Apparel Production Manager

Castlewood Apparel Corp•New York, NY

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Michael Gerald LLC is an established, 30+ year young men’s apparel company with a strong industry reputation. We design, source, and produce apparel for major national retailers and private label customers. Our team is collaborative, fast-paced, and committed to delivering quality product on time, every season. We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Production Manager to own the full production lifecycle from costing through shipping. You will work cross-functionally with design, sourcing, product development, sales, and operations while serving as the primary contact with overseas vendors, factories, and QC partners. The ideal candidate is a hands-on problem solver who thrives in a deadline-driven environment and takes ownership of their book of business.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of hands-on apparel production management experience, preferably in men’s or young men’s categories
Demonstrated experience managing the full production cycle from costing through shipping
Strong knowledge of import/export processes, FOB and DDP terms, and freight logistics
Experience working directly with overseas factories, vendors, and QC teams
Proficiency with retailer compliance portals and customer requirements
Strong understanding of garment construction, trims, labeling, and packaging
Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple seasons and accounts simultaneously
Strong communication skills for vendor, customer, and cross-functional coordination
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel for tracking and reporting

Nice To Haves

Experience with AMT (Apparel Management Technology) system
Experience managing production for major national retailers (e.g., Kohl’s, BJ’s, Burlington)
Familiarity with third-party testing labs and testing protocols

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end production from costing through shipping; maintain daily tracking and follow-up on all open orders
Manage WIP and CAP reports; conduct weekly vendor calls via Zoom/Teams to troubleshoot issues and ensure on-time delivery
Send cost inquiries to vendors; review allocations with Director of Sourcing/Production to align with IMU requirements
Present open order status at weekly production meetings with senior leadership
Complete style setup, PO creation, and Costing Sheet submission in AMT; issue POs to factories and internal teams for tech pack distribution
Review and update shortage/overage charts; adjust POs accordingly
Assist Director of Production with costing projects
Oversee T&A calendars for all open production; work with tech and design on garment callouts and issues
Monitor Inline and Final Inspection timelines; review and comment on inspection reports to assess shipping readiness
Review test reports from third-party labs (Intertek, Bureau Veritas, SGS) for fiber content, care instructions, and attribute testing
Work with overseas QC teams and factories to resolve quality issues before shipment
Follow up on ship requests for FOB and DDP shipments; communicate delivery issues to Sales and Operations
Approve vessel bookings; monitor container bookings with steamship lines and freight forwarders; update shipping charts
Send monthly open shipment reports to the Hong Kong sourcing team
Submit comments for UPC stickers, carton stickers, ticket layouts, care labels, polybag stickers, hangtag placements, and packing/folding instructions
Review TOP and AD samples for labeling/trim accuracy; track and process production samples (FIT, PP, AD, TOP) per order timelines
Order trims for domestic orders and price tickets via Fineline/PaxTag; send production packages to customers as required
Communicate with private label and non-private label customers on approvals, status updates, and portal submissions
Upload customer attributes and tracking information on retailer portals (Kohl’s, BJ’s, Marks, licensed brand accounts, and others)
Review customer compliance manuals and create internal cheat sheets for each account
Process commercial invoices and chargebacks; maintain master invoice and chargeback tracking charts by season
Follow up on all invoice payments for import and domestic factories