Recruitment Background

GU, one of the Fast Retailing Group’s flagship brands, aims to become a true global brand by promoting its brand message, “YOUR FREEDOM: The freedom to reinvent yourself,” creating hit products that capture major trends, preventing stockouts of best-selling items, and delivering products and services that exceed customer expectations.
GU still faces many challenges on its path to becoming a truly global brand.We are seeking someone to join us in the field of material development to help advance GU’s unique brand value—enabling customers to enjoy fashion to the fullest with a minimal number of SKUs and affordable prices—on the global stage. This will be achieved through transformations in every aspect of the apparel business, including building a stronger management team through the recruitment and development of a diverse workforce; enhancing the quality of products and styling; creating store environments that make shopping easier for customers; improving the accuracy of quantity and sales planning; and establishing a flexible system for additional production.

Department Overview

The Global Merchandising Division/Production Department, to which you will be assigned, focuses on product production planning and quality control, and is responsible for bringing product concepts to life and streamlining the entire supply chain related to production. By leveraging strong partnerships with sewing factories and material manufacturers and exercising comprehensive control over the entire process—from product development through manufacturing to shipping—we consistently achieve the highest standards of QCD (Quality, Cost, Delivery).Most recently, to support our global business expansion and meet diversifying customer needs, we have been working to build a system that enables stable and flexible production while ensuring sustainability. We are also advancing initiatives to source raw materials for clothing—such as cotton, down, and flax—from designated farms.

Job Description

You will be responsible for end-to-end material development and improvement from both short-term and medium-to-long-term perspectives. During the planning phase, you will work with the merchandising and design teams to determine the direction of development based on customer feedback and market trends. During the mass production phase, you will manage all aspects of material products, from production control to quality control.
While building strong partnerships with internal stakeholders involved in product planning and with material manufacturers collaborating on development, you will formulate and execute optimal global procurement strategies to lead the realization of innovative manufacturing.
*The Job Description is subject to change based on departmental transfers or organizational restructuring, within the scope of duties relevant to each department within the headquarters.

Career Path

By being involved from the product planning and development stages within an environment characterized by global growth potential, overwhelming speed, and scale, you will be able to experience the cutting edge of fashion firsthand. Regardless of age or years of experience, you will have opportunities to take on challenges in team management and organizational leadership.

Required Experience, Skills, and Abilities

• At least 5 years of experience in material planning and development at a textile manufacturer, trading company, apparel company, or similar organization
• Project management skills and problem-solving abilities

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience in fabric development with overseas fabric mills; *Experience working with materials from the raw material stage is preferred*

Company Name

GU Co., Ltd.

Employment Type

Full-time Employee (Permanent Position, with a 3-month probationary period)

Annual Salary

• Annual Salary Range: 6.5–12.0 million yen (Monthly Salary: 420,000–700,000 yen)
• Allowances: Commuting allowance, overtime pay, etc. (*All subject to company regulations)
• Bonuses: Semi-annual bonuses twice a year, year-end bonus (eligibility and amount determined based on company performance and personnel evaluations)
• Promotions twice a year (determined based on performance evaluations)

*Salary will be determined based on company regulations, taking into account your previous annual income and experience, and is not limited to the figures listed above.

Working Hours

Flexible work schedule or managerial/supervisory position

• Flexible work schedule

Standard daily working hours: 8 hours; break: 1 hour
Core hours: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Flexible hours…6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Overtime may be required

• Supervisors

Based on the working hours of the employee’s department; left to the employee’s discretion

Holidays and Leave

Two days off per week (Saturdays and Sundays; national holidays are considered workdays). Annual paid leave, special leave and bereavement leave, childcare and family care leave systems, etc.
*In addition to paid vacation, special leave is granted in the first and second halves of the fiscal year (the number of days granted varies depending on employment status and the company to which the employee belongs)

Insurance Coverage

Social Insurance (Health Insurance, Employees’ Pension Insurance, Employment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance)

Employee Benefits

Employee stock ownership plan, mutual aid association, partner welfare programs, employee discount program, cafeteria, dedicated shuttle bus (for commuting to the Ariake office), defined contribution pension plan

Other

• We are actively recruiting mid-career professionals across various Group companies (Fast Retailing, UNIQLO, GU, etc.). We would appreciate it if you could review the information below and consider applying.
• Within the Fast Retailing Group, you may apply to multiple companies simultaneously. However, please note that even if the selection process proceeds at multiple companies, you can only advance to the final selection stage for one position at a time.
• Based on your submitted resume and interview evaluations, we may contact you to discuss opportunities at other companies or in other positions within the Fast Retailing Group.

• Measures Against Secondhand Smoke: Smoking is prohibited on the premises and indoors; we do not have designated smoking rooms. (Smoking is prohibited during working hours, including break times.)

Ariake Headquarters: 1-6-7 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, UNIQLO CITY
*While you will be employed by the Japanese subsidiary, this position is for candidates who are prepared to be assigned to overseas locations (such as China (Shanghai), Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh). The location you will work from may be changed to a location designated by the company.