Product Developer

San Diego Hat Company is an international wholesaler that designs and distributes a wide variety of accessories to specialty retail chains and department stores.

With more than 30 years of experience, we are an established and growing company with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is that of a small company doing big things—there are few layers, decisions move quickly, and collaboration is at the heart of how we work. We offer a creative, fast-paced environment where team members have the opportunity to make an impact and bring ideas to life.

About the Role

San Diego Hat Company is seeking a Product Developer to join our creative team. This role will support the development and execution of headwear across women's, men's, and kids' categories, working closely with Designers and cross-functional partners to bring products from concept through production.

The Product Developer will partner closely with the Design team and report to the Senior Design Director. This position serves as an important link between Design, factories, and internal teams, ensuring products are developed to meet design intent, quality standards, target costs, margin goals, and established timelines.

The ideal candidate is creative, commercially minded, hands-on, and highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects while proactively solving challenges throughout the development process.

Job Responsibilities

• Follow the product development calendar and key milestones to ensure products and projects remain on schedule.

• Partner closely with Designers and Technical Designers to evaluate product concepts and provide recommendations on construction, materials, and other product details based on design intent, target costs, and factory capabilities.

• Identify and nominate appropriate factories for tech pack submissions and coordinate requests for samples, lab dips, and other development submissions.

• Communicate directly with factories to source new fabrics, materials, trims, and product options based on current trends and specific design requirements.

• Manage product development with factories from initial sample through approval, proactively identifying and resolving development challenges.

• Request, review, and negotiate factory costs throughout the development process to support target costs and margin goals.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date margin sheets and costing information.

• Coordinate sample orders for showrooms, trade shows, sales teams, and customer-specific programs.

• Partner with Design and cross-functional teams to review samples and communicate revisions, approvals, and required corrections to factories.

• Monitor product quality and identify issues, communicating necessary corrective actions to the appropriate factory or internal team.

• Maintain clear and timely communication with internal teams and factory partners throughout the development process.

• Manage multiple product development projects simultaneously while maintaining strong attention to detail and meeting deadlines.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in product development, apparel, accessories, headwear, or a related consumer products industry.

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion, Product Development, Merchandising, or a related field preferred.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.

• Familiarity with PLM systems and sample tracking processes.

• Experience communicating and working directly with factories and suppliers.

• Strong understanding of product costing, margins, and commercial product development.

• Understanding of product construction, materials, and manufacturing processes.

• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

• Excellent communication and follow-through skills.

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently.

• High level of attention to detail.

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a creative and commercially minded Product Developer who can effectively bridge the gap between Design, Sales, and Manufacturing.

The ideal candidate is someone who understands how to take a creative concept and help turn it into a successful, production-ready product. You will work closely with Designers to understand the creative vision, collaborate with factories to determine how best to execute the product, manage samples and costing, and proactively solve challenges along the way.

This role is ideal for someone who is creative, hands-on, collaborative, proactive, highly organized, and detail-oriented. You should be comfortable working independently, managing multiple priorities, communicating directly with factories, and working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.