Senior Product Development Manager

Job Title:
Senior Product Development Manager

Reporting to:
Head of Collection

Location:
VBL HQ – Hammersmith, London

Role Overview:

Acting as number one support to the Head of Collection by overseeing the Collection Development across all product categories.

By staying updated on industry trends and technological advancements, the Senior Product Development Manager will also play an important role in managing developments within Flou categories and working directly with all product categories from initial design launch, through to the Production Handover of finished product.

Responsibilities:

Collection Development

• Day to day management of the PD Team, including heading up weekly meetings when the Head of Collection is Out of Office.
• Creation and maintenance of Tech Packs within assigned Product Categories, alongside maintaining an overview of all Product Categories.
• Attend Sketch / Style launches, fabric to sketch meetings (FTS), leading weekly Technical Fittings and Handovers to Production.
• Be aware of new technical finishes and innovative ways of finishing a garment.
• Monitoring progress of developments within the Atelier and with external manufacturers (on a regular basis), keeping track of timelines and deliveries.
• Liaise with VBL Teams, Factories and Suppliers to ensure all technical information is translated effectively ensuring indications from Design are adhered to whilst always being mindful of cost implications.
• Anticipate industrialisation earlier within the development process, with the view to facilitating the Costing Review and handover to Production.
• Ensure counter samples and relevant tests are completed where required (e.g., dry clean tests for trims / contrasts / pleats).
• Research into new suppliers / manufacturers where a specific technique or handle is needed.

• Create and maintain strong partnerships / relationships with the manufacturers & suppliers.

• Pricing / Costing Management
  Oversee all Product Categories to refine and align processes / techniques / trims & finishes.

• Collating Production Prices and Minimums from Suppliers (including surcharges) across the collection to ensure costs are received on time for seasonal Pricing Reviews.
• Keep track of the cost of the developed techniques, communicating them to the relevant teams to make sure they are viable for Production.
• Creating VPO\’s where relevant and ensuring the Budget Tracker is kept up to date with any seasonal spend.
• Input the bills of material into Zedonk / PLM Systems for assigned categories and aligning methods of data entry across the entirety of the collection.

Essential Skills & Requirements

• 6-10 year\’s experience in Product Development across both Fully Factored & CMT.
• A string understanding of Technical & Production Processes / Product Costing & Product Margins.
• Strong organisation skills, including but not limited to personal space and team areas.
• Ability to self-motivate, and proactivity in managing timelines and deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and PLM programs.