shipping, and delivery. The right person will help Divinity develop a repeatable and scalable sourcing system while reducing the amount of day-to-day factory communication, follow-up, and production tracking currently handled by the company’s owner. ## Key Responsibilities ### Sourcing Strategy and Factory Development * Evaluate Divinity’s current sourcing structure, factories, agents, suppliers, and workflows * Identify weaknesses, risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement * Help diversify our factory base so the company is not overly dependent on one factory, supplier, agent, or country * Research, identify, vet, and recommend qualified apparel factories and suppliers * Develop backup factory options for important product categories * Evaluate factories based on capabilities, pricing, minimums, quality, capacity, compliance, communication, lead times, and financial stability * Help determine which products should remain in China and which may be better sourced from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, or other markets ### Product Development and Production Management * Manage projects from initial concept through sampling, approval, production, and delivery * Communicate clearly with overseas agents and factories regarding product specifications, construction, materials, trims, colors, sizing, packaging, and quality expectations * Review tech packs, measurement specifications, bills of materials, samples, and production documents * Coordinate sample requests, revisions, approvals, and production schedules * Maintain organized records of product developments, sample status, costing, deadlines, and factory communication * Ensure approved specifications are clearly documented before production begins * Help create realistic development and production calendars * Monitor projects closely and follow up before delays become emergencies ### Costing and Negotiation * Review factory quotations and identify areas where pricing may be improved * Compare costs across factories, countries, materials, and order quantities * Negotiate pricing, payment terms, minimum order quantities, sample fees, tooling charges, and production terms * Help Divinity understand true landed costs, including product cost, duty, freight, inspection, packaging, and related expenses * Identify opportunities to improve margins without lowering product quality ### Quality Control * Establish clear quality standards for Divinity products * Create or improve quality-control procedures, inspection checklists, tolerances, and approval requirements * Coordinate pre-production, inline, and final inspections when appropriate * Review inspection reports and help resolve quality problems with factories * Reduce recurring issues involving sizing, fabric, workmanship, color consistency, packaging, labeling, and product construction * Establish corrective-action processes when factories fail to meet expectations ### Supply Chain Organization * Build a centralized system for tracking every active sourcing and production project * Maintain timelines for samples, approvals, deposits, production, inspections, shipping, and final delivery * Create regular reporting that clearly shows project status, problems, upcoming deadlines, and decisions needed from management * Improve communication between Divinity, overseas agents, factories, freight forwarders, and internal team members * Assist with inventory planning, production timing, and reorder strategy * Help prevent missed deadlines, incomplete instructions, duplicated work, and production surprises ### Leadership and Advisory Support * Serve as a trusted sourcing advisor to Divinity’s owner and management team * Help prioritize sourcing projects based on revenue potential, urgency, risk, and available resources * Recommend systems, software, templates, and processes that will make the sourcing department more efficient * Train internal team members to handle appropriate portions of the sourcing and production process * Help Divinity build a sourcing operation that can support significant future growth ## Required Qualifications * Significant experience in apparel sourcing, product development, manufacturing, or global supply chain management * Prior experience working for an apparel brand, retailer, importer, manufacturer, buying office, sourcing agency, or private-label organization * Strong understanding of garment construction, fabrics, trims, measurements, grading, fit, sampling, production, and quality control * Demonstrated experience communicating and negotiating with factories in China * Experience managing multiple product-development and production projects at the same time * Ability to turn informal conversations, ideas, and product requests into organized factory-ready instructions * Strong project-management and follow-up skills * Excellent written and verbal communication * Ability to work independently and take ownership of deadlines and outcomes * Must be based in the United States and available for regular communication during U.S. business hours * Willingness to occasionally communicate with overseas partners outside normal U.S. business hours when necessary ## Preferred Qualifications * Experience sourcing uniforms, tailored apparel, robes, choir apparel, clergy garments, ceremonial clothing, dresses, shirts, suits, outerwear, or specialized accessories * Existing relationships with apparel factories, agents, inspection companies, fabric mills, trim suppliers, and freight partners * Experience sourcing from multiple countries, especially China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, or Vietnam * Experience with lower-volume specialty apparel as well as larger production programs * Knowledge of import duties, shipping methods, customs documentation, and landed-cost calculations * Familiarity with tech-pack software, product lifecycle management systems, Airtable, Monday.com, Asana, ClickUp, or similar project-management platforms * Experience helping an entrepreneurial or founder-led apparel company build more professional sourcing systems ## Initial Priorities During the first phase of the engagement, we expect this person to: 1. Review our current factories, agents, products, open developments, and sourcing processes 2. Organize all active projects into one clear production and development tracker 3. Identify immediate production risks, missed deadlines, incomplete information, and unresolved factory issues 4. Create a sourcing and production workflow that Divinity can consistently follow 5. Begin identifying qualified backup factories for key product categories 6. Develop a strategy for diversifying production beyond our current supplier base 7. Establish a regular reporting and communication schedule with ownership ## Hours and Working Relationship We anticipate beginning with approximately **10 to 20 hours per week**, depending on experience, availability, and the number of active projects. This may become a long-term fractional leadership position for the right person. We are looking for someone who wants to become an important part of Divinity’s growth, not simply complete a short-term factory search. ## To Apply Please include the following in your proposal: * A summary of your apparel sourcing and product-development background * The types of apparel products you have sourced * The countries where you have direct factory or sourcing experience * Examples of sourcing systems, production trackers, or processes you have implemented * Your experience managing overseas agents and factories * Your experience with costing, negotiation, quality control, and production timelines * Your weekly availability and preferred working arrangement * Your hourly or monthly fractional rate * A brief explanation of how you would approach your first 30 days working with Divinity Clergy Wear Please begin your proposal with the phrase **“Apparel Sourcing Leadership”** so we know you have read the full posting. ## Screening Questions 1. Describe your most recent senior-level apparel sourcing role. 2. Which countries have you personally sourced apparel from? 3. What apparel categories do you understand best? 4. How do you evaluate whether a new factory is reliable? 5. What systems do you use to manage samples, costing, approvals, production, inspections, and shipping? 6. Describe a situation where you inherited a disorganized sourcing operation. What did you change? 7. How do you manage communication between a U.S. brand, an overseas sourcing agent, and multiple factories? 8. Are you comfortable working directly with a founder who needs you to take ownership of organization, follow-up, and accountability? 9. What would you expect to accomplish during your first 30 days? 10. Are you interested in a long-term fractional position if the initial engagement is successful?