About The Position
The Product Development Manager – Athleisure & Outerwear owns end-to-end development and execution for assigned apparel categories. The role connects product innovation, trend strategy, business analytics, technical development, and customer experience. It calls for strong product aesthetics and trend awareness, commercial acumen, and hands-on apparel development expertise. The manager analyzes sales performance, consumer insights, and market opportunities to guide product innovation, and works with Design and overseas vendors to improve product appearance, fit, fabrics, construction, and quality. In partnership with Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, Fabric Development, Quality Assurance, Production, and Marketing, the role brings comfort-first products to market while supporting profitability, quality, and speed to launch.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Product Development, Fashion Merchandising, Apparel Design, Business, or a related field.
- 7+ years of apparel product development, product management, or merchandising experience within fashion, lifestyle, or consumer brands.
- Strong understanding of apparel construction, fabrics, fit, costing, and manufacturing processes.
- Strong analytical skills and experience interpreting sales performance, market research, and consumer insights.
- Experience working directly with overseas manufacturers and managing development timelines.
- Strong fashion and market awareness, with the ability to identify commercially relevant trends and innovation opportunities.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Excellent project management, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong technical expertise in high-performance athleisure and outerwear, including fabric technologies, functional materials, garment construction, and performance features.
- Knowledge of performance fabric technologies such as moisture-wicking, breathability, temperature regulation, cooling, stretch and recovery, water resistance, insulation, and other functional innovations.
- Ability to balance technical performance, comfort, fashion, and commercial viability.
- Ability to translate technical innovations and athletic influences into elevated, fashion-forward apparel with commercial appeal.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with PLM systems.
- Experience in product development, specifically athleisure.
- Experience in a fast-growing DTC or omnichannel retail business.
- Proven ability to translate sales data and consumer insights into successful product opportunities.
- Experience working autonomously in a remote or hybrid environment while maintaining strong cross-functional collaboration.
- Entrepreneurial mindset, strong business acumen, attention to detail, and a sense of urgency.
Responsibilities
- Analyze revenue, sell-through, AUR, margins, and product profitability to identify growth opportunities.
- Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and consumer trend assessments to inform product development and innovation.
- Translate business insights and consumer needs into commercially viable product recommendations.
- Evaluate product positioning and market opportunities, and recommend target retail pricing and product costs to meet margin and profitability objectives.
- Partner with Design and Merchandising on product roadmaps, assortment strategies, and new product opportunities.
- Identify innovative materials, fabrics, construction techniques, and functional features that differentiate products.
- Manage the product development lifecycle from concept through production approval across assigned apparel categories.
- Partner with Design, Technical Design, Fabric Development, and Sourcing to execute concepts while maintaining design integrity.
- Oversee sampling, fit approvals, materials, construction, costing, and product specifications.
- Manage development calendars, critical milestones, and production handoffs to support on-time launches.
- Identify development challenges, recommend solutions, and drive timely execution.
- Partner with Sourcing to achieve target product costs, retail pricing, and margin objectives.
- Identify value-engineering opportunities without compromising quality, fit, or functionality.
- Work with overseas vendors and manage development in consideration of manufacturing processes, production lead times, and milestones.
- Partner with Quality Assurance to ensure products meet quality and performance standards.
- Analyze consumer feedback, returns, and product performance to drive continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with Design, Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, Production, and Marketing to align product development with business objectives.
- Maintain accurate development trackers, product specifications, costing, and project documentation.
- Communicate product status, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to cross-functional partners and leadership.
- Drive accountability, problem-solving, and continuous improvement across the development process.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
