Position Overview:
We have an exciting and unique career opportunity to be a part of the product team as a Product Development Specialist. The Product Development Specialist is a member of the product team who reports directly to the Product Development Lead. This is a salaried, exempt position whose primary responsibility is to lead all sample operations for the company. Scope includes maintaining a physical sample inventory system for the Product Development team, receiving, and distributing product to cross-functional partners throughout the company, and ensuring a seamless execution of development milestones by building, tracking, and following the progression of all orders with consistent communication regarding changes and roadblocks. The specialist will support the Product Development Lead by reviewing development samples and managing daily feedback to factories to ensure design aesthetics, technique, and functionality are all feasible for production. The specialist will be responsible for leading the collaborative efforts between Merchandising, Design & Wholesale teams to ensure preparation is complete for seasonal Markets. This role may include supporting special initiatives, projects, and collaborations. The Product Development Specialist must exhibit high levels of organization and focus and operate daily with attention to detail, speed, and efficiency. High quality, accurate deliverables are a must.
Responsibilities:
Calendar & Project Management
- Enforce sample ship dates according to the Product Development calendar and communicate priorities to our vendor. Is solution-oriented and proactive when requested ship dates cannot be met.
- Review the Inbound Log in PLM daily to confirm the on-time shipment and transit of samples while ensuring any sample delays are communicated to team members. Responsible for proactively working with trade compliance and logistic partners on any shipments that are not on schedule. Manage up risk and impact of delays.
- Supports cross functional calendar meeting preparation and proactive communication across applicable teams.
Sample Operations
- Work with cross functional teams to determine sample order quantity needs by SKU.
- Own issuing supplier requests and sample orders in PLM system. Ensure vendors are made aware by handoff notice via email.
- Manage development sample communication and tracking with vendors to ensure quality, on time shipments throughout all development sample phases.
- Maintain and keep all sample documentation organized and easily accessible for team use through the PLM system.
- Prepare shipments of samples to external and overseas teams.
- Responsible for responding to all internal team sample requests, fulfilling when able to, or directing to the correct team when unable to fill the request. All requests are to be logged and reported on. Collaborate with other specialists to ensure office coverage for sample receiving and requests every business day.
- Review, approve, and track sample invoices from the vendors, and work closely with accounting to issue payment. Proactively reach out to vendors to ensure they are submitting their invoices in a timely manner.
- Check-in sample orders in PLM to record the receipt of all incoming samples in a timely manner. Ensure shipment contents and quantities are congruent with packing lists, and if incorrect, communicate discrepancies to vendors.
- Maintain meticulous organization of received samples and other materials in stock rooms and propose solutions when challenges arise.
- Responsible for distributing samples to all cross-functional teams as needed per the agreed upon sample distribution matrix.
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams on market timeline for sample needs and communicate sample timelines with the vendors.
- Create handoff documents for our cross-functional teams regarding sample representation, placeholders, and mockups with a focus on accuracy and attention to detail.
- Coordinate with design for sample mockups to be created pre-market if needed.
- Present product at the seasonal line list meeting to the photo team and communicate all style changes when distributing sample sets.
Product Commercialization
- Support Lead and/or Manager by proactively collecting and documenting design or merchandising direction and aesthetic goals to provide clear communication to vendors, track progress, provide feedback, options, and trigger decisions driving development through to production.
- Support Lead and/or Manager by evaluating development samples and materials for accuracy against product specifications and established standards. Help ensure the factories are also documenting sample inspection comments at time of sample shipment.
- Create, maintain, and finalize “Style BOMs” in PLM with design supplied mockups, and product details to provide comprehensive instructions and specifications to aid factory in development, sampling, and production. Ensure there is communication and documentation of any changes, updates, or elimination of styles to vendors & cross-functional partners.
- Support with the accurate handoff of product information to Production once an assortment is finalized. Ensure that all Wholesale partners and other teams receive finalized product information as needed.
Leadership & Relationship Management
- Build strong cross functional partnerships with Design, Merchandising, Production, Vendors and Agents.
- Provide productive feedback to vendors and/or agency when needed, and track downfalls/wins including, but not limited to, lead times and on-time delivery, throughout the quarter to aid in the completion of the partnership survey for the quarterly scorecards.
- Work with teams to support new vendor onboarding plans to ensure smooth and successful onboarding.
Our Ideal Candidate Will Have:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Business, Design, Product Development, Fashion Merchandising, or related fields.
- 1-3 years’ experience in Product Development for a high-growth company. Jewelry experience is a plus.
- Strong multi-tasking skills and ability to react quickly.
- Excited by a challenge and can execute projects with limited or no direction.
- Deadline focused, detail-oriented and highly organized; Not fazed by complexity, multiple timelines, and competing priorities.
- Understanding of retail, product development, technical design, and manufacturing processes.
- Experience working with domestic and overseas vendors.
- Experience developing, implementing, and communicating new processes and tools.
- Exhibits strong effective communication skills.
- A strong ability to build cross functional partnerships and work collaboratively.
- Desire to learn, grow and embrace new ideas.
- Expertise in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. PLM a plus.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company.
