Sr. Manager Development, Apparel

Senior Product Development Manager

Manage a team of technical product developers in the creation and commercialization of pinnacle apparel products, with a focus on elevated workmanship, fit and quality. Create and actively monitor development calendars to ensure deadlines, costing KPIs and quality standards are met. Acts as an advocate for product integrity by working closely with cross functional creation center teams, factories and external brand partners.

Key Responsibilities :

• Ensure industry leading and efficient technical development process on a global level
• Ensure the achievement of goals and objectives set by the business unit through partnership with Pattern, Design and Marketing
• Proactively communicate on an on-going basis with the global pattern team as well as cross functional teams to ensure an efficient development and fit process
• Actively monitor development calendars to ensure that deadlines are achieved
• Build and maintain a close relationship with all cross-functional teams, divisions, brands and external partners
• Manage handover from design to factory to ensure that all information provided to factory is complete. Manage factory feedback to design and marketing and incorporate where quality or cost can be improved without sacrificing product aesthetics
• Ensure timely and accurate data entry by factory regarding Article Description / Bill of Materials, costing or other data as required at calendar milestones
• Evaluate all prototypes for compliance with article description, manages fit approval / size specification, approval of color, accessories and materials. Manage comments to factory
• Ensure that all materials and accessories as well as prototypes are tested and adhere to adidas quality, safety and A01 standards. Manage quality exceptions with senior management as needed
• If required, review size sets for accuracy of measurements and merchantability of complete size range including logo placement and fit. (LO / OC to approve size sets not requested / approved by CC after buy ready release)
• Review and sign off sealing sample with complete article description including all related documents prior to buy ready dates. Ensure full conformity to published policies to ensure a final legal article description for final product
• Provide direction and inspire the factories' pattern team to ensure that the pattern creation process is synergized with focus on consistency and the highest level of quality
• Build up a consultant / expert function within the global pattern team to train technical developers, product developers and overseas factories
• Knowledge of adidas basic pattern references across all BUs and Brands. Ensure aligned needs of all Creation Centers and markets and make the final call on basic patterns to reference for factories to initiate on
• Communicate to internal and external team's seasonal product initiatives, process changes and long-term category vision
• Drive and execute key initiatives and provide input to short, mid and long term planning and budgeting
• Take responsibility for monitoring and continuously improving workload and organizational efficiency with the support of IT-systems, data and analysis
• Allocate the different products / projects to the respective technical developers and factories considering experience, product complexity and workload
• Research innovation from market or supply chain as far as garment construction, pattern / fit, embellishment, trims. Work cross functionally with BOPS teams, IT, Sourcing and factory / mill to implement into product creation
• Drive process improvements by implementing new technologies into the development process

Key Relationships :

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications :