Sr. Manager, PD and Production, Sweater Knits

Position Title: Sr. Manager of Product Development & Production, Sweater Knits

Reporting to Title: VP, Global Product Operations

Summary:

The Sr. Manager of Product Development & Production, Sweater Knits is responsible for managing the realization of all fully fashion knits in all categories (Women’s, Men’s, Unisex, Hosiery, Socks, Cold Weather Accessories) end to end from development through finished goods production shipment; reporting into VP, Global Product Operations.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:                                                                                     

Product & Strategy

• Serve as the primary day-to-day partner to the Design Director of Sweater Knits, driving alignment across development and production milestones
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of all product in development and production to develop quality focused, on brand, cost competitive product that supports sweater knits business strategies
• Partner with Design Director of Sweater Knits to continuously lead team to identify effective and creative solutions to workflow challenges, speed-to-market improvements, production execution, and capacity/efficiency management in a design driven brand
• Partner with Design Director of Sweater Knits to manage sourcing, developing, and counter sourcing of raw materials and manufacturer allocation; including diversification, sustainability initiatives, establish standards, and all bulk approvals
• Attend yarn and manufacturer appointments to maintain comprehensive knowledge of collection qualities, trends, vendor capabilities and pricing; while leading all business impact discussions
• Maintain database of sweater knits group names and attributes
• Monitor product WIP reports; proactively identify and resolve delays, quality issues, or supply chain disruptions, escalating risks early, in partnership with factories and logistics teams to keep development and production on track
• Manage, track, and monitor development and production budget; includes approving all category invoices and manage visibility with finance team

Vendor Management

• Oversee and execute day-to-day communication and planning to internal team and vendors;
• Issue Seasonal Projections with guidance to supply chain and deliverable expectations
• Launch and manage out-of-house and in-house developments with our overseas factories and in-house atelier for both proto and SMS. Confirm clarity with each vendor once styles are launched.
• Negotiate all finished goods costing in alignment with business goals
• Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, reduce lead times, MOQs, and unit costs, and strengthen factory partnerships
  
  

Calendar & Reporting

• Manage calendar workflow, deadlines, and deliverables for sweater knits across yarn suppliers and vendors: 1st concept, prototypes, market samples (development) & counter sourcing to finished goods x-factory (production)
• Report on all quantitative and qualitative metrics for sweater knits throughout the development and production lifecycle
• Own a selection of seasonal, monthly, and weekly cross category development and production quantitative reporting

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Own cross-functional communication plan for sourcing, sustainability, operations process, fit, and findings for sweater knits; includes all business-wide announcements
• Collaborate with Trim Team, Fabric Team, Graphics, and Cross Category Product Developers to procure all raw materials relevant for sampling execution and coordinate all prestyled products
• Collaborate with Production counterparts to maximize deliverable results across all categories and report shipping KPIs
• Work closely with technical design team on key deadlines to ensure milestones are achieved
• Lead cross functional coordination with Merchandising (StyleMaster and projections), Marketing (MTOs, gifting, campaign activations), Press (duplicates), and Ecomm (ensure integrity of product) to provide product for their delivery requirements
• Lead cross functional coordination with Logistics, Sales, and Merchandising for all downstream product attributes, delivery expectations, unit reallocation, and any production changes that affect inventory or financial targets and deliverables

Fit, Quality & Compliance

• Coordinate all sample set-up for all fittings, weekly production fittings, internal prefits, milestone meetings, and line edits/reviews
• Attend all fit sessions and enforce design, business, and customer expectations
• Ensure quality assurance enforcement, hindsights, and corrective actions; including chargeback validation on Monthly RA reports
• Ensure seasonal regulatory compliance and due diligence practices for sweater knits; including all regulatory data collection and quarterly supply chain maintenance on Retraced platform

Leadership

• Manage day-to-day and long-term problem-solving challenges
• Manage realistic expectations and solution-driven strategic thinking in all meetings; provide technical and production-relevant feedback to ensure development is executable and on calendar

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 6+ years of experience in product development and/or production, preferably in fully fashion sweater knits; end-to-end experience from proto through bulk delivery strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of fully fashion sweater knitting, stitches, machine capabilities, technical knowledge
• Excel, PLM platforms, image editing software with drawing tools
• Eye for detail; detail-oriented
• Clear & direct communication skills (verbal, written, visual)
• Solution driven, self-motivated, works well under pressure, adaptable, sense of urgency
• Ability to work cross-functionally with various departments
• Team player, willingness to learn and pivot approach based on past experiences to ensure successful results

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

In compliance with applicable salary transparency requirements, the potential salary for this position ranges from $135,000 to $140,000, commensurate with experience, knowledge, and skills required.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to:

• Clothing allowance & discounted merchandise
• Healthcare (medical/dental/vision) coverage
• Flexible spending account (FSA) & Commuter benefits
• 401(k) savings plan with employer match
• Summer Fridays