Director of Product, Footwear & Accessories

DÔEN•Los Angeles, CA

16h•$160,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Product, Footwear & Accessories leads the full lifecycle of product creation—from seasonal product development through production execution and delivery—ensuring each style meets design intent, quality standards, cost targets, and calendar milestones. This role drives cross-functional alignment and operational accountability across Design, Product Development, Sourcing, Merchandising, Technical Design, Pre-Production, Production, and external vendor partners. As a proactive, detail-oriented leader, skilled communicator and problem solver, the Director oversees development progress, production handoff readiness, and vendor execution to deliver on-time, scalable collections that elevate the brand’s craftsmanship, consistency, and business goals within the Footwear & Accessories category.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Product Development/Production, 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 footwear & accessories construction, costing, and factory 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.
Highly detail-oriented with strong follow-through and a sense of ownership.
Collaborative and adaptable, with the ability to partner effectively across departments and global vendor networks.
Thrives in dynamic environments, is solutions-driven and calm under pressure; able to anticipate issues and act quickly to maintain timeline integrity.
Deep appreciation for quality, craftsmanship, and brand integrity.
Committed to maintaining consistency, precision, and timeliness in execution.

Responsibilities

Drive the Product Development and Production Calendars
Build, manage, and continuously refine the seasonal product development and production calendars to ensure on-time delivery and milestone accountability.
Plan and prioritize workload based on business priorities, shifting deadlines, and cross-functional needs.
Lead weekly milestone check-ins, proactively identifying risks, gaps, and blockers and coordinating solutions.
Communicate timeline changes, issues, and approvals in real time to cross-functional stakeholders.
Track overall WIP and ensure reporting accuracy for leadership visibility and cross-departmental planning.
Use Airtable (and supporting tools) as a sample tracking dashboard to improve transparency, speed, and execution.
Participate in post-season calendar reviews, documenting learnings and implementing workflow improvements.
Oversee the transition from development into production handover, ensuring style information is complete, accurate, and released on schedule.
Validate Bills of Materials (BOMs) for accuracy across materials, trims, hardware, and finishing details, ensuring alignment with design intent and quality standards.
Work closely with Design to escalate unresolved materials or trims that could impact delivery milestones.
Manage production timelines to ensure on-time delivery and accuracy of all production data (including WIP reporting).
Lead production cost negotiations and ensure margin targets are met or exceeded.
Oversee accurate, up-to-date purchase order creating including units, costing, and delivery changes.
Ensure cross-functional launch data is entered accurately into Netsuite and on time to support downstream teams (Ecomm, Planning, Marketing, Ops).
Develop respectful, collaborative vendor relationships with clear daily communication and accountability.
Review WIP charts, costing, approvals, and time-and-action deadlines with internal teams and vendors to drive execution.
Oversee planning and tracking of all samples required for marketing, e-commerce shoots, social content, and PR needs.
Align with Content, Marketing, and Merchandising partners on sample lists, deadlines, and seasonal priorities.
Ensure factories and internal teams understand sample requirements, specifications, and critical deadlines.
Build contingency plans when sample delivery is at risk (alternate styles, partial deliveries, revised sequencing).
Document bottlenecks and vendor performance to strengthen future seasonal sample cycles.
Manage and oversee daily activities of Sr. Product Coordinator..
Mentor, train, and develop the team—reinforcing best practices, clear ownership, and process adoption.
Identify inefficiencies and lead improvements to drive scalability, speed, and consistency across the department.
Participate in hiring decisions; approve time off requests and timesheets for direct reports.
Conduct quarterly reviews and provide performance feedback, including advancement and promotion recommendations.
Perform additional duties and assignments as needed to support business priorities.