Alexander Wang Manager, PD and Production, Denim

Position Title: Manager of Product Development & Production, Denim

Reporting to Title: VP, Global Product Operations

Summary:

The Manager of Product Development & Production, Denim is responsible for managing the realization of all denim product end to end in all categories (Women's, Men's, Unisex, Apparel Accessories) from development through finished goods production shipment.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Product & Strategy

• Serve as the primary day-to-day partner to the Sr. Design Director of Denim + Cut & Sew, driving alignment across development and production milestones
• Responsible to maintain comprehensive knowledge of all product in development and production to develop quality focused, on brand, cost competitive product that supports denim business strategies
• Partners with Sr. Design Director, Denim + Cut & Sew to continuously lead team to identify effective and creative solutions to workflow challenges, speed-to-market improvements, production execution, and capacity/efficiency management in a design driven brand
• Partner with Sr. Design Director, Denim + Cut & Sew to manage sourcing and developing of raw materials, launch and comment on all wash and treatment needs, and manufacturer allocation; including diversification, sustainability initiatives, establish standards, and bulk approvals
• Attend raw material and manufacturer appointments to maintain comprehensive knowledge of collection qualities, trends, vendor capabilities and pricing; while leading all business impact discussions
• Maintain database of denim and cut & sew fit, wash, and fabric names
• Partner with technical designer to ensure all correct information is entered such as: specs, material, trims, wash, and finishing details
• Manage alterations for SMS/protos as needed
• Monitor product WIP reports; proactively identify and resolve delays, quality issues, escalate risks early, or supply chain disruptions in partnership with factories and logistics teams to keep development and production on track
• Manage, track, and monitor development and production budget; includes approving all category invoices and manage visibility with finance team

Vendor Management

• Oversee and execute day to day communication and planning to internal team and vendors
• Issue Seasonal Projections with guidance to supply chain and deliverable expectations
• Launch and manage out-of-house and in-house developments with our overseas factories and in-house atelier for both proto and SMS. Confirm clarity with each vendor once styles are launched
• Negotiate all finished goods costing in alignment with business goals
• Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, reduce lead times, MOQ and units cost reduction, and strengthen factory partnership

Calendar & Reporting

• Manage calendar workflow, deadlines, and deliverables for denim across supply chain: 1st concept, prototypes, market samples (development) & counter sourcing to finished goods x-factory (production)
• Reports on all quantitative and qualitative metrics for denim throughout development and production lifecycle
• Owns a selection of seasonal, monthly, and weekly cross category development and production quantitative reporting

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Own cross-functional communication plan for sourcing, sustainability, operations process, fit, and findings for denim; includes all business-wide announcements
• Collaborate with Trim Team, Fabric Team, Graphics, and Cross Category Product Developers to procure all raw materials relevant for sampling execution
• Collaborate with Production counterparts to maximize deliverable results across all categories and report shipping KPIs
• Work closely with technical design team on key deadlines to ensure milestones are achieved
• Lead cross functional coordination with Merchandising (StyleMaster and projections), Marketing (MTOs, gifting, campaign activations), Press (duplicates), and Ecomm (ensure integrity of product) to provide product for their delivery requirements
• Lead cross functional coordination with Logistics, Sales, and Merchandising for all downstream product attributes, delivery expectations, unit reallocations and any production changes that affect inventory or financial targets and deliverables

Fit, Quality & Compliance

• Responsible to coordinate all sample set-up for all fittings, weekly production fittings, internal prefits, milestone meetings, and line edits/reviews
• Attend and enforce during all fit sessions design, business, and customer expectations
• Responsible to ensure quality assurance enforcement, hindsights, and corrective actions; including chargeback validation on Monthly RA reports
• Responsible to ensure seasonal regulatory compliance and due diligence practices for denim; including all regulatory data collection and quarterly supply chain maintenance on Retraced platform

Leadership

• Manage day-to-day and long term problem solving challenges
• Manage realistic expectations and solution-driven strategic thinking in all meetings; provide technical and relevant production feedback to ensure development is executable and on calendar

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree
• 5+ years of experience in product development and/or production, preferably in denim; end-to-end experience from proto through bulk delivery strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of washes, print techniques, and treatments
• Excel, PLM platforms, image editing software with drawing tools
• Detail-oriented
• Clear & direct communication skills (verbal, written, visual)
• Solution driven, self-motivated, works well under pressure, adaptable, sense of urgency
• Ability to work cross-functionally with various departments
• Team player, willingness to learn and pivot approach based on past experiences to ensure successful results

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer M/D/F/V

In compliance with the New York City salary transparency requirements, the potential salary for this position is from $110,000 to $120,000, which represents a range commensurate with experience, knowledge, and skills required.