Production Manager/ Production Developer

Carter & White; Sharjah; On-site; AED 279,000 - 469,000; Full time

Job summary

Carter & White is seeking an experienced Production & Development Lead in the United Arab Emirates. The role focuses on garment construction, product development, production management, supplier oversight, and adherence to luxury standards.

You will guide the development from concept to approved production samples, ensuring quality, fit, and finish. Responsibilities include coordinating samples, managing schedules, allocating work to factories, and maintaining strong supplier relationships to

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–8 years of relevant experience in apparel production, product development, or a similar senior role.
• Experience with premium or luxury fashion is highly preferred.
• Proven experience managing both in-house and external production.
• Experience with local and international garment manufacturers and suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Manage product development from initial concept to final production sample.
• Review designs for feasibility, fit, construction, and production practicality.
• Coordinate development of samples, PPS, and size sets; ensure alignment with approved specs.
• Plan, coordinate, and monitor production from order to delivery; maintain schedules.
• Allocate production to factories based on capability, quality, capacity, and delivery.
• Monitor supplier performance and ensure adherence to deadlines and quality standards.
• Escalate production risks and propose solutions to management.
• Coordinate cross-department efforts between Design, QC, Buying, and Finance.
• Maintain accurate production and development records; track approvals and revisions.

Skills

Leadership

Production management

Garment technical knowledge

Quality understanding

Attention to detail

Supplier management

Negotiation

Organizational skills

Cross-functional coordination

Problem solving

Communication

Accountability

Job description

Position Overview:

The position requires strong technical knowledge of garment construction, product development, production management, quality control, supplier management, and luxury apparel standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Product Development

• Manage the product development process from initial design concept through final approved production sample.


• Review designs for technical feasibility, construction, fit, finishing, and production practicality.


• Work closely with the Design team to translate creative concepts into commercially and technically viable garments.


• Review and approve fabrics, trims, accessories, construction methods, and finishing techniques.


• Coordinate development of first samples, fit samples, revised samples, PPS, and size sets.


• Identify potential production, quality, cost, or construction issues during the development stage and provide solutions.


• Ensure that final products accurately reflect the approved design, specifications, measurements, and quality standards.


• Review patterns and technical aspects of garments and coordinate necessary corrections with pattern makers and production teams.


• Support the development of new suppliers and manufacturing capabilities where required.

Production Management

• Plan, coordinate, and monitor production from order confirmation through to final delivery.


• Prepare and maintain production schedules and ensure that production milestones are achieved.


• Monitor production capacity across in-house and external manufacturing facilities.


• Allocate production to appropriate factories, workshops, tailors, and suppliers based on capability, quality, capacity, and delivery requirements.


• Monitor daily and weekly production output and identify potential delays at an early stage.


• Follow up continuously with suppliers and production teams to ensure adherence to agreed deadlines.


• Escalate production risks, delays, quality concerns, and capacity issues to management with proposed solutions.


• Coordinate urgent production requirements and prioritize critical styles/orders when necessary.


• Monitor production efficiency and identify opportunities to improve processes, capacity, and productivity.

Supplier and Factory Management

• Source, evaluate, and develop suitable factories, workshops, tailors, and suppliers.


• Assess suppliers based on quality, workmanship, capacity, lead time, pricing, reliability, and ability to meet Carter and White standards.


• Negotiate CMT, production, sampling, and other manufacturing costs where required.


• Maintain strong professional relationships with suppliers while ensuring that contractual and company requirements are followed.


• Monitor supplier performance and maintain records of quality, delivery, pricing, and overall reliability.


• Address production failures, delays, quality issues, and corrective actions with suppliers.


• Conduct factory and workshop visits when required to monitor production and resolve technical or operational issues.

Quality Control

• Ensure that all production meets Carter and White quality standards before shipment or delivery.


• Work closely with the QC team to establish and maintain appropriate quality-control procedures.


• Review QC reports and ensure that identified defects are properly investigated and corrected.


• Monitor recurring defects and implement corrective and preventive actions.


• Ensure that production teams understand required quality standards, construction methods, measurements, and finishing requirements.


• Support technical investigation of garment defects and determine whether issues originate from development, pattern, fabric, construction, production, or finishing.


• Ensure that rejected or defective garments are properly rectified before final delivery.


• Monitor quality performance of both local and international suppliers.

Production Costing C Commercial Control

• Review and negotiate production and CMT costs with factories and suppliers.


