Sr Manager, Digital Product Development

Gildan•Winston-Salem, NC

About The Position

Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel with a strong portfolio of brands. The Senior Manager, Digital Product Development, is accountable for defining and executing digital product development strategies for their assigned businesses. This role requires a product expert who can lead and manage digital product development initiatives utilizing cross-functional resources to identify, evaluate, implement, and manage digital tools to improve product development process efficiency, reduce costs, and shorten timelines. The digital tools in scope include Digital Product Creation software (e.g., Browzwear, Clo), Digital Materials software (e.g., Swatchbook, SEDDI), Digital Product AI tools (e.g., Straight Lines, Caimera AI Fashion), Product Lifecycle Management tools (e.g., Centric PLM, PTC Flex PLM), and other emerging digital product tools.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with 10+ years relevant work experience OR Master's degree with 8+ years relevant work experience; 4+ years of equivalent work experience can be substituted for a Bachelor's degree.
Textile / Apparel product development, technical design, and digital product development leadership experience.
Demonstrated product technical expertise in apparel and textiles.
A thorough understanding of digital product tools and processes.
Strong negotiating, planning, prioritization, and problem-solving skills.
Experience in working with global supply partners with a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate across cultures.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong presentation skills.
Ability to perform at a high energy level with flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing business priorities.
Requires some communication with global team members and suppliers during off hours.

Responsibilities

Build a strategic digital product development plan in partnership with business GMs, category product development leads, and the information technology team to enable efficient processes and achieve business objectives.
Lead and direct the digital product development team responsible for the selection, evaluation, implementation, and management of digital product tools for assigned businesses, ensuring projects stay on calendar, on budget, and are utilized effectively.
Drive the use of digital tools from initial concept handoff throughout the product lifecycle for both internally developed and sourced products.
Collaborate closely with the Technical Design team to ensure robust foundational product technical elements are in place for accurate digital representations, including fit, construction, and leverage of platform materials and blocks.
Serve as the digital product expert, owning all decisions, information, and communication/reporting related to digital product tools and processes.
Ensure optimal use of digital product tools to improve timelines, reduce physical samples, ensure accurate specifications, and create easy-to-use Design and Marketing tools for maximum financial benefit.
Ensure digital product development tasks adhere to project calendars and timelines, and are embedded into tools like Workfront for execution alignment.
Lead key cross-functional business initiatives related to digital product creation through ownership of key meetings and development of processes for planning and executing non-seasonal new/evolving digital product strategies and platforms.
Devise and execute tactics to expand Digital Product strategies and key projects, such as virtual garment sampling, Centric PLM system implementation, and evaluation of AI digital product tools for enhanced presentation, marketing, and direct-to-consumer content.
Develop and implement continuous improvement processes to increase standardization, drive simplification, and improve digital product work accuracy and efficiency.
Monitor and manage team workload to ensure optimal allocation of resources to meet business priorities and needs.