Unclassified - Torrance, CA
posted 2 months ago
The Apparel Product Development & Sourcing Manager is responsible for developing and overseeing production specifications and manufactured products across various factories, ensuring alignment with the company's mission and philosophy. This role involves creating sourcing strategies that meet the company's goals and objectives, as well as researching, analyzing, and evaluating prospective factories to determine their core competencies and capabilities. The manager will recommend factory selections based on criteria such as target costs, quality, minimums, lead times, and certifications. In addition to factory selection, the manager will measure and monitor factory performance to ensure customer satisfaction, addressing any issues that arise in a timely manner. Establishing and maintaining effective business relationships with factories, suppliers, coworkers, and management is crucial. The manager will oversee product development and manufacturing schedules to ensure that prototypes, photo samples, and finished goods are delivered on time. This includes coordinating the production and approval of go-by samples and ensuring that a complete set of signed samples is available at the manufacturing facility. The role also requires coordinating the introduction of current or future products, including sourcing raw materials and factories for production. The manager will be responsible for competitive pricing processes for finished goods and raw materials, as well as monitoring sourcing markets to develop strategies based on market intelligence. Collaboration with the Sales department is essential to understand customer product requirements and communicate these to factories. The manager will coordinate milestone meetings throughout the development process, ensuring that all samples, costs, and related information are accurately compiled for review. Furthermore, the manager will handle the Tech Pack process for new and carryover styles, ensuring sufficient factory capacity for upcoming launches. Developing negotiation strategies to achieve sustainable supplier relationships is key, including periodic rebidding to maintain competitive costs. The manager will work with the Logistics Department to account for duty and freight rates in the landed cost and negotiate key terms with factories. Continuous cost and performance improvement strategies will be identified and executed in collaboration with factories and coworkers. The manager will also work with the Quality Assurance team to monitor product quality, investigate issues, and coordinate necessary product testing with approved labs. Special projects may be assigned as needed.