Product Development Manager

Location: Hybrid Remote / New York City

Reports to: Director of Production and Sourcing

Nice to meet you!

Pepper is a DTC fast-growing, unabashedly confident bra brand intentionally designed to celebrate small chested bodies in all their glory. We’re on a mission to empower small-chested women of all body types to embrace the flat in flattering. Since launching our 470% funded Kickstarter in 2017, we’ve sold more than a million bras in 2022 alone, and have gone viral and been featured in Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Forbes, Oprah Daily, Vogue and many more.

What we’re proud of:

• Small & mighty. Without raising traditional VC dollars, we’ve grown to eight figures in sales in just 5 short years through focused and profit-minded strategies.
• Doing big things. Our vision is to create a world where ‘flat’ is no longer an insult, and where we take over our customer’s closet with solution-driven, highly curated, fit-first apparel.
• Good for people & the planet. We are intentional about our impact, from how we give back to communities all the way to our factory workers and the women who make our bras. Read more about our sustainability here.

This is where you come in.

We are looking for an experienced, detail-oriented, and passionate intimate apparel Product Development Manager. You will take a lead role in collaborating with design and production in developing our intimates product (Bras, Undies and adjacent categories of athleisure and swim). You are a strategic thinker who can assess tradeoffs between short and long term resources, is able to roll up your sleeves and support every aspect of our product development process from raw material sourcing to working with our suppliers to deliver a product that meets our high standards in quality, design and cost. 

Responsibilities:

• Source, develop, and manage all raw materials including pre-costing, fabrics, washes, trims, prints, and mock-ups.
• Gather and review fabric submits, FDS / FIS sheets, and test reports to ensure all Sample yardage and bulk fabrics meet specifications
• Review bulk test reports to ensure fabric specifications are met
• Potentially attend trade shows and build a raw materials vendor base
• Work with Design to develop and maintain physical fabric library for Pepper
• Support design to establish and maintain color palettes and lab dip libraries seasonally. 
• Order, track, and monitor all lab dip and print strike off comments to meet calendar deadlines.
• Support the product development process collaborating with internal and external cross-functional partners to deliver products that meet design, engineering, quality and cost goals.
• Review development Tech Packs / CADs to clarify important style aspects and strategize on how to deliver product vision at the required price point.
• Work with the suppliers to deliver protos that meet all requirements such as design specs, raw materials,  packaging
• Gather and review first proto cost
• Create and maintain all product development communications including tracking sheets, change logs and T&A
• Daily e-mail and Zoom communication with mills and factories to troubleshoot product development issues and advise solutions.
• Daily communication with cross-functional teams - Design / Planning / Product / Production. 
• Coordinate with the Production team for a smooth transition from product development to order placing.
• Support ad hoc Supply Chain related initiatives as needed 

Requirements

The ideal candidate is passionate about Pepper’s mission to promote body confidence for our audience, fit-driven and can roll up their sleeves to flawlessly execute on strategy.

• 8-10 years of experience in intimates product development/raw materials role with strong knowledge of fabric constructions and finishes. 
• Experience sourcing raw materials with Western Hemisphere and Asia 
• NYC area to meet in person with Design, as needed
• Excellent communication skills and is proactive in their approach to problem solving.  
• Experience in ASTM Fabric Testing for all product types.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and organized, with the ability to multitask and reprioritize workload/ projects to meet deadlines
• Proven ability to effectively negotiate with mills and manufacturers
• Proficient in Google Apps, Microsoft Office and online collaboration tools like Slack
• Extremely flexible and adaptive to changing priorities 
• Passion for start-ups, ecommerce, and rapid growth a must
• Valid Passport for international travel
• Spanish language a plus  

Pepper values.

• We Set the New Standard 🏆: We challenge ourselves to always do better than the status quo and are not afraid to think outside the box.
• We Care Hard 💪: We do hard things with empathy, collaboration, compassion, and don’t shy away from tough feedback or situations.
• We Believe No Job’s Too Big or Small 🗻: We roll up our sleeves, and are able to do a lot with a little through creative problem solving and resourcefulness.
• We Embrace Flexible Conviction 💫: We don’t hold back, and believe the best decisions are ones made together with conviction and openness.

Benefits

• Company matched 401K plan up to 3%
• 100% company covered option for medical, vision, dental insurance premiums
• Flexible remote work location
• Flexible and generous vacation policy
• Paid parental leave for qualifying employees
• Health & wellness monthly stipend
• Have a huge role in the growth of a company with a meaningful mission

Diversity

Pepper is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. Pepper's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, marital or veteran status, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), sexual orientation, pregnancy, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. It also prohibits discrimination based on a perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics. All such discrimination is unlawful. Pepper will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal history, including arrest and conviction records, in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

What Personal Information We Collect

Professional, employment-related, or schooling information. Current or past job history, performance evaluations, and educational background, including grades and transcripts.

How We Use Your Information

For professional, internal analysis, or employment-related purposes, including job applications.

If you are a Colorado or New York resident, please email us at dreamjobs@wearpepper.com to receive compensation and benefits information for this role. Please include the job title in the subject line of the email.