Sr Manager, Digital Product Development

The opportunity

The Senior Manager, Digital Product Development, is accountable for defining and executing digital product development strategies for their assigned businesses. Incumbent is a product expert who can lead and manage digital product development initiatives utilizing cross functional resources to identify, evaluate, implement, and manage digital tools to improve and ensure product development process efficiency and reduce cost and timelines. Digital tools in scope for this position include Digital Product Creation software such as Browzwear and Clo, Digital Materials software such as Swatchbook and SEDDI, Digital Product AI tools such as Straight Lines and Caimera AI Fashion, Product Lifecycle Management tools such as Centric PLM and PTC Flex PLM, and other emerging Digital Product tools.

The role

• Accountable for building a strategic digital product development plan in partnership with the business GM’s, category product development leads and information technology team to enable efficient processes to deliver top and bottom line business objectives.
• Leads and directs the digital product development team that is responsible for the selection, evaluation, implementation and management of digital product tools for assigned businesses. Ensures that appropriate decisions are made to keep projects on calendar, on budget, and are utilized effectively.
• Drives the use of digital tools from initial concept handoff throughout the product lifecycle for both internally developed and sourced products.
• Collaborates closely with the Technical Design team to ensure that robust foundational product technical elements are in place to ensure accurate digital representations with respect to expression of fit, optimal construction, and to ensure leverage of platform materials and blocks as appropriate.
• Serves as the digital product expert and owns all decisions, information, and communication / reporting related to digital product tools and processes.
• Understands optimal use of digital product tools, and uses this knowledge to ensure that their use delivers improved timelines, reduced physical samples, accurate specifications, and easy to use Design and Marketing tools to yield maximum financial benefit to the company.
• Ensures that digital product development tasks adhere to project calendars and timelines and are embedded into tools such as Workfront to ensure that projects are executed in alignment with specific timeline requirements.
• Leads key cross functional business initiatives related to digital product creation through ownership of key meetings and development of processes to plan and execute non-seasonal new / evolving digital product strategies and platforms.
• Devise and execute tactics to expand Digital Product strategies and key projects. Current examples include virtual garment sampling across all business units, Centric PLM system implementation, evaluation of AI digital product tools providing solutions to Design and Marketing to enhance presentation, marketing, and direct to consumer content capabilities.
• Develop and implement continuous improvement processes to increase standardization, drive simplification, and improve digital product work accuracy and efficiency.
• Monitors and manages team workload to ensure that resources are allocated as appropriate to meet business priorities and needs in the most optimal manner.

The requirements

Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years relevant work experience OR Master's 8+ years relevant work experience; 4+ years of equivalent work experience can be substituted for Bachelor's degree.

Specific Skills or Experience Required

• Textile / Apparel product development, technical design, and digital product development leadership experience is required.
• Demonstrated product technical expertise in apparel and textiles.
• A thorough understanding of digital product tools and processes is essential.
• Strong negotiating, planning, prioritization, and problem solving skills are needed to successfully manage cross functional teams and projects.
• Experience in working with global supply partners with a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate across cultures is required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; and strong presentation skills.

Job Specific Competencies

• Ability to perform at a high energy level with flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing business priorities. Requires some communication with global team members and suppliers during off hours.
• Strategic Planning: Ability to develop and implement a strategic digital product development plan in collaboration with business GMs, product development leads and information technology team.
• Leadership: Strong leadership skills to direct and manage the digital product development team, ensuring timely and accurate execution of projects.
• Collaboration / Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated success in effective collaboration and influence of cross-functional teams to leverage expertise to accomplish digital product goals.
• Product Lifecycle Management: Understanding of management of the product development process from initial concept to final product, including both internally developed and sourced products.
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of product technical attributes and specifications, serving as the digital product expert across product categories.
• Cost Management: Knowledge of digital product cost drivers and the ability to make decisions that maximize financial benefits.
• Project Management: Ability to organize and lead projects and initiatives, ensuring adherence to project calendars.
• Long-Range Planning (LRP): Skills in devising and executing tactics to ensure robust future initiatives and key projects, such as PLM system implementation.
• Continuous Improvement: Commitment to developing and implementing continuous improvement processes to enhance standardization, simplification, and efficiency.
• Resource Management: Ability to monitor and manage team workload, ensuring optimal allocation of resources to meet business priorities.