Job Title: Accessories Knitting Manager
Responsible to: Production Director
We are looking for an Accessories Knitting Manager to join our growing team in Hawick. In this role you will be responsible for the management and successful performance of all Accessory Knitting areas within the Hawick business. To achieve the agreed production output targets, at optimum efficiency and cost, whilst adhering to the specifications and quality standards set by the company.
This is a permanent role working 38 hours per week, Monday to Thursday 6am – 3pm and Friday 6am – 10pm. Salary starting from £35,000 per annum dependent on experience.
About the Role
Leadership/Knitting
- Work closely with the Production Director to promote a culture of continuous improvement, while monitoring production output, quality, and budget performance.
- Provide leadership and strategic direction to the Accessory Knitting team to maximise efficiency, improve unit costs and throughput, and minimise absence levels.
- Maintain high standards of skills, production, attendance, behaviour, and compliance with company policies within your department.
- Foster strong team spirit through effective communication and regular Whiteboard meetings.
- Collaborate with other department managers to:
- Reduce rejects across all areas.
- Improve efficiency and working methods.
- Encourage staff input on best practices to maximise output and minimise costs.
- Ensure teams understand priorities and plan workloads effectively.
- Ensure knitting operations are planned and resourced to meet prototype, PPT, bulk, and production targets, while maintaining overall production deadlines.
- Work closely with the Planning Team to monitor forward workloads, including unissued work, and support proactive planning.
- Ensure yarn stocks are received, controlled, and returned in line with agreed procedures.
- Manage yarn waste effectively, recording all waste, recovering costs where possible, and driving waste reduction through a "right first time" approach.
- Use production data and machine monitoring systems to identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
- Ensure weekly production targets are achieved within available hours, maximising efficiency and ensuring all trims are knitted on time to prevent delays.
People
- Overall responsibility for managing all Accessory Knitting employees, including supervisors and knitters.
- Develop and implement departmental and individual training plans to optimize resources and build a fully multi-skilled workforce across WG, Shima, Mini SWG, and Shima operations.
- Establish structured training programs to support the expansion of Whole Garment technology, ensuring operators are trained to the required standard and competent across all machine types.
Teamwork / Communications
- Plan and facilitate effective and regular team meetings to ensure delivery of tasks to set timescales.
- Challenge others to develop as leaders while serving as a role model and mentor.
- Regular White Board Sessions.
Personal Development Reviews (PDR).
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About You
Our ideal candidate will have:
- Experience supervising or managing a knitting team, or within a similar environment
- Extensive knitting experience
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Computer literate
- Strong leadership and team building skills.
- Able to work independently and be able to take the initiative in problem solving.
- Strong organisational and time management skills and with ability to prioritise a demanding workload.
About Us
Founded in 1797, Johnstons of Elgin is an innovative, luxury clothing brand celebrating 225 years of experience in working with the world’s finest fibres. Across three centuries, our family-owned company has carefully sources cashmere and fine woollen fibres from around the world, ing the latest technology and highest quality craft expertise in our very own vertical Scottish mills. Employing over 1,000 staff, our valued employees and communities are at the heart of everything we do, producing unique, high-quality designs that are made to last. Our brand is focused on sustainability, working with natural, renewable, and biodegradable fibres and we are committed to maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.
Johnstons of Elgin is proud to be an equal opportunity employer wholeheartedly supporting the principles of equality and diversity to build an inclusive workforce. Our aim is to embed diversity and inclusion in everything we do to create an environment where our employees feel safe to be their whole authentic self without having to downplay or change parts of their identity. We celebrate diversity in all its forms, which goes beyond those characteristics protected by law to include everything that makes us unique, from our backgrounds and experiences to our personalities and ways of thinking.
We endeavour to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and encourage any candidate who requires assistance to contact us at
[email protected].
Don’t meet every requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to to jobs unless they meet every single requirement or qualification. At Johnstons of Elgin, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but think your experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Please note all applicants must be able to provide evidence of their right to remain and take up paid employment in country job is based.
Closing date 4 August 2026
