Product Developer for Sportwear
40 hours/week
Pay: $40/hr
Duration: Through end of year with possibility of extension
This is a hybrid role requiring the candidate to be onsite 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Onsite attendance may be required on other days if management schedules necessary meetings.
Location: Philly, PA
The Product Developer (P.D.) is responsible for executing the business through the entire development process, from the first prototype to bulk production-ready status. This involves coordinating with respective teams to oversee the development, approvals, and production-ready status of all styles within the designated product line. The P.D. will analyze development progress, consult with management to address items missing deadlines, and recommend corrective action plans when timelines cannot be met.
Concept Development & SMS
- Ensure calendar adherence by executing against the Product Development Calendar timelines and prioritizing the flow of materials, art, and Tech Packs.
- Create the Bill of Materials (BOM), complete the Tech Pack ensuring it meets global product standards, and post them to the designated database.
- Build and maintain a close working partnership with Design, acting as the technical partner. This includes attending presentations and meetings, providing feedback on technical feasibility, brainstorming ideas and solutions to ensure the design vision is translated into product that meets margin requirements, and inclusive of pre-costing activities.
- Partner with Sourcing on the timely approval of costing, factory allocation, and potential options for cost savings.
- Work with internal cross-functional partners to follow up on development testing and resolve potential quality issues through Risk Assessment, covering the entire design, development, and commercialization process.
- Monitor prototype, SMS (Salesman Samples), and other pertinent sample delivery to ensure factories meet calendar timelines.
- Drive SMS Buy Ready with cross-functional business partners to meet on-time performance for go-to-market and production buy-ready activities.
- Support preparation for seasonal key milestone meetings (Proto/Costing Review, Line Freeze & TP Strategy Meetings), ensuring all necessary inputs and tools are on hand.
- Attend fit meetings, creating calendar awareness for any product change requests and ensuring consistency across collections, compliant with all standards.
- Identify downstream impacts of changes that delay deliverables and provide solution-oriented support to partners.
Production Ready
- Ensure concept data points (Tracker, PLM, Box) are available and updated.
- Monitor and audit team-out color-up on PLM.
- Prepare PP licensing samples for approval, ensuring they are on time and audited against the approved Tech Pack.
- Partner with the cross-functional team when an issue is escalated as a risk to buy-ready status per season.
Daily Activities
- Monitor work in progress (WIP), maintain tracking, and handle all PD-related record-keeping, data input, and in/out parcel coordination.
- Facilitate timely communication with internal and external parties.
- Compile weekly metrics and analysis to support PD Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Partner with the Senior PD/Manager to identify opportunities within the process to increase speed, efficiency, and quality.
- Input report card metrics for on-time sample performance.
- Support SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) documentation, distribution, and training relevant to necessary process updates for internal and external partners, including acting as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in cross-functional SOP validation.
WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM
- Bachelor’s degree in Product Development or a related field preferred, or equivalent work experience.
- 3-7 years of related experience in Sportswear development and management.
- Technical knowledge of fabric, trim, construction, embellishment, and product engineering.
- Experience working for a US global company and collaborating with international factories across the region.
- A team player with a positive attitude, strong communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency in Product Line Management (PLM), databases, and MS Office applications.
- Advanced Excel skills. 3D development experience is preferred.
- Must be detail-oriented, able to multitask, and punctual in meeting deadlines.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines and tasks in a fast-paced environment, with a strong sense of urgency and an intuitive sense of priorities and accuracy.
- Ability to identify opportunities within the process to increase speed, efficiency, and quality.
