What are the responsibilities and job description for the Product Development Assistant position at Catbird?
Catbird is looking for a Product Development Assistant to join our Design & Development team. The Product Development Assistant is a key support role within the jewelry design and product team, at the heart of turning ideas into products. You’ll gain a deep understanding of how jewelry moves from design to production. This position is ideal for someone who thrives on accuracy, organization, and clean data, loves systems, and enjoys keeping complex projects running smoothly
Key Responsibilities- Act as a primary point of contact for vendors: placing raw material and sample orders, requesting pricing/ETAs, and managing ongoing follow-ups.
- Maintain project trackers, issue purchase orders, track receipts, and log invoices for AP submission.
- Coordinate incoming memos, castings, and samples, clearly communicating status and blockers to internal teams.
- Support weekly Jewelry District runs, including drop-offs, pick-ups, and vendor check-ins.
- Receive, log, route, and archive physical samples and components; maintain PD sample archive, master models, and CAD file organization.
- Create and update PLM component records, SKUs, BOMs, vendor codes, costs, and assemblies in ERP to ensure products are order-ready ahead of PO deadlines.
- Assist with tech pack creation and documentation throughout the development lifecycle.
- Maintain post-launch product updates and ensure consistent naming/formatting standards across all systems.
- Highly organized with a love for structure, clean data, and consistent naming conventions.
- Obsessed with follow-through. You track, check in, and escalate when needed.
- Comfortable communicating with vendors and cross-functional partners.
- Able to balance multiple timelines, knowing when to push for urgency and when to follow up.
- Interested in jewelry and curious about how it’s made.
- Tech-savvy, excited to work across PLM, ERP, shared drives, spreadsheets, and trackers.
- Experience in production, buying, studio assistance, or similar.
- Strong communication skills.
- High attention to detail and accuracy.
- Comfortable learning new systems, spreadsheets, and project management tools.
- Preferred: Experience with ERP or PLM systems (NetSuite, Backbone or similar).
- Preferred: Jewelry or accessories development or production background.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.