Product Manager

Position Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end product development and sourcing lifecycle from concept to production.
• Own seasonal development milestones and manage the time and actional calendar to ensure on-time execution in both key business deadlines and bulk delivery.
• Partner closely with Design, Merchandising, Technical teams to bring product concepts to production-ready samples for seasonal presentations.
• Manage vendor allocation and cost negotiations to achieve IMU targets while maintaining product standards and brand expectations.
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships and support onboarding of new vendors to strengthen sourcing capabilities.
• Partner with Demand Planning to review seasonal projections and align vendor capacity planning, ensuring key suppliers and product categories are planned appropriately to support future order demand.
• Maintain knowledge of apparel manufacturing processes from raw material development through factory production, including fabric mills, factory production flow, and quality control checkpoints.
• Communicate development status, risks, and solutions clearly across cross-functional partners and external vendors.
• Travel as needed to vendor offices and factories to support development alignment, production readiness, and vendor partnership initiatives.

Position Requirements

• 4-6 years of experience in apparel product development and sourcing.
• Strong understanding of the apparel development lifecycle from concept through production.
• Experience working directly with vendors and factories, including managing development execution and production readiness.
• Knowledge of apparel manufacturing processes, including fabric mills, garment construction, factory production flow, and quality checkpoints.
• Familiarity with product testing standards and factory compliance requirements, including social and factory audit standards.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Design, Merchandising, Technical, and other critical business teams within an organization.
• Experience working in a fast-paced retail environment managing seasonal development, chase opportunities, and speed-market initiatives.
• Experience supporting both DTC (brand) and wholesale business models.
• DDP model understanding a plus.
• Strong negotiations, communication, and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced seasonal business environment.
• Experience using and/or understanding PLM, SAP/Infor Nexus, Microsoft Office, various buy systems (FlexPLM preferred).
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and seasonal deadlines while maintaining strong attention to details.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.