Senior Product Developer, Apparel Development

POSITION SUMMARY

The Regional Senior Product Developer partners with Regional and Home Office Technical Designers, Design, Materials, Sourcing, and Vendor teams throughout the product development lifecycle. This role owns and oversees vendor relationships from a development perspective, driving product commercialization, category management, and cross-functional project execution with a focus on graphics programs and graphic development.

The Senior Product Developer is responsible for delivering high-quality products that meet design intent, performance requirements, costing objectives, and development timelines while leading strategic initiatives and process improvements across the development organization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and oversee graphic development and execution, including artwork, graphics, embellishments, and strike-offs, to identify risks, establish standards, resolve quality concerns, and support successful commercialization.
• Lead the development of one or more product categories from design concept through commercialization and garment production.
• Manage category development plans, ensuring alignment with seasonal business objectives, product strategies, and development milestones.
• Build, review, and maintain development and production technical packages for assigned categories.
• Analyze prototypes and pre-production samples to identify discrepancies and ensure alignment with established graphic fit block, construction, quality, and performance standards.
• Contribute innovative ideas for construction, materials, trims, and components to enhance product functionality, aesthetics, graphic fit block, and margin objectives.
• Lead and manage cross-functional development projects, including graphic-related programs, ensuring milestones, deliverables, timelines, and stakeholder expectations are achieved.
• Drive project planning, risk assessment, issue resolution, and communication across Design, Technical Design, Materials, Sourcing, Operations, and Vendor partners, including graphic-related development and execution.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and seasonal calendars while proactively prioritizing workload to ensure on-time execution.
• Lead cross-functional meetings and facilitate effective decision-making to resolve design, costing, sourcing, quality, and delivery challenges.
• Independently partner with vendors to solve complex development, construction, engineering, and commercialization issues.
• Monitor development progress, prototype tracking, and critical path timelines, providing accurate updates and risk assessments to stakeholders.
• Develop recommendations and solutions to address product, process, and vendor-related challenges.
• Identify opportunities to improve development processes, tools, systems, and ways of working to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Support vendor capability development, training initiatives, and continuous improvement programs.
• Prepare and deliver product presentations related to development, graphic fit block, construction, and commercialization.
• Domestic and international travel is required.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITES:

• Expertise in building and managing Development and Production Tech Packs.
• Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end product development projects, including project planning, timeline management, resource coordination, risk mitigation, and stakeholder communication.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, complex development calendars, and competing business demands.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders to achieve business objectives.
• Strong experience managing product categories from concept through commercialization.
• Strong understanding of garment construction, apparel manufacturing processes, pattern engineering, graphic fit block execution, and product commercialization.
• Experience developing and managing vendor relationships, development initiatives, and performance improvement programs.
• Ability to identify process improvement opportunities and implement sustainable solutions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with a high level of accountability and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to effectively present complex information in a clear, concise, and engaging manner.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor, coach, and support the development of junior teammates.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's Degree from a four-year Fashion Design, Product Development, Apparel Engineering, or related program.
• Minimum of 6+ years of Technical Design, Product Development, or Apparel Development experience.
• Extensive experience managing multiple apparel categories through the full product lifecycle.
• Experience working directly with manufacturing partners and vendors.
• Factory development and vendor management experience preferred

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Advanced knowledge of garment construction, fit, product engineering, and manufacturing processes.
• Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, PLM systems, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience utilizing development metrics and KPIs to drive decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
• Domestic and international travel as required.