Director Product Development & Sourcing

Full Time Job
Description

Job title: Director Product Development & Sourcing

Responsible to: Vice President, Production and Sourcing

Department: Bravado

Location of work: 4 Pancras Square, Kings Cross



The A Side: A Day in The Life

The Director Product Development & Sourcing will be an essential part of Bravado team, helping to drive execution of merchandise needs for Retail, E-commerce, Tour and Popup development in UK and EU markets. This position will report directly to the VP of Global Sourcing and Supply Chain in the US and work very closely with the regional department heads in support of all commercial channels.

The position will collaborate with the EU markets to ensure resources are optimized to support local and regional market demands. The merchandise production team provides production and purchasing services for concert tours, E-commerce and outside retailers as well as misc. corporate and label promotions. This is a fast paced, high volume position that requires tenured production & sourcing experience for apparel and accessories.

Candidate must be able to manage production schedules in a fast-paced environment. The ability to establish partner relationships and to source new suppliers is critical for the role. Focus on competitive pricing, quick turn times, quality control and on time deliveries is key. Must be able to partner with commercial teams across the EU to determine timelines, workflow, release strategy and support short and long range goals.

The Director Product Development & Sourcing is responsible for establishing, developing and directing the production strategy for merchandise and accessories and effectively directing the business relationships with finished product suppliers. Must work with and across the EU team to manage the business to improve gross margin, on-time delivery and provide exceptional customer service.

The B Side: Skills & Experience

Be Commercial
• Develop/source new and existing fabric, trims, washes/dyes vendors for all upcoming development
• Leverage trade tools to stay updated with trends. Foresee new product opportunities. Identify new factories or expand facilities of existing factory base in the growing countries
• Attend Concept, Design Review and Selection meetings to understand upcoming styles to work with the appropriate vendors to create the product

Be Organised
• Develop and maintain libraries for Fabric and Wash developments
• Establish testing requirements for all raw materials and garments
• Initiate time and action calendars, drive activity alongside cross-functional teams to remain on schedule
• Management of pre-production/development timelines, reviewing reports and recommending solutions to exceptions
• Monitor all development programs- from sample development through commercialization through PSR reports
• Initiate weekly development touch base cross-functional meetings for potential order issues as appropriate
• Develop and manage process workflow and systems
• Manage production schedule
• Manage all item set ups and outgoing purchase orders
• Track, research and report on all KPI’s
• Perform special projects and other job-related duties as assigned
• Ensure adherence to schedules via time and action management, close monitoring of key milestone dates
• Oversee ordering/ execution and monitor tracking of prototypes and artist approval samples
• Manage supplier’s product integrity and order specification compliance including dye lots, wash effect, hand feel and shade bands. Provide risk assessment analysis based on complexity of design
• Ensure suppliers update and maintain costing sheets as product design changes occur and offer viable cost options to meet and or exceed target P&L
• Liaise with suppliers to provide technical advice and give direction for problem solving. Manage fabric selection process, confirm fabric and trim are available for prototype development via direct communications with suppliers
• Develop the sourcing/allocation strategy for each territory and manage fabric reservations to secure deliveries
• Manage liability of raw material supplies to ensure it can be utilized in product that can be sold and minimize financial exposure. Work with design team to create future designs to utilize the excess raw materials

Be Collaborative
• Direct with tech design and creative to have complete technical package to initiate development
• Work collaboratively with the Creative team to develop a final assortment that is executable in production
• Source, develop and maintain partner relationships
• Communicate status to internal stakeholders
• Partner with internal customers (Commercial, Territories, Product Managers, Art Department, Warehouse, Accounting and all affiliated UMG contacts) and remain customer focused at all times.
• Promote collaboration, communication, and teamwork within the brand between Merchandising, Product Development, Production, Design and Delivery

Be Financial
• Negotiate and cost engineer with vendors across multiple programs to help meet P&L and margin requirements
• Manage quoting process, vendor negotiations contracts and margin targets

Personal Specification

Necessary
• Proven track record within apparel and accessories production and/or product development Production/Buying/Sourcing experience
• Diverse market segment background (men’s, juniors, and children's wear, accessories)
• Strong costing and product engineering skills
• Established vendor base & relationships for apparel (cut and sew knits, sleepwear and loungewear) and accessories
• Detail oriented with strong follow through skills
• Extensive technical knowledge of raw materials, garment constructions, wash and print processes
• Microsoft Suite and Adobe proficiencies (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Illustrator)
• Ability to work in a demanding, fast-paced environment
• Strong Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving skills
• Excellent communicator with the ability to build and maintain relationships
• Strong long-term strategic planning capability
• Experience ingesting requirements and adapting workflows to accommodate those requirements
• Music Merch Production experience a plus
• Extensive factory manufacturing process experience

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