Product Developer (New York)

Product Developer | Apparel

C-Life Group LTD | New York, NY | Full-time

$80,000–$100,000 base salary | On-site Monday–Friday

About C-Life Group

C-Life Group is an established apparel company with nearly four decades of experience in licensed apparel. The business develops products across a broad mix of brands, customers, and retail channels and has expanded into owned and branded businesses.

With teams across New York, California, remote U.S. locations, and a substantial shared-services presence internationally, C-Life offers the stability of a long-standing company with the pace and opportunity of a business continuing to evolve.

About the Role

C-Life Group is seeking a Product Developer to coordinate apparel development from initial concept through production readiness. This position will initially focus on primarily supporting knit categories including fleece, sweaters, and French terry.

Product Developers at C-Life serve as the “engineers” of the apparel development process. The right person will understand how to take a concept or CAD and turn it into an aesthetically strong, technically sound garment that can be produced successfully at scale.

This is a hands-on, highly collaborative role for someone who can balance creative intent with garment construction, cost, quality, and production feasibility. You will work closely with Design, Merchandising, Sales, Technical Design, Production, vendors, and the international team to keep a high volume of products moving through development.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Manage day-to-day product development activities across brands and retail partners.
• Own the development process from CAD handoff through sample execution, revisions, approvals, and production readiness.
• Review CADs to understand the intended aesthetic, garment construction, fabric, wash, trim, embellishment, and specialty-treatment requirements.
• Evaluate whether designs can be produced at scale while maintaining product intent.
• Partner with the international team responsible for generating tech packs and provide clear technical direction on construction and execution.
• Conduct structured development handoffs, highlighting priorities, specifications, and potential issues by style.
• Review tech packs, bills of materials, product information, and sample comments for accuracy and alignment.
• Coordinate branded sample requests and track delivery, review, revisions, and approvals.
• Identify and resolve development, construction, quality, cost, and production-readiness issues.
• Work with vendors and internal teams to balance design intent, quality, cost, timing, and manufacturing feasibility.
• Manage development calendars, communicate potential delays early, and recommend practical solutions.
• Maintain organized sample tracking, product records, material libraries, and development documentation.
• Participate in sample reviews, milestone meetings, CAD handoffs, and brand development meetings.
• Manage future-season development alongside fast-moving, in-season retailer requests.
• Influence cross-functional partners when a more production-friendly or cost-effective approach can deliver the same intended aesthetic.
• Help improve workflows, development processes, and overall team efficiency.

What You’ll Bring

• 5+ years of apparel product development or production experience within a wholesale, retail, branded, licensed, or related apparel environment.
• Strong understanding of apparel development from concept through production.
• Hands-on knowledge of garment construction, manufacturing, fabrics, trims, washes, embellishments, and sample development.
• Experience supporting knit categories such as fleece, sweaters, or French terry is strongly preferred.
• The ability to look at a CAD and understand how the garment should be constructed and executed.
• Experience working with overseas teams, vendors, or factory partners and providing clear development direction.
• Experience with PLM systems, BOM management, and product data.
• Ability to manage at least 50 active styles, with comfort handling significantly greater volume as business needs require.
• Experience working within compressed development calendars and balancing future-season and in-season priorities.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, follow-through, and prioritization skills.
• Clear, articulate communication and the confidence to influence Design, Sales, Production, and other partners.
• A solutions-oriented mindset and the judgment to recommend alternatives that preserve the aesthetic while improving cost or production feasibility.
• Genuine passion for apparel product development and the initiative to move work forward without waiting for detailed instruction.

What Success Looks Like

• Product concepts are translated into attractive, technically sound, production-ready garments.
• CADs, tech packs, BOMs, samples, and development comments remain aligned throughout the process.
• The international team and vendor partners receive clear, specific, and actionable direction.
• Potential construction, quality, timing, cost, and production issues are identified early.
• Product intent is maintained while practical manufacturing solutions are implemented.
• A high volume of styles remains organized and moves forward across multiple development timelines.
• Cross-functional partners receive timely communication and can make decisions quickly.
• Development processes become more consistent and efficient across brands and retail partners.

Work Environment & Compensation

• Base salary range: $80,000–$100,000, depending on relevant experience and the volume and complexity of product development previously managed
• Location: New York, NY
• Schedule: Full-time and on-site Monday through Friday
• Flexibility: 26 remote workdays per year

Why Join C-Life Group?

You’ll join an established apparel organization where Product Development has a meaningful voice in how products come to life. This role offers the opportunity to influence decisions rather than simply execute instructions, work across creative and technical teams, and make a visible impact on product quality, cost, manufacturability, and speed to market.

Additional Job Application Terms

This job is part of LinkedIn’s Full-Service Hiring beta program. Eligibility is limited to candidates located in and performing services in the United States, excluding those based in Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, South Carolina, or West Virginia.

We’re committed to making our hiring process as smooth and timely as possible, and we understand that waiting to hear back can add to the anticipation. If you’re a potential fit, our team will reach out within two weeks to progress you to the next stage. If you don’t hear from us in that time, we encourage you to explore other opportunities with our team in the future, and we wish you the very best in your job search.