Materials Science & Innovation Technician Apprentice

This role combines working day to day and studying towards a professional qualification as an Apprentice. This role is a contract for 10-11 months.

We’re Pentland Brands: a global family business behind some of the world’s most iconic active and lifestyle brands. We bring integrity, energy and ambition to our work, setting high standards and striving to deliver great outcomes without ego.

Shape the work behind some of the world’s most loved sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands.

At Pentland Brands, every role helps move our brands forward. Whether you’re supporting our people, improving our systems, growing our commercial performance, strengthening operations or shaping better ways of working, your impact reaches across a portfolio of iconic brands used by consumers around the world.

The role combines on-the-job delivery with formal learning through a relevant apprenticeship standard and Pentland Brands’ internal apprenticeship programme.

Providing a structured, supervised early-career opportunity within the Materials and R&D teams, supporting materials research, innovation scouting, and sustainability evaluation across apparel, accessories, and hardware.

The role enables the trainee to build applied materials science, research, and technical communication skills while contributing to informed material selection and innovation decisions within a commercial product development environment.

What you’ll be doing:

• Complete the requirements of the relevant apprenticeship standard, alongside participation in Pentland Brands’ internal apprenticeship programme
• Support research into existing, emerging, and early-stage materials technologies relevant to sports and outdoor products
• Investigate adjacent industry solutions and assess potential relevance to Pentland Brands’ product needs
• Assist in the evaluation of woven, knitted, non-woven, synthetic, bio-based, and bio-polymer materials
• Manage physical and digital materials libraries, including cataloguing, archiving, and record maintenance
• Create structured material comparison matrices covering performance, sustainability, and technical criteria
• Support in-house and external laboratory testing to assess material performance and suitability
• Assist materials specialists with academic and technical literature reviews
• Liaise, under supervision, with mills, tier-2 suppliers, and material originators to gather technical and sustainability data
• Contribute to sustainability assessments in collaboration with responsible business and sustainability teams
• Support clear communication of materials research and insights to internal stakeholders
• Maintain accurate documentation and follow materials handling best practice
• Build understanding of how innovation, sustainability, and performance trade-offs are balanced commercially
• Contribute to presentations, summaries, and updates for materials and R&D forums

What you’ll bring:

• Commitment to completing a nationally recognised apprenticeship standard and Pentland Brands’ internal apprenticeship programme
• A strong interest in materials science, textiles, sustainability, or product innovation
• Academic or practical exposure to science, engineering, or materials-related subjects
• Curiosity about emerging technologies and sustainability challenges
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to research, structure, and summarise technical information
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Confidence working collaboratively across teams
• Willingness to learn and adapt in a commercial environment
• Openness to feedback, mentoring, and structured development
• Alignment with Pentland Brands’ values and ways of working

Why Pentland Brands?

Pentland Brands is the name behind some of the world’s best-known sport, outdoor and lifestyle brands, including Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury, Endura, Ellesse, Kickers and Mitre.

We are a global family business with a clear purpose: pioneering brands that make life better. Across our teams, functions and locations, we work together to create products, experiences and partnerships that help people live more active, confident and positive lives.

Joining Pentland Brands means becoming part of a business where your work can have real reach, across multiple brands, markets, teams and disciplines. It is a place for people who want to contribute, collaborate, improve how things are done and help build the future of brands with heritage, ambition and global impact.

Perks & Benefits

We offer a competitive salary, discretionary bonus, hybrid working, flexible start and finish times, generous holiday allowance, product discounts, sample sales, enhanced family-friendly policies, healthcare support, gym and fitness discounts, cycle to work scheme and electric car scheme.

You can find full details of our benefits and perks on our UK Benefits page.

The Interview Process

We want our interview process to feel clear, straightforward, and supportive. If your experience and expectations look like a strong match for the role, here’s what you can expect next:

• Talent Team Intro Call - A 30-minute video call with our Talent Team to get to know each other, talk through the role and your experience, and answer any questions you have.
• Experience Interview - A more in-depth interview (usually online) with the hiring manager to explore your skills, experience and approach, and how these align with the role, our principles, and our ways of working.
• Final Interview - A final in-person interview at our office, focused on deeper discussion and practical application, giving you the chance to meet more of the team and see Pentland Brands in action.