Product Development Manager

Job Description

Position Overview

We have an exciting career opportunity to be a part of the product team as a Product Development Manager, leading the development of our beautiful, quality product. Reporting to our Senior Product Development Manager or Director, the Product Development Manager is responsible for leading all stages of development to commercialization across multiple product categories. This is a salaried, exempt position. Scope includes full ownership of development calendar, cost management and negotiation, oversight on the sample operations, and highly effective communication amongst internal and external partners. The PD Manager is the main go-to for all Design and Merchandising initiatives. This role combines the need for intensive understanding of process, product, cost engineering, and the ability to build strong internal cross functional relationships and external partnerships. The Product Development Manager should be an effective mentor with the ability to lead people while ensuring company culture is maintained. This role may include driving special initiatives, projects, and collaborations. The Product Development Manager must exhibit high levels of organization, efficiency, collaboration, flexibility, and a can-do attitude. Strategic thinking and the ability to think full enterprise 360 impact is critical. High quality, accurate deliverables are a must.

Responsibilities:

Calendar & Project Management

• Responsible for product development dates within the Product Lifecycle Calendar; Ensure accuracy, update daily, communicate any risks associated with the shift and issue remediation when off calendar.

• Build tools that allow cross-functional team members to have easy access and a clear understanding of key dates.

• Manage vendor/Agent timeline communication and priorities.

• Champion for adherence to all applicable product development dates, and team needs to execute on time, and with quality.

• Partner with PI/Materials Manager to ensure material sourcing timelines, product specifications, sample orders, approvals and all steps of development align in total according to established calendar.

• Create and implement product development processes.

Sample Operations

• Oversee all sample operations including sample ordering strategies, quantities, and timing to control costs and ensure that we meet the total enterprise needs for samples.

• Manage sample development plans, overlap timing, and requests to ensure complete cooperation between teams.

• Ensure timely product approval of all phases of samples, according to the calendar, providing clear, actionable feedback.

• Ensure vendor complies with sample payment terms and processes.

Product Commercialization

• Lead all Technical and Product Development operations by overseeing the collection of all design and/or merchandising direction and aesthetic goals to provide clear communication to vendors, track progress, provide feedback, options, and trigger decisions driving development through to production.

• Ensure all "Style BOMs" in PLM are complete, accurate and to standards. All products must be validated for engineering quality, functionality, and risk. Implement standards to ensure product consistency, maintaining quality, and ensuring brand integrity is top of mind.

• Understand capabilities of all vendors with the ability to make educated vendor placement recommendations in alignment with Sourcing and PI/Materials team.

• Collaborate with team to evaluate development samples and materials for accuracy against product specifications and established standards. Ensure the factories are also documenting sample inspection comments at time of sample shipment. Engage design or merchandising teams with findings to determine, document, and communicate next steps.

• Drive all cost analysis, negotiation, and communication for both internal and external partners. Bubble up target IMU risks to Manager for alignment at each stage of development. Ensure Design and Merchandising are aware of any IMU risks and proactively present cost engineering solutions to the team.

• Develop and implement costing strategies, ensuring design aesthetic and innovation are top priorities. Set target prices with suppliers based on product knowledge and experience to ensure products are competitively priced across vendor base.

• Collaborate on detailed product care and knowledge; educate cross functional teams in partnership with Merchandising and PI/Materials Team. Consider customer experience and impact to other departments in the enterprise during all projects.

Leadership & Relationship Management

• Prioritize and maintain strong cross functional partnerships

• Leverage relationships to align on complex full 360 projects requiring multi-department collaboration.

• Representation of functional area when management is unavailable or traveling.

• Build and execute daily/weekly priorities with consistent delivery and manage up recaps and progress to leadership.

• Work with team to outline new vendor onboarding plans to ensure smooth and successful onboarding. Manage up vendor relationship roadblocks to leadership with solutions.

Operational Excellence

• Identify areas of opportunity and align with key cross functional partners on solutions to remove any roadblocks or to improve ways of working. Oversee implementation of processes.

• Oversee all seasonal hindsight's, including total styles sampled, style adoption, total team workload and total costs accrued, presenting risks and opportunities, and reporting on the evolution of the season.

• Provide and communicate additional standards documents to vendors to further guide the development process. Ensure all vendors and factories have the most updated accurate information for quality assurance.

• Maintain high level of industry knowledge regarding raw material pricing, international manufacturing, relevant product category introductions, innovation, and vendor management.

Our Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Business, Design, Product Development, Fashion Merchandising, or related fields.

• 7+ years' experience in Product Development for a high-growth company. Jewelry experience is a plus.

• 3-7 years' experience leading and developing a successful team.

• Proven ability to break down larger initiatives into consumable achievable tasks to achieve departmental and company objectives, and constantly pivot based on ever changing business needs.

• Strong multi-tasking skills and ability to react quickly in a fast-paced environment. A solutions-oriented mentality with a data driven approach and strong problem-solving skills.

• A growth mindset: track record of leveraging past learnings, encouraging innovative ideas and smart risk taking in self and others.

• Persuasive communication skills with a proven ability to influence and make effective decisions collaboratively. Ability to clearly articulate plans.

• Comprehensive understanding of retail product development, technical design, and manufacturing processes.

• Experience working with domestic and overseas vendors as well as third party agencies.

• Experience developing, implementing, and communicating new processes and tools.