Director, Product Development & Production, Accessories

Position Title: Director, Product Development & Production Accessories

Reporting to Title: Chief Officer, Product Development & Production Sourcing

Summary:

As the Director, Product Development & Production, Accessories you will manage and oversee all aspects of product development and production operations. In this role you will be responsible for ensuring all company initiatives are properly executed from beginning to end. This will include leading to strategic planning and development of the product and ensuring it meets both the aesthetic and design requirements while meeting the company IMU’s and product flow.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop clear development and production calendars to meet the business needs. Work closely with Senior team members from development to designer to make sure the products are designed and developed meeting the overall business needs. Work with all teams to ensure the and quality requirements are executed and meet all global market testing requirements.
• Lead and foster the growth of the accessories PD & Production team members and collaborate with design and merchandising teams to create seasonal collections that satisfy aesthetics, cost, fit/functionality, and manufacturing requirements.
• Work with teams to improve processes and provide a nimble supply chain from beginning to end. Work cross functionally to improve internal systems and find ways to improve systems to ensure that teams can work efficiently.
• Lead and manage communication flow between internal partners (design, development, merchandising teams) as well as external partners (manufacturers, raw material, component suppliers).
• Attend and monitor prototype, SMS, BOM, fitting, and pre-production meetings to drive the decision-making process and achieve departmental goals
• Initiate clear directives with key teams such as material teams and design teams to improve department profitability.
• Work to ensure all yearly financial budgets are properly met.
• Work with Production teams to analyze factory cost sheets and negotiate costing to achieve financial margin targets.
• Travel internationally to factories to expedite prototype development and ensure production flows are met
• Identify and build vendor relationships to achieve corporate goals for sample/bulk delivery, costing, quality and manage conflict resolution.
• Ensure proper protocols are implemented for quality and return concerns. Initiate seasonal hindsight’s with key departments including vendors and HK operational teams.
• Identify sourcing gaps and recommend new suppliers to meet business objectives or product needs.
• Look for productive opportunities to help improve processes, reduce operational costs, reduce lead time and increase efficiency.
• Work with key RTW leads to aligning on best practice and overall business objectives

­ Position Requirements:

• 8 years of global accessories product development experience with manufacturing partners across Asia and Europe
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree
• Strong sourcing and production understanding
• Strong aesthetic sense and construction knowledge in luxury leather goods
• Fundamental understanding of footwear/accessories constructions, costing, fit/functionality, calendar management, and material applications
• Possess extensive footwear/accessories development and manufacturing knowledge to interpret design needs, anticipate potential issues and implement solutions as necessary.
• Effective cross functional collaborator to drive product focused decisions that achieve on time delivery, target costs, and appropriate fit/functionality/quality.
• Strong problem solving, negotiation, planning and organizational skills
• Experience with managing and leading teams
• Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal, and multi-tasking skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Outlook. Experience in RLM is preferred.

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

In compliance with the New York City salary transparency requirements, the potential salary for this position is from $165,000 to $175,000, which represents a range commensurate with experience, knowledge, and skills required.