Manager, Product Development, RTW Sweaters

kate spade new york•New York, NY

11d•$90,000 - $100,000

About The Position

The Product Development Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end product development process for Cut & Sew apparel and Knitwear (Sweaters) from initial design concept through bulk handoff. This role partners cross-functionally to deliver product that meets quality, costing, calendar, aesthetic, and material development objectives. The position is responsible for fabric development and sourcing support for Cut & Sew categories and yarn development and ordering for Knitwear. This role serves as a key partner to Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and Technical Design to achieve seasonal product goals. Production ownership resides outside of Product Development.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in apparel product development with expertise in Cut & Sew and/or Knitwear categories.
Experience developing fabrics, yarns, and materials with mills and suppliers.
Strong understanding of garment costing, fabric costing, and yarn costing.
Knowledge of knitwear construction, yarn specifications, gauges, and development processes.
Ability to work in a collaborative team environment and communicate cross-functionally with all levels of the organization.
Strong negotiation and influencing skills.
Excellent organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities.
Advanced PLM, BOM management, Excel, and product development systems experience.

Responsibilities

Lead product development for Cut & Sew and Knitwear categories across Runway, Runway Takedown, Collection, Multi-Channel, and Outlet businesses.
Serve as a key cross-functional partner to Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and Technical Design throughout the development lifecycle.
Execute seasonal product development strategies and priorities established by the Director.
Partner with Design to deliver product that achieves aesthetic intent while meeting quality, cost, and calendar objectives.
Monitor seasonal development calendars and proactively manage milestone deliverables.
Analyze Design Cards and coordinate development launch activities with internal cross-functional teams and external development partners.
Coordinate distribution of development packages, materials, trims, yarns, and fabrics to sample facilities and development vendors.
Manage the timely development and delivery of Prototype, Line Opening, Fit, and SMS samples.
Coordinate workload, communication, and development direction with domestic and overseas development partners.
Lead weekly Product Team Meetings, fittings, and cross-functional milestone reviews.
Coordinate development meetings with Technical Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and supplier partners to drive timely decision-making.
Partner with cross-functional teams to create and maintain Bills of Material (BOMs) within PLM.
Lead fabric development for Cut & Sew categories, partnering with mills and suppliers to develop fabrics that achieve design intent, quality standards, performance requirements, and target costs.
Manage seasonal fabric development calendars, submissions, testing requirements, approvals, and fabric commitments.
Partner closely with Materials Management to identify and develop new fabric opportunities and innovations.
Lead yarn development activities for Knitwear, including yarn sourcing, submissions, approvals, and seasonal yarn strategy recommendations.
Manage seasonal yarn ordering to support sampling and development timelines.
Maintain fabric and yarn development tracking tools and communicate status, risks, and opportunities to cross-functional teams.
Create and maintain comprehensive seasonal costing charts, consolidating target costs, actual costs, material costs, supplier information, development milestones, and key business updates.
Develop category costing strategies and establish seasonal style target costs in partnership with the Director.
Collect, analyze, and negotiate garment, fabric, and yarn costs throughout the development process to achieve target cost objectives.
Prepare detailed costing analyses and recommendations to support seasonal business decisions.
Submit and maintain Working Costs within PLM throughout development milestones.
Order seasonal sample yardage, development fabrics, yarns, and trims based on Design selections and development needs.
Attend seasonal buy review meetings to support development planning, material commitments, and MOQ decisions.
Support identification, onboarding, and development of new vendor, mill, and yarn supplier partnerships.
Prepare seasonal development recaps and business analyses.
Partner with Production, Sourcing, Materials Management, and external suppliers to ensure a seamless handoff from development into production.