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VP, Product Development, Ready to Wear

Employer
Coach
Location
New York, New York, United States
Closing date
6 Oct 2022

Job Details

Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last-for you to be yourself in.

Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio - a global house of brands committed to stretching what's possible.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Primary Purpose:

The VP, Product Development -RTW is responsible for leading the operational strategy and execution of all Coach's RTW from proto-sample development through handoff to the production team in Asia.

The VP leads the product development and commercialization process working in close collaboration with all of the internal and external cross functional partners from Design to Merchandising, Materials Quality, and with the Asia production teams as well as factory/service provider partners to deliver the collection. The VP is accountable to deliver the collection, consistent with Design's aesthetic vision, on time and with a strong focus on meeting the business requirements for margin, quality and timelines.

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency to...
  • Lead the development and execution of the short and long-term operational strategies for Coach's RTW to drive the process from sampling through production handoff.
  • Partner with Design and Merchandising teams to understand the seasonal collection strategy and priorities to develop the execution strategy that meets the business requirements.
  • Collaborate with the Design, Merchandising & global partners to execute designs/concepts, produce styles, ensure aesthetic intent and execute all protos during the product design lifecycle.
  • Partner with global teams to maintain product integrity with respect to quality, construction and aesthetic.
  • Partner with Design to identify, evaluate and eliminate all technical risks with regard to construction & wear.
  • Drive the seasonal product development timeline with cross-functional partners including scheduling of milestone meetings and facilitating collaborative sessions.
  • Own all aspects of supplier allocation, sample development, fitting, engineering, commercialization, procurement, production and quality of raw materials and finished goods.
  • Create efficient, scalable processes to effectively manage the overlapping seasons.
  • Ensure good communication, fluidity and alignment with Design and Merchandising.
  • Participate in all cross functional meetings representing development and production point of view and insights to ensure aesthetic intent, quality, margins and calendar deadlines are met.
  • Drive efficiency of the sampling and production process within suppliers to ensure on time delivery.
  • Own costing of Coach's RTW and partner with Merchandising to drive margin targets and analysis required to inform pricing and product mix decisions.
  • Hire, develop, retain, lead and motivate the Coach's RTW Product Development team to support aggressive corporate growth goals.
  • Design, determine and improve information tools in partnership with IT department.

The accomplished individual will possess...
  • 15+ years of Sourcing, Development and Production experience in accessories and/or RTW working with product from concept through execution. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
  • Strong product sense, acute understanding of the marketplace, proven experience combined with an analytical, strategic mind.
  • The ability to grasp and enrich the Coach lifestyle brand vision.
  • Seasoned forward-thinking leadership with proven abilities to successfully execute a start-up organization and bring product to market in a timely cost effective manner.
  • Proven leadership and managerial experience that includes both developing a team and individuals.
  • Confidence, with a strong presence, proven influencing and negotiating skills - both internally and externally.
  • A courageous spirit who will take ownership of their decision, guide and infuence in a diplomatic manner even when faced with dissenting points of view.
  • Influence and creativity to effectively maintain strong partnerships.
  • Flexibility and ability to move easily from strategic to tactical and back.


An outstanding professional will have...
  • Ability to establish strong credibility & influence with team, business partners, and cross-functional partners
  • Capacity to analyze, compile and manage highly detailed data
  • An eye for product details and sense of style
  • Creative, innovative problem solver with the ability to anticipate potential issues at an early stage
  • Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
  • Cross-cultural sensitivity
  • High level of organizational skills (including: detail orientation and strong follow-up/follow through skills)
  • Capable of evaluating and changing priorities on an as-needed basis
  • Must be able to perform efficiently within a fast paced team environment


Our Competencies for All Employees
  • Courage : Doesn't hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and "actionable" positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
  • Creativity : Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
  • Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
  • Dealing with Ambiguity : Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn't upset when things are up in the air; doesn't have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
  • Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
  • Interpersonal Savvy : Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
  • Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Our Competencies for All People Managers
  • Strategic Agility : Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
  • Developing Direct Reports and Others:Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
  • Building Effective Teams : Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in theirteam; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Coach is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant's or employee's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Coach at www.coach.com.

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