Product Management Associate, Polo Men's Knits

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration. Any offer of employment is contingent upon proof of full COVID 19 vaccinations upon hire. Accommodations due to medical or religious reasons will be evaluated in compliance with the law.

Position Overview
As part of the Product Management team, you will manage the Product Development and Production (full product life cycle) for the Knits category within the Polo brand for Men's Knits. You will partner with the Design, Merchandising, Technical Design, and Raw Materials Teams, as well as Sourcing Offices, Factories & Mills to ensure the integrity of product from salesman sample to bulk production. The Associate, Product Management will support the development and execution of the product strategy for the brand to create best overall value in terms of product, price, lead-time and quality.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
· Participate in Board Review with Design and Merchandising to establish product pipeline and TD track (high/medium/low touch) · Handoff seasonal line information to Brand Merchandising for style number set up/ creation (currently set up in GFE) · Own the BOM for medium and high touch designs. Create initial BOM with a Tech Pack. Update BOM for showroom samples (post-proto approval) through stock approval/OK to buy/production ready. · Approve and manage lab dip colors for new fabrications · Develop counter sourced raw materials and components as needed: fabric/yarn/components/trim, embellishments, patches, labels & hangtags · Work with COE/SME to ensure the execution of the development of Art, Graphics, Prints, and Washes · Establish pricing options, to optimize the buy and help to achieve margins · Communicate strategies and align execution plans with Brand, Sourcing offices, Raw Material Team and Product Integrity · Partner with Design and PMT Manager on all design approvals and comments · Partner with Tech team to ensure design execution meets Product Standards/RL requirements · Drive the optimized lead-times and activities from development to store · Develop and create timelines with sourcing offices and vendors on lab dips, raw material sourcing and approvals to ensure production delivery deadlines are met · Lead and monitor the approval process (proto, s/sample and all components) to ensure on time arrival of all s/samples to the showroom. · Communicate with vendors and suppliers to address development and resolve production issues · Maintain development and production costing for products · Review and update all costs from initial to final stages · Submit and follow up on testing to ensure the quality level of the products are in the limits for the defined quality standards · Ensure fit approvals are approved to meet delivery deadlines

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

* Product development or related experience; full product life cycle, from design vision to production ready utilizing technical product knowledge and in-depth understanding of all product components (fabric, trim, print, etc.)
* Be a subject matter expert in knits-includes experience in product development, product engineering and production
* Experience in knit fabric development a plus
* Strong communication, influencing and cross-functional team collaboration skills; ability to work closely with Design, Technical Design, Raw Materials, and Merchandising Teams, as well as Sourcing Offices
* Proven ability to quickly pivot and problem solve utilizing innovative solutions
* Strong organizational skills with detailed attention to product information
* Strong computer skills; Excel, Outlook, PLM
* Embodies the CFAs of the RL Brand #LI-CE1