• Evaluate the cost impact of fabrics, trims, construction details, finishing, workmanship, and production methods.


• Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary production costs without compromising the luxury positioning or quality of the product.


• Review supplier quotations and provide recommendations to management.


• Monitor additional production costs resulting from alterations, reworks, defects, delays, or production failures.


• Support management with production-related cost analysis and recommendations.

Fabric, Trim C Material Management

• Coordinate with relevant teams regarding fabric and trim requirements for development and production.


• Check fabric availability and suitability before production confirmation.


• Identify material shortages or risks that could affect production timelines.


• Coordinate fabric and trim allocation to appropriate styles and suppliers.


• Work with suppliers to source alternative fabrics, trims, or production solutions when required.


• Ensure that materials used in production correspond to approved standards and samples.

Technical & Production Documentation

• Maintain accurate production and development records.


• Review and coordinate technical specifications, measurements, construction details, BOMs, and production requirements.


• Maintain updated sample status, production status, delivery schedules, and supplier information.


• Track approvals, comments, corrections, and revisions throughout the development and production process.


• Ensure that suppliers receive the latest approved information and that obsolete specifications are not used for production.

Tailor and In-House Production Management

• Manage and monitor the performance and productivity of in-house tailors and production staff.


• Assess tailor skill levels and allocate work according to individual capabilities.


• Establish realistic production targets and monitor daily output.


• Support recruitment and assessment of technically qualified tailors.


• Ensure high standards of workmanship, speed, precision, and finishing.


• Identify training requirements and areas for improvement within the production team.


• Monitor in-house capacity and provide management with projections for future production requirements.

Cross-Department Coordination

• Act as the key production and product-development point of contact between Design, Management, Buying, Retail, QC, Procurement, Finance, suppliers, and factories.


• Coordinate priorities across departments to ensure smooth execution of collections and production orders.


• Provide regular production and product-development updates to management.


• Communicate production risks and proposed solutions clearly and proactively.


• Investigate issues raised by Retail or other departments and coordinate appropriate corrective action.


• Ensure that feedback is communicated through the appropriate internal channels and followed through to resolution.

Reporting and Management Updates

• Prepare regular production status reports covering:


• Production completed


• Current production


• Upcoming production


• Production capacity


• Tailor/headcount updates


• Sampling and development status


• Supplier performance


• Quality issues


• Delays and risks


• Corrective actions


• Provide management with clear visibility on production performance and potential risks.


• Highlight critical issues requiring management decisions or intervention.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 5–8 years of relevant experience in apparel production, product development, or a similar senior position.


• Strong experience in premium or luxury fashion is highly preferred.


• Proven experience managing both in-house and external production.


• Experience working with local and international garment manufacturers and suppliers.


• Strong experience in womenswear and/or menswear garment construction.


• Experience with high-quality and delicate fabrics is preferred.


• Experience managing tailors, workshops, factories, and production teams.

Technical Knowledge:

The candidate should have strong knowledge of:

• Garment construction


• Pattern making and garment fitting


• Sampling and product development


• Production planning


• Fabric and trim selection


• Technical specifications and measurements


• Quality control


• Garment finishing


• Production costing


• CMT and supplier negotiations


• Production capacity planning


• Factory and supplier evaluation


• Luxury/premium garment standards

KEY SKILLS:

• Strong leadership and production-management skills


• Excellent garment technical knowledge


• Strong understanding of luxury apparel quality


• Excellent attention to detail


• Strong visual inspection skills


• Ability to identify sewing and construction defects


• Strong understanding of garment fit and proportions


• Ability to identify production risks before they become critical


• Strong negotiation and supplier-management skills


• Excellent organizational and time-management skills


• Ability to manage multiple styles, suppliers, and deadlines simultaneously


• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities


• Ability to work under pressure and manage urgent production requirements


• Strong communication and cross-functional coordination skills


• Commercial awareness and cost-conscious decision making


• High level of accountability and ownership

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

The ideal candidate should be:

• Highly organized and structured


• Proactive rather than reactive


• Precise and detail-oriented


• Commercially aware


• Decisive and solution-oriented


• Comfortable challenging suppliers when standards are not met


• Able to maintain high standards under significant time pressure


• Strong in follow-up and execution


• Professional and diplomatic in supplier and internal relationships


• Passionate about product quality and luxury craftsmanship


• Capable of independently managing the full production and development process