Associate, Product Development - Handbags

Tory Burch•New York, NY

About The Position

We are an American luxury lifestyle brand, founded in 2004. Anchored in the casual elegance of American sportswear, Tory’s design philosophy is defined by effortless silhouettes, innovative materials, eclectic juxtapositions of color, and the tension of past and present. The collections include ready-to-wear, handbags, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home and beauty. Empowering women is the company’s guiding principle, expressed through Tory’s collections and reflected in the company culture as well as the work of the Tory Burch Foundation. Established in 2009, the Foundation provides women entrepreneurs in the United States with access to capital, education and community. You are seeking a work environment where people are encouraged to dream, explore, discover and, as important, laugh together. If you’re prepared to work hard, create impact, and have fun while doing it, we would love to have you join #TeamTory. Apply today! Life @ToryBurch is Special Because: When you join us, you’re joining a global, purpose-led company on an exciting growth journey with an amazing culture and great benefits. Our culture is welcoming and inclusive -- everyone is empowered to make a difference. We have the best team in the world and believe in paying competitively and rewarding for high performance. Your overall well-being is important to us; we offer generous benefits to help you take care of your mental and physical health, create financial security, and achieve wellness in all areas of your life. We love seeing our employees wear our beautiful collections. You’ll receive a generous employee discount and access to exclusive sample sales. We are invested in your professional growth – you’ll have access to free executive coaching on-demand. We believe in the importance of giving back and you’ll have many opportunities to do just that through the Tory Burch Foundation and paid volunteer days.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or equivalent relevant professional experience
Minimum of 2 years of experience in fashion accessories product development, sourcing, and/or production
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required
Prior experience working with PLM systems is required
Strong organizational, interpersonal, time management, and negotiation skills
Solid understanding of retail math and its application to product decisions
Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, fluid, multi-channel business environment
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into clear, accessible language
Strong understanding of the product lifecycle, including key timelines, milestones, and contingencies, with the ability to articulate the purpose of each stage

Responsibilities

Daily partnership with Design to manage spec turnover and troubleshoot sample making, from proto stages through final handoff into production.
Reviews all specs (BOMs/tech packs) for accuracy, completeness, quality, affordability, and compliance prior to issuance.
Passes specs to manufacturing partners on behalf of Design and communicates daily with overseas partners on questions and changes to specs, standards, and aids in interpreting design needs.
Acts as a liaison between Design, Materials, and Merchandising teams to create alignment and resolve issues throughout development stages.
Recommends design enhancements or options geared at hitting financial requirements and quality standards.
Escalates to manager when any design is at risk of not meeting design, merchandising, production or financial needs.
Schedules, tracks, and reports on all requested samples.
Reviews samples to ensure faithful execution to spec, and raises any deviation from request.
Schedule and attend sample reviews with timely recaps issued to cross-functional stakeholders
Maintain an accurate and comprehensive style tracker (via PLM system) capturing the full lifecycle from concept through production.
Support manager in cost analysis and estimations based on product direction
Partner with factories to identify cost drivers or changes that impact IMU, and escalate to manager or cross-functionals as needed
With internal materials departments, work to recommend materials that are viable for our brand from a costing and quality standpoint, while considering Design point of view
Considers product critically from a quality standpoint, as importantly as design and cost
Ensures that all components and constructions used are compliant for performance and restricted substances prior to production, by escalating information coming in from factory partners
Provides product information as needed for customs compliance prior to production.
Ensures internal systems are maintained with accurate updates at each development stage to ensure the integrity of the information available for cross-functional partners & business needs.