Associate Manager, Product Development

Centric Brands is a leading lifestyle brand collective that designs, sources, markets and sells high quality products in multiple segments, including women’s, men’s and kid’s apparel, accessories, entertainment and beauty. Centric Brands is focused on our customers and our brands that will drive the company’s future growth. We are defined by innovation as we seize new opportunities and thrive in an environment informed by creativity and thinking that is both analytical and outside the box. Centric Brands reflects a team built on respect, for others and for the hard work it takes to achieve our goals and build our bright future together.

Production/Product Development

From sourcing raw materials to manufacturing, order placement, pricing, quality control and getting the finished product where it needs to be, our production/product development team is responsible for ensuring we keep our standards high and our business profitable at every step of the journey. If you are a focused, results-driven, tenacious and highly flexible team player, we’ll give you every opportunity to build a rewarding career with one of the world’s foremost major lifestyle brand collectives.

The Product Development Associate Manager supports seasonal product needs by collaborating with a cross-functional team, including Production, Design, Sales, and Overseas offices, to develop and execute assigned product lines, with a primary focus on children’s apparel development and secondary on trim and packaging.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Apparel Product Development:

• Collaborate with Design, Production, and Technical Design to ensure all deadlines are met while communicating status updates to all other departments. Establish an efficient and transparent process to maintain a consistent flow of approvals.
• Participate in style-by-style milestone meetings with cross-functional teams to understand customer and brand visions, facilitating the creation of tech packs and initiating design operations.
• Work directly with overseas vendors to review and approve product development submissions, including proto-samples, lab dips, strike-offs, sales samples, and pre-production samples, ensuring brand quality and integrity are maintained.
• Evaluate lab dips with a strong understanding of color science to ensure color accuracy across products.
• Utilize extensive knowledge of woven and knit fabrics, direct/fabric print techniques, and garment construction across multiple categories.
• Evaluate initial tech packs through PLM while simultaneously creating comment logs and reviewing samples to ensure all details are executable by the factories.
• Schedule proto review meetings with the Design team to ensure garment constructions, design details, and art placement from tech pack align with the designer’s vision.
• Collaborate with Design, Production, and Sales teams to ensure development stays on schedule per the design calendar, continually monitoring deadlines and communicating status to all departments.

Trim & Packaging Development:

• Understand and review trims, labels, and packaging, including but not limited to woven labels, satin labels, damask labels, buttons, elastic labels, metal trims (such as snaps and shanks), and stickers.
• Provide detailed feedback to nominated suppliers to ensure consistency and quality across products while adhering to packaging and labeling requirements.
• Communicate with licensors as needed to ensure compliance with brand guidelines and approvals.
• Catalog and maintain standard libraries of fabrics, prints, trims, packaging, and labels for future reference, ensuring easy access for the team.
• Participate in cross-functional meetings to align packaging and trim strategies with overall product development initiatives.

• Comprehensive understanding of the entire Product Development cycle, including fabric technology, color science, art applications, and garment construction.
• Working knowledge of garment construction techniques, including sewing methods and seam classifications.
• Strong understanding of materials such as woven labels, paper finishes and weights, elastics, metal trims, and various button qualities.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills are required to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Understanding of Child Safety Guidelines.
• Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines with a high level of detail orientation and accuracy.
• Proficient in FlexPLM, Microsoft Office; knowledge of Adobe Illustrator is a plus.
• Superior organizational and communication skills; team-oriented.
• Adaptable and flexible.
• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Product Development.
• 3-5 years of product development or relevant experience.

In return, we provide an industry-competitive salary, along with a comprehensive benefits plan (medical, dental, vision) that includes a matching 401(k), Summer Fridays, generous PTO, merchandise discounts, excellent career development opportunities, and a work environment that reflects our industry leadership. Our social impact program, Centric Cares, focuses on volunteerism to make a difference in communities we live and work in and our D&I committee is shaping the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at Centric Brands though workshops, resources and inspiring conversation.

Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000

At Centric Brands, we believe our people are our greatest asset, and we seek to structure competitive compensation offers to ensure that we are able to attract and retain the best talent. Our job postings include an annual base salary range at the time of employment. The stated base salary range represents our good faith estimate as to what candidates are likely to expect, and we tailor our offers within the range based on several factors, including the selected candidate's educational and professional experience, industry knowledge, location, technical and communication skills, and other factors that may prove relevant during the selection process. Base salary is a part of a total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, annual bonus and other Centric Brands sponsored benefit programs.

Be part of our growing community by getting involved with groups, teams and initiatives like Be Green, Be Giving, and Be Celebrated.

Centric Brands is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Please note that Centric Brands will only reach out to interview, make an offer of employment or conduct onboarding activities for candidates who have applied through our careers site. When interviewing for a position, the candidate experience will include live interaction, such as a video conference or telephone call, with a Recruiter and/or company employee(s). We will never ask for any money or payments from applicants at any point in the recruitment process. Be aware of suspicious recruitment activity. If you think you are a victim of an employment scam, you may contact your local law enforcement agency and/or visit the Federal Trade Commission website here: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams.

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