Director, Product Development, Footwear

JOB SUMMARY

As a Tory Burch Director of Product Development, you are a critical cross-functional leader, pivotal in building aesthetically and quality authentic product while achieving financial goals.

JOB DESCRIPTION

RESPONSIBILITIES:

DEVELOPMENT

• In collaboration with Design, work together to fully understand product intent.
• Reviews and oversees issuance of all PLM specs (BOMs/tech packs) for accuracy, completeness, quality, affordability, and compliance prior to release.
• Recommends enhancements, construction and material options to elevate our brand, hitting financial requirements. Resolves engineering that does not meet design, merchandising, production or financial needs.
• Coordinates with manufacturing partners and cross-functional teams to manage spec turnover within calendar to ensure timeliness in protos, SMS, and confirmation samples.
• Manages the handover of clean specs to manufacturing partners on behalf of design; communicates daily with overseas offices and direct suppliers on questions and changes to specs, standards; assists in interpreting design needs.
• Reviews all prototypes and market samples to ensure accuracy in execution to spec.
• Monitors, tracks, and reports on all requested prototypes.
• Oversees the maintenance of all standards issued for brand consistency.
• Supervises, schedules, and tracks all confirmation samples to ensure exact execution of final design; reviews and approves all colors and materials, addressing variances with vendors and Merch team.

SOURCING

• Works closely with the design teams on seasonal offering needs to provide options for components and techniques, and costs that are on brand.
• Sources options for components and techniques while building a tight, strategic vendor base.
• With the team, participates in on-going factory base performance reviews, and recommends improvements to factories, vendor base, and geography.

PRODUCT INTEGRITY

• Aims to instill quality in the product from onset of development through final production.
• Reviews all components with an eye for quality, COMFORT, and performance.
• Ensures that all components and constructions used are compliant for performance and restricted substances prior to production. Works in tandem with quality, technical, and compliance to achieve these ends.
• Tests questionable materials and treatments in development cycle for performance and compliance to prevent a lapse in production.
• Work across various footwear design teams to ensure logo usage compliance

CALENDAR

• Builds, manages, and flexes calendar to insure timely turnover of development, return of prototypes, and market samples and placement of final production.
• Monitors calendar daily to promote flow of development; apprises and resolves calendar variances with team and management.

PRODUCT COSTING

• Use knowledge of costing and shoemaking to develop cost right product.
• Manage pre-costing and develop strategies to meet/exceed margin requirement while maintaining design aesthetic.
• Demonstrate a strong technical understanding of footwear materials construction techniques & applications relative to development execution

LEADERSHIP & PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

• Promote an environment that fosters the respect for the ideas of others and supports ongoing collaboration to execute business strategies.
• Leads by example and operates effectively in the face of continuous pressure imposed by the work environment.
• Monitor development and performance of direct reports through regular meetings to discuss performance and development compared to goals; maintain a dialogue regarding their needs and concerns to aid in future development and increase retention.
• Drive the department forward through process improvement and best practices.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in weekly Cross Functional Meetings, Detail Meetings, and Milestone Meetings.
• Strive to ensure Buy Ready status by PO placement
• With design, merchandising, and production, manages liability inventories via special cuts and/or liquidation.
• As needed works closely with design and production to resolve delivery and material issues affecting production.

EDUCATION & PRIOR EXPERIENCE NEEDED

• BA/BS degree or equivalent life experience
• Minimum 10 years in footwear product development, sourcing, and/or production
• Experience with PLM or other Product Management system
• Strong organizational, interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Strong math and collaborative skills
• Able to work in a fluid, fast-paced, multi-channel environment.
• Ability to travel as needed

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Tory Burch LLC is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to an individual's age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy) or sexual orientation, gender expression, military status, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, disability or membership in any other protected class under applicable law. Likewise, we will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Ordinance No. 184652. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

Disability Accommodation

Tory Burch is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. If you require assistance or an accommodation with the hiring process, please contact talent@toryburch.com .