Production Manager

Whitney Museum of American Art•New York, NY

About The Position

The Production Manager will coordinate development and production of private label product across apparel, accessory and lifestyle categories. In partnership with the Merchandise Manager, this role acts as a liaison among external factory partners to ensure product quality, timely delivery, and cost efficiency. Through guidance from the Director of Retail & Licensing, the Manager will conceive and articulate product concepts, launch styles and own select brand collaborations. This position’s primary directive is to support departmental growth of retail revenue from existing and new channels. Through creation of a comprehensive merchandising strategy and strategic development of new product through key partnerships, the manager becomes an integral component to definition and expansion of the institutional brand.

Requirements

BA preferred but not required; additional languages a plus
3-5 years’ experience in production and/or development
Proficiency with Adobe Suite
Fluent passion for trend and product within and outside the museum and art world
Experience working with both domestic and international contract manufacturers
High level of adaptable technological proficiency across software and systems
Familiarity with Airtable is a plus, but not required
Proven ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and vendors simultaneously
Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills

Responsibilities

Proposes and develops original product concepts and merchandise assortments in line with market trend, brand identity, departmental objectives and institutional priorities
Creates and revises digital product renderings for use in approvals process and delivery planning
Generates digital graphic assets and manages artwork files, including vector creation CADs development
Manage delivery calendar and approvals processes with guidance of director and collaboration of Merchandise Manager
Partners in concept process with external vendors, artists and designers as well as Curatorial and internal stakeholders
Builds and maintains production calendars, track work-in-progress (WIP), mitigate delays, and ensure efficient workflow from pre-production through final delivery
Manages all product costing and maintain detailed digital records across PD and Retail databases
Submits and traffics product development materials to, between and among, designers, vendors and artists/agents, obtaining color, design and quality approvals from mock-ups and production samples as required.
Coordinates artists and artwork licensing clearance with estates, agencies and right holders
Supports cost negotiations, analyze production costs and yield reports, and collaborate with internal teams to achieve margin targets
Troubleshoots production challenges, recommend process improvements, and proactively manage risks across the supply chain
Manages domestic international manufacturing, overseeing production across multiple contract manufacturing partners, ensuring on-time delivery and adherence to quality, compliance, and cost targets
Enters and monitor catalog and inventory, remaining fully accountable to data fidelity and managing financial reconciliations
Facilitates payments of sample fees, deposits and royalties; setting up royalty codes, tracking and running sales and royalty reports, creating royalty invoices, and submitting payments to accounting for artists, partners and rights holders as scheduled in rights contracts and other agreements
Comprehensive knowledge of highly confidential retail development and production budgets and expenses, product margins, and vendor terms
Full visibility to financial plans and maintenance of select key and confidential records
Thorough interaction with confidential brand partnerships regularly subject to terms of NDA