What are the responsibilities and job description for the Development Manager position at FRAME?
About the Role
The Senior Manager of Product Development is a key member of our team, responsible for developing and managing the sourcing strategy for both women's and men's Ready-to-Wear categories.
This role requires strong analytical and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to proactively troubleshoot and problem solve. You will work closely with our design, merchandising, and production teams to ensure successful product launches.
Responsibilities
- Create and manage the product 'time and action calendar' to ensure milestone dates are met.
- Set up global sourcing strategies & manage vendor allocation to meet business objectives.
- Manage sample fabric and trim reservations, collaborate with Design to develop production-ready samples for quarterly design presentations, and ensure on-time delivery of all prototypes and sales samples.
- Evaluate development samples, identify major issues, and problem vendors, creating action plans to resolve them.
- Support costing teams by negotiating raw materials and driving the product development process from concept through production-ready styles.
- Manage development testing processes, ensuring communication of any potential production issues to internal teams.
- Oversee adoption rate quantification for review with management, merchandising, and design teams.
- Train and mentor new hires, conducting individual and team reviews.
- Serve as an information resource about products for internal departments.
Requirements
- Minimum 7 years of experience in product development.
- Ability to lead and mentor team members.
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills.
- Ability to proactively troubleshoot and problem solve.
- Excellent organizational skills & attention to detail.
- Must possess the ability to prioritize multiple projects.
- Must have basic retail math skills needed to determine costs & margins.
- Strong background working in contemporary fashion.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, and Outlook.
- Experience with Full Circle and Adobe Illustrator is a plus.
