Vice President, Global Product Development

Carhartt•Dearborn, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President of Global Product Development sets the enterprise strategy and leads end-to-end execution of Carhartt’s product development engine. This role leads and integrates product and material innovation, testing, fit and construction excellence, and development execution across all categories and business units (Men’s, Women’s, and PPE), ensuring products deliver Carhartt’s standards for durability, functionality, and consumer relevance while meeting Go-To-Market timelines, quality expectations, and financial targets. The VP partners closely with Merchandising, Design, Consumer Insights, Sourcing, Quality, and Product Supply to align seasonal priorities, build scalable processes, and strengthen supplier and vendor ecosystems that enable growth. Inspired by Hard Work At Carhartt, the values of hard work—dependability, honesty, and trust—are rooted in the legacy of our founder, Hamilton Carhartt. His commitment to serving hardworking people continues to inspire everything we do. Guided by his legacy and our mission—We serve and protect all hardworking people by building durable products—we remain dedicated to upholding these principles in every decision we make and every product we create.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Apparel, Textiles, or related field; or equivalent years of related experience in lieu of degree.
Minimum 14 years of experience in product development and innovation within the apparel or textile industry, with a strong emphasis on innovation, quality, and performance.
Minimum 10 years of leadership experience managing high-performing, cross-functional product development teams.
Demonstrated ability to balance strategic vision (70%) with hands-on execution (30%), and technical expertise (30%) with leadership (70%).
Excellent interpersonal skills in building and managing relationships, influencing and negotiating partnerships while maintaining the ability to achieve great results through others.
Proven leadership skills and people management skills derived from having direct and indirect responsibility for building and managing cohesive, high-performing teams.
Attention to detail and follow through.
Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to prioritize, delegate, and deliver in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Strong understanding of global supply chain capabilities, dynamics, and cost structures, garment fit, fabric and trim engineering, color development, and testing standards.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence and engage at all levels, including executive leadership and global vendor partners.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and integrate the global Product Development, Technical Design, Raw Materials and Product Innovation functions, ensuring a seamless product development engine from concept through commercialization.
Build a high-performing, consumer-focused team culture centered on innovation and accountability, while developing succession plans and career paths to grow future leaders through capability building (fit/3D, testing, and PLM optimization), process governance, and continuous improvement.
Define and execute the multi-year strategy and operating model for Global Product Development, leading direct reports through building department and team strategies and execution.
Own enterprise standards for product performance, fit, construction, grading, materials, and workmanship; ensure rigorous validation and testing protocols are applied consistently across categories and regions.
Set the seasonal product development strategy, governance, and KPIs (calendars, milestones, decision rights) to deliver on Go-To-Market timelines and business priorities.
Partner with Merchandising, Design, and Consumer Insights to translate consumer and market inputs into actionable product and material briefs that protect brand authenticity and drive commercial success.
Collaborate with Sourcing, Procurement, Quality, and Product Supply to optimize vendor capabilities, lead times, cost, and capacity; strengthen supplier onboarding, training, and compliance to Carhartt standards.
Lead and develop talent; build succession plans and career pathways across the team while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and consumer-centric decision-making.
Own the GPC operating budget and resource strategy; prioritize investments to improve speed, quality, and scalability.
Represent Product Development at the executive level, communicating risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities, and driving alignment across cross-functional leadership to deliver enterprise results.