Director of Production

Summary / Objective

TYR is seeking an experienced, strategic Director of Production to own the end-to-end production process across swim, apparel, and footwear — from seasonal calendar and capacity planning through vendor execution, quality, and on-time delivery. This is a senior leadership role: the Director sets the production strategy for a fast-growing, multi-category brand, builds and leads the team that executes it, and is the single point of accountability when production and delivery are on the line. Success in this role means TYR consistently ships high-quality product on calendar, at scale, without surprises.

Scope & Impact

• Owns production performance across all TYR categories — swim, apparel, and footwear — spanning dozens of vendor relationships across multiple countries.
• Sets the seasonal production calendar and is the final accountable owner for hitting it.
• Builds and leads the production team — hiring, developing, and structuring the function to scale with the business.
• Acts as the primary escalation point between TYR and its manufacturing partners on quality, capacity, and delivery risk.

Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Production Planning & Calendar Management

• Own the seasonal production calendar end-to-end — from raw material commitment through cut, sew/construction, and finished-goods delivery — across swim, apparel, and footwear.
• Translate merchandising and buy plans into executable production commitments, and flag conflicts between demand and vendor capacity before they become late deliveries.
• Build contingency and risk-mitigation plans for critical-path styles, categories, or vendors.
• Publish and maintain a single source of truth for production status that Sales, Planning, and Leadership can rely on without having to ask.

Vendor Management

• Own supplier relationships and prioritize program allocation across vendors to protect lead times and quality.
• Partner with vendors/factories to secure production time and space each season, balancing flexibility against quality and lead-time commitments.
• Track WIP and production status weekly; escalate any issue with the potential to impact delivery or service levels immediately, not at the next review cycle.
• Own vendor onboarding: screen and qualify new suppliers through a cross-functional evaluation, and confirm alignment with TYR's quality and compliance standards before go-live.
• Negotiate payment terms and review vendor financial/operational audit reports to assess ongoing supply risk.
• Validate monthly and annual vendor capacity plans against forecasted demand; flag capacity gaps before they become delivery misses.
• Confirm vendor capability to produce to spec and to pass testing/inspection requirements for retailer compliance programs.
• Build a bench of qualified secondary vendors for critical categories so no single factory relationship is a single point of failure.

Quality Assurance

• Own quality standards and inspection protocols across all vendors and categories; hold vendors accountable when they fall short.
• Drive root-cause analysis on quality escapes and ensure corrective actions are implemented and verified, not just promised.
• Partner with Design and Product Development to ensure specs are manufacturable at the quality and cost the business needs.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Sales and Planning on demand shifts, confirming feasibility with vendors and executing order changes and revised shipment arrangements.
• Partner with Finance on production-related cost inputs and forecast accuracy.
• Partner with Distribution/DC leadership to ensure inbound production flow supports downstream fulfillment without bottlenecks.

Team Management

• Own daily production operations, leading staff across procurement, inventory, quality control, and fulfillment.
• Hire, develop, and structure the production team to scale with the business — this is a build role, not just a run role.
• Set clear ownership and accountability for every team member against production KPIs; run regular reviews against them.
• Respond to Sales and Planning requests to adjust projections and inventory plans; confirm feasibility with vendors, execute necessary order modifications, and coordinate updated shipment arrangements.

Other duties: this description is not exhaustive and may change at any time, with or without notice.

Success Metrics

• On-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery rate against the seasonal production calendar.
• Quality escape rate and time-to-resolution on vendor corrective actions.
• Vendor capacity accuracy — forecasted vs. actual, with early identification of gaps.
• Team retention and bench strength across the production function.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Proven track record of strategic vendor management in a swim, apparel, or footwear business.
• Working knowledge of fabric, footwear, and swim-related suppliers, both overseas and domestic.
• Holds suppliers accountable to continuous-improvement commitments — lead-time reduction, scheduling flexibility, quality — at both the strategic and tactical level.
• Strong negotiator; maintains vendor relationships that deliver excellent service levels, best-in-class pricing, and supply assurance.
• Experience leading and scaling a production team, with direct people-management responsibility.
• Comfortable owning a P&L-adjacent function and being held accountable for delivery outcomes, not just activity.
• Manages multiple, sometimes competing, priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated project and team management skills against aggressive deadlines.
• Owns outcomes and drives execution to completion.
• Experience with PLM/ERP systems for production tracking preferred.
• Able to travel internationally.

Education & Experience

• BS in Business, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• 10–15 years in Production Management and Operations Planning/Scheduling; swim, apparel, or footwear industry experience preferred.