Product Manager

Product Manager | Apparel

Categories: Denim, Wovens & Knits

Compensation: $90,000-$100,000 base salary

Location: New York City, NY (On-Site)

C-Life Group is seeking an experienced Product Manager to join our New York City team and oversee product development and production across multiple apparel brands and retail partners.

In this role, you'll manage the product lifecycle from initial development and sampling through approvals, production readiness, and delivery. You'll work closely with Design, Merchandising, Sales, Licensing, Technical Design, our El Salvador team, and global vendors to keep products moving while balancing design intent, quality, cost, and customer requirements.

We're looking for someone who knows how to take ownership of a fast-moving product calendar, anticipate issues before they become problems, and keep multiple brands, SKUs, vendors, and deadlines organized and on track.

What You'll Be Doing

• Manage day-to-day product development across denim, wovens, and knits for multiple brands and retail partners
• Partner with Design and Merchandising during handoffs to understand product intent, assess feasibility, identify missing information, and recommend solutions
• Work with Technical Design and the El Salvador team to ensure tech packs, specifications, BOMs, and construction details are accurate and complete
• Manage branded sample requests from initial submission through review, revisions, and final approval
• Oversee the development of fabrics, trims, silhouettes, prints, graphics, embellishments, washes, and specialty treatments
• Manage WIP reports and time-and-action calendars to keep development, approvals, production, and delivery milestones on schedule
• Oversee strike-offs, lab dips, trims, fit samples, PPS, and TOP samples
• Coordinate internal, customer, and licensor approvals prior to bulk production and shipment
• Manage multiple SKUs, purchase orders, and delivery schedules across brands, customers, and seasons
• Negotiate product costs while protecting margin, quality, and design intent
• Partner with factories and vendors in countries including China, Bangladesh, and Mexico on costing, sampling, production timelines, quality, and delivery
• Identify potential development, production, approval, capacity, or shipping issues early and drive solutions before they impact delivery
• Keep internal teams, customers, licensors, and vendors aligned on priorities, deadlines, and next steps

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of apparel product development, production, or sourcing experience
• Strong hands-on experience with denim and woven apparel
• Strong understanding of fabrics, trims, garment construction, denim washes, sample development, fit approvals, and quality standards
• Experience managing multiple brands, retail customers, seasonal calendars, and high-volume SKU counts
• Experience working with global factories and vendors
• Proven ability to negotiate costing, production timelines, and delivery schedules
• Experience managing WIP reports, production calendars, BOMs, and product approvals
• Strong Excel skills and experience working with PLM and ERP systems
• Excellent organization, communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and follow-through
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Confidence taking ownership, driving decisions, and holding vendors and cross-functional partners accountable

Nice to Have

• Experience working across denim, wovens, and knits
• Experience supporting specialty retail customers
• Experience with licensed apparel and licensor approval processes
• Experience managing customer-specific submission and approval requirements
• Familiarity working across international sourcing and production teams

Who This Role Is Great For

• Apparel product development or production professionals ready to take ownership of a broad product lifecycle
• Product managers who enjoy balancing development, costing, production, vendor management, and delivery
• Professionals with strong denim and woven experience who are comfortable working across multiple brands and retail customers
• Highly organized problem-solvers who can anticipate issues, establish priorities, and keep fast-moving product calendars on track
• People who enjoy working cross-functionally and want visibility across the full development-to-production process

Why Join C-Life Group?

• Work across multiple apparel brands, categories, and retail partners
• Gain broad exposure to product development, production, sourcing, licensing, and customer requirements
• Partner closely with Design, Merchandising, Sales, Technical Design, and global production teams
• Take meaningful ownership of products from initial development through production and delivery
• Join a collaborative, fast-paced apparel organization where strong execution and problem-solving make a direct impact

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.