Product Development Associate

Steve Madden•New York, NY

1d•$66,300 - $69,000•Onsite

About The Position

We’re looking for a highly organized, detail-driven Product Development Associate to join our team and play an important role in bringing product from development through production and ultimately to the customer. In this role, you’ll serve as a key connector between our Sales, Design, Production, Sourcing, overseas offices, factory partners, and customers, helping keep product, samples, orders, and information moving seamlessly throughout the process. This role reports to the Production Manager. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced fashion environment, enjoys working with multiple teams, and takes pride in making sure every detail is accurate and every deadline is met. You’ll gain broad exposure to the product lifecycle while working closely with both internal and global partners. This position is based onsite in our NYC office.

Requirements

Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail, you’re someone who naturally keeps track of the details while seeing the bigger picture.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong follow-up skills and a proactive approach to getting things done.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability to collaborate effectively with multiple departments and build strong working relationships.
A solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to identify issues, communicate clearly, and help drive them to resolution.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with overseas vendors, factories, or global partners is a plus.
Experience with product development, production, merchandising, or order management systems is preferred.

Responsibilities

Support the product development and production process from order placement through final execution, helping ensure product moves smoothly and accurately through each stage.
Communicate daily with overseas offices and factory partners to keep development and production timelines on track.
Coordinate and track sample requests and deliveries between factories and customers, ensuring samples arrive accurately and on time.
Create and maintain sample hangtags for all development and production samples.
Maintain and update Spark with accurate product, development, and order information.
Prepare detailed buy sheets following order placement to support Production and internal teams.
Place purchase orders with factories, ensuring all product, quantity, pricing, and order details are accurate.
Enter customer purchase orders into internal systems accurately and within established timelines.
Maintain the tracking sheet, ensuring all order and development information is current and complete.
Review purchase orders for discrepancies and communicate issues to the customer while coordinating resolution with internal and overseas teams.
Manage item setup following order placement, ensuring all product information is complete and accurate.
Maintain organized, up-to-date records and documentation throughout the development and production lifecycle.
Partner closely with Sales, Design, Production, Sourcing, and overseas teams to coordinate priorities and resolve issues.
Act as a reliable point of contact between internal teams, global partners, factories, and customers.
Proactively follow up on open items, identify potential issues, and help keep critical milestones on schedule.
Support special projects and additional initiatives as needed.