Manager, PD and Production, Accessories

alexanderwang•New York, NY

5d•$100,000 - $110,000

About The Position

As the Manager, Product Development & Production, Accessories, you will support and help oversee day-to-day aspects of product development and production operations for our accessories business, with a focus on handbags and small leather goods (SLG). In this role you will be responsible for driving company initiatives from beginning to end, partnering with the Director on strategic planning and leading development of the product while ensuring it meets both the aesthetic and design requirements, company IMUs, and product flow. This role manages one direct report at the Coordinator level.

Requirements

5+ years of global accessories product development experience, with a concentration in handbags and small leather goods
Experience with manufacturing partners across Asia and Europe
Bachelor's degree or equivalent
Strong sourcing and production understanding
Strong aesthetic sense and deep construction knowledge in luxury leather goods and hardware
Fundamental understanding of handbag and SLG construction, costing, functionality, calendar management, and material applications
Extensive accessories development and manufacturing knowledge to interpret design needs, anticipate potential issues, and implement solutions
Effective cross-functional collaborator driving on-time delivery, target costs, and appropriate quality and functionality
Strong problem-solving, negotiation, planning, and organizational skills
Experience directly managing and developing at least one junior team member
Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal, and multitasking skills
Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Outlook; experience in RLM preferred

Responsibilities

Develop clear development and production calendars to meet business needs.
Work closely with senior team members across development and design to ensure handbag and SLG products are developed to meet overall business objectives, quality requirements, and global market testing standards.
Manage, develop, and set priorities for one direct report at the Coordinator level, and collaborate with design and merchandising teams to create seasonal collections that satisfy aesthetics, cost, functionality, and manufacturing requirements.
Work with teams to improve processes and provide a nimble supply chain from beginning to end.
Work cross-functionally to improve internal systems and ensure teams can work efficiently.
Coordinate and manage communication flow between internal partners (design, development, merchandising) and external partners (manufacturers, raw material and hardware suppliers, component vendors).
Attend and monitor prototype, SMS, BOM, and pre-production meetings to drive decision-making and achieve departmental goals.
Set clear directives with material and design teams to improve department profitability.
Support the Director in tracking and meeting yearly financial budgets.
Analyze factory cost sheets and negotiate costing with production teams to achieve financial margin targets.
Travel internationally to manufacturing partners, as needed, to support prototype development and ensure production flows are met.
Identify and build vendor relationships to achieve corporate goals for sample and bulk delivery, costing, and quality, and manage conflict resolution.
Ensure proper protocols are in place for quality and return concerns.
Support seasonal hindsights with key departments, vendors, and HK operational teams.
Identify sourcing gaps and recommend new suppliers to meet business objectives and product needs across handbags and SLG.
Identify and implement opportunities to reduce operational costs, reduce lead time, and increase efficiency.
Coordinate with key RTW leads on best practices and overall business objectives.