Print & Promotional Production Lead

Hagerty

5d•Remote

About The Position

Hagerty is hiring a Print & Promotional Production Lead to serve as the most senior individual contributor on its print and promotional production team. The role independently leads key production workstreams, develops procurement strategy, and ensures quality, efficiency, and brand integrity across merchandise and production programs. This person assesses the feasibility of requests, scopes realistic plans, and communicates what can be produced, at what cost, and on what timeline. An established vendor network across promotional products, apparel, print, and experiential merchandise is expected so the hire can improve quality, cost, and lead times from the outset. The role leads vendor sourcing, negotiations, onboarding, performance management, and compliance; manages complex production projects from brief through delivery; and establishes sampling and quality-control practices. It also owns merchandise inventory oversight, ordering processes, event retail logistics, and production records. The lead mentors the Production Coordinator and Production Specialist and collaborates with creative, marketing, project management, events, and Creative Operations partners to strengthen processes, roles, and accountability. The position is open to U.S. remote work. Team members living within 20 miles of the Traverse City headquarters follow a hybrid schedule, working from the office three days per week. Travel may be required for events, retail activations, or vendor visits.

Requirements

An established network of trusted vendor contacts across promotional products, branded apparel, print, and experiential merchandise.
Proven expertise in merchandise production, promotional product sourcing, procurement, and product development, gained through education and significant relevant experience.
Demonstrated experience independently leading complex production projects and managing vendor relationships end-to-end, including price negotiation and contract management.
Experience leading or contributing to vendor RFP processes, including requirements development, proposal evaluation, and transition planning.
Strong knowledge of garment construction, materials, print production specifications, and quality-control processes across multiple merchandise categories.
Ability to identify problems, develop solutions, and implement process improvements with minimal guidance.
Experience mentoring or guiding junior team members and serving as a resource on production and procurement practices.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel.
Experience with Asana or similar project management platforms and comfort using a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system.
Familiarity with retail operations, inventory management systems, and merchandising program coordination.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple high-priority workstreams.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to influence and gain cooperation across internal teams and external partners.
Ability to work independently, lead key projects, and collaborate effectively across teams.
Familiarity with public company requirements, including Sarbanes-Oxley and applicable regulations, where relevant; for SOX-compliant roles, responsibility may include designing, executing, and documenting assigned internal controls and attesting to applicable financial reporting data.

Nice To Haves

Experience with lifestyle, automotive, or premium heritage brands.
Familiarity with Shopify, NetSuite, or similar retail and inventory management systems.
Knowledge of sustainability best practices and certifications in merchandise sourcing and production.
Experience owning retail operations, event merchandising programs, or branded uniform programs end-to-end.
Bachelor's degree in merchandising, supply chain, marketing, fashion, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Activate an established network of vendors across promotional products, branded apparel, print production, and experiential merchandise to improve quality, cost, and lead times.
Lead procurement for assigned programs, including vendor relationship management, price and term negotiations, and contract execution.
Identify, evaluate, and onboard vendors, assessing garment construction, materials, production capabilities, fit, and quality potential.
Monitor vendor performance against timelines, quality standards, and contractual terms, and resolve or escalate issues.
Develop and maintain a strategic portfolio of diverse, cost-effective, and brand-appropriate vendors.
Analyze procurement data and vendor performance to identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve lead times, and enhance quality; recommend sourcing changes.
Advise the team on procurement practices, market conditions, and vendor capabilities.
Lead or support vendor RFPs, including requirements development, proposal evaluation, vendor scoring, and transition planning.
Ensure merchandise and production are sourced through approved vendors and meet creative approval requirements before production begins.
Assess production feasibility against specifications, budget, and timeline, and communicate findings early and clearly.
Turn production requests into scoped plans that account for timelines, vendor lead times, quality-control windows, and shipping buffers.
Challenge under-scoped, under-budgeted, or unrealistic requests constructively and work with partners on viable solutions.
Track the production calendar and identify conflicts, capacity constraints, and schedule risks.
Partner with Project Managers and Marketing Strategists early to incorporate production requirements into project schedules.
Lead complex, high-visibility production projects from brief through delivery, coordinating internal teams and vendors.
Establish and maintain sampling and quality-control processes, review samples, approve production outputs, and verify compliance with standards and specifications.
Resolve production, shipping, and quality issues proactively and help prevent recurrence.
Review production files, specifications, and vendor submissions for accuracy and brand compliance.
Manage production timelines, shipping schedules, and delivery logistics across concurrent programs.
Work with creative teams to ensure design files meet production specifications and provide input on materials, processes, and technical requirements.
Lead merchandise inventory management across uniform programs, event merchandising, and internal promotional inventory, including aged inventory reduction and promotional inventory budget thresholds.
Coordinate internal merchandise ordering by consolidating and prioritizing requests and routing them through procurement and approval processes.
Develop and improve inventory rules, reorder processes, and allocation frameworks.
Maintain product specifications, cost sheets, production logs, style databases, and procurement records in Workfront, DAM, and related systems.
Plan and execute retail logistics for assigned events and programs, including shipping, on-site inventory, staffing, contingency plans, site setup, and POS merchandising systems.
Analyze inventory and production data, identify trends and risks, and recommend reorders or markdown strategies.
Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to the Production Coordinator and Production Specialist; share expertise, review work, and provide feedback.
Lead key components of team projects and ensure junior colleagues have direction and resources to execute effectively.
Communicate with marketing, project management, creative leadership, and other stakeholders throughout production to align plans, surface risks, and resolve issues.
Influence cross-functional partners using policy interpretation, production expertise, and brand standards.
Partner with Creative Operations leadership to define roles, processes, and accountability across production, creative, events, and marketing.
Contribute production expertise to team planning and brainstorming.
Improve production, procurement, and inventory processes to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve quality, and support scalability.
Lead annual product selection planning for merchandise programs, including uniforms and event merchandise, in partnership with cross-functional teams.
Track industry trends in apparel, promotional products, print production, and retail merchandise, and bring relevant ideas to the team.
Serve as the subject matter expert on production specifications, material capabilities, vendor market conditions, and emerging industry practices.