Director of Product Development

  • Full-time

Company Description

At Western Rise, we are on a mission to prove that style, performance and function do not need to be mutually exclusive.

Designed, developed, and tested at 8,750 ft in Telluride, Colorado, we are crafting the future of sustainable performance apparel. Stylish, multifunctional clothing that looks amazing and performs even better; allowing you to do more with less in any situation, whether that’s travel, outdoors, or everyday.

Job Description

We are looking for a world class Director of Product Development to join our growing team. Reporting to our Co-Founder and Creative Director, you would oversee all aspects of Western Rise’s product creation, factory communication, line management, and materials development. You will optimize development, costing, and production while working closely with our Design Director to design and deliver Western Rise’s best possible product.  The objective will be to build on Western Rise’s growing product line and ensure that the products are sampled, proven and tested, completed on time, viable for manufacturing, satisfy design intent and performance targets, and meet costing and sustainability goals. As a key member of the leadership team, you’ll be instrumental in building and growing the Western Rise product line. You should be a natural self-starter with a passion for creating and building industry leading products.

Qualifications

Line Management

  • Develop seasonal line plans and SKU counts by class

  • Create and manage development calendar

  • Create costing charts per season and oversee all costing from initial costs through production stage

  • Coordinate production/time and action calendars across all vendors and monitor all production for all programs to ensure on time deliveries

  • Oversee innovation projects to ensure that we are creatively adding to our product offering with items that delight customers, are true to our mission, and are leading the industry in delivering simple comfort and performance via advanced materials.

Product Management

  • Manage seamless hand-off of Product Development Tech Pack to Western Rise factories, ensuring that products are sampled, proven and tested, completed on time, viable for manufacturing, satisfy design intent and performance targets, and meet costing and sustainability goals.

  • Troubleshoot and offer creative solutions throughout sample development to meet product goals while maintaining a sensitivity to design needs.

  • Work to obtain consistency in technical, development and production methods across all factories.

  • Manage our product development, including direct oversight and accountability for commercialization processes, timelines, and hitting budgeted cost structures.

  • Maintain all Production Tech Packs and BOMs to ensure they are up to date and accurate 

  • Work on fit challenges, costing issues, and testing failures with Design Director and Creative Director

  • Collaborate with Creative Director and external suppliers to manage product packaging for on time delivery to factories.

Factory Communication

  • Collaborate with factories on product requirements and standards, including sharing corporate sustainability and cultural standards to achieve shared goals.

  • Maintain daily communication with supply chain to manage product and purchase order information, collaborate on product and supplier readiness.

  • Manage open communications with factory teams on sourcing functions, costing, materials, Planning, Product Testing, Quality Managers. 

  • Negotiate all costing from development through production

  • Open relationships with new factories and mills as well as help to maintain healthy dialogue with existing ones

  • Travel regularly to all vendors

Material Management

  • Oversee fabric ordering and tracking

  • Oversee needed trim ordering and tracking

  • Request and approve all colors and trims to meet material deadlines

  • Research, locate, or work with suppliers to acquire new materials & components.

Team Management

  • Work on a daily basis with Design Director and Creative Director to execute best possible product

  • Attend and lead weekly Product Meetings to discuss challenges or things that are working for future development.

  • Act as expert resource within the Product Team on all apparel development including material, compounds and fabrication methods.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS

  • A supportive and helpful team player that takes initiative

  • Extensive experience in product development for a apparel / eCommerce brand.

  • A skilled and seasoned product developer with experience at both HQ design phase as well as factory phase with a track record of successful collaboration across multi-national supply chains.

  • Strong management and leadership experience, with the ability to lead a team and drive multiple cross-functional projects.

  • Ability to build relationships and work cross functionally, partnering with Marketing, Sales, Design, Factories, and Operations teams

  • 6-8 years of experience in an apparel technical capacity to include development, commercialization and production.

  • Demonstrated depth of knowledge of apparel construction, development and production experience and related RD&D processes.

  • Demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills. Ability to provide guidance and advice within area of expertise.

  • Demonstrated experience managing up with a high degree of autonomy and self-awareness.

  • Strong computer skills (MS Excel, MS Word, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) 

  • Extremely organized and adept at managing timelines, budgets and reporting.

  • Knowledge of construction standards and production operations and pipeline

  • Knowledge of pattern-making including grading, construction and fit. 

  • Ability to proactively troubleshoot and problem solve. 

  • Ability to communicate technical direction clearly and efficiently 

  • Strong computer skills (MS Excel, MS Word, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) 

  • Wit and a sense of humor.

BONUS POINTS

  • Familiarity with the Western Rise brand and a passion for travel, outdoors and apparel.

  • Technically savvy

  • Interested in pursuing training and development opportunities to build knowledge and skills.

  • Willing to roll with the ups and downs of a startup and willingness to fill multiple roles as needed.

Additional Information

THE PERKS

  • Health insurance 

  • Open vacation policy 

  • Competitive salary 

  • Great location

  • Free Western Rise gear

  • Telluride ski pass

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.