Director of Product Development

DÔEN•Los Angeles, CA

7d•$130,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Product Development supports the full lifecycle of product development—from Design Pass Off through Photoshoot Sample handover to ensure each style meets design intent within key calendar milestones. This role drives cross-functional alignment, builds operational consistency and ensures accountability across Design, Product Development, Fabric R&D, Merchandising, and Production. A skilled communicator and problem-solver, the Director acts as a key operational link between Creative, Pre-Production, Production and Technical Design teams. A decisive and detail-oriented project manager, the Director will support the organization of all development touch points to deliver on-time collections that meet the brand’s standards of quality, craftsmanship, and cost.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Product Development, or related field.
8–10 years of experience in pre-production, product development, or production within high-end or contemporary fashion.
Strong technical knowledge of garment construction, costing, and development processes.
Proven ability to manage multiple categories and vendors simultaneously.
Proficiency with Google Suite, Excel, and calendar management tools.
Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

Drive the Product Development Calendar
Build, manage and continuously refine the seasonal product development calendar.
Ensure all cross-functional partners (Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, PD, Marketing & Content)understand milestone requirements and deadlines.
Monitor progress and proactively identify risks to timeline, adjusting plans and coordinating solutions.
Participate in weekly calendar or milestone check-ins to ensure alignment and issue resolution.
Communicate milestone changes, issues and blockers to stakeholders in real time.
Ensure vendors understand calendar expectations and deliverables.
Follow up on delays and negotiate revised timelines where necessary.
Identify inefficiencies in the development workflow and recommend improvements.
Use Airtable as a tracking dashboard to enhance timeline visibility and speed.
Participate in post-season calendar reviews and incorporate learnings into future cycles.
Liaise with Director of Pre Production on Production Handover and BOM Oversight
Oversee the transition from development to production handover, ensuring all style information from design and product development is complete, accurate, and released on schedule to meet delivery deadlines.
Validate Bills of Materials (BOMs) for precision in fabrics, trims, and finishing details, upholding the brand’s luxury quality standards.
Lead seasonal Production Handover meetings to verify material readiness, final approvals and accurate execution of design details.
Work closely with Pre-Production and Production Directors to escalate any unresolved materials or trims that risk impacting delivery milestones.
Engage, schedule and participate in pre-production meetings (including but not limited to Design Scrub) to confirm readiness and ensure every stakeholder, internal and external, is aligned on deliverables and timing.
Uphold brand standards of craftsmanship, quality, and timeliness, ensuring every production and over supports both the creative vision and business delivery goals.
Support Content, PR and Marketing Teams in Management of Marketing & Photoshoot Sample Pipeline
Support the Sr. Product Coordinator in planning and tracking of all samples required for marketing campaigns, e-commerce shoots, social content and PR.
Liaise with Content, Marketing and Merchandising teams to confirm sample lists, deadlines and product priorities per season.
Oversee the communication of sample requirements, specifications, and deadlines to factories, supports and sourcing teams.
Lead preparation of contingency plans when sample availability is at risk, including back up styles, partial deliveries, etc.
Document development timelines, bottlenecks and vendor performance to improve future sample cycles.