Senior Manager, Process Operations – Product Creation and Advanced Concepts

Jobtailor; North Vancouver; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Canada seeks a senior leader to manage innovation and product development within apparel creation, driving cross-functional collaboration across development, materials, and sourcing.

You will champion governance, KPI tracking, and portfolio planning while aligning stakeholders and leading strategic initiatives from concept through commercialization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ experience in innovation management, product development, or operations in an apparel creation environment.
• Proven experience in project management with a diverse and cross-functional portfolio.
• Proven experience influencing senior leadership in cross-functional environments.
• Strong understanding of the product creation environment.
• Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing, and product lifecycle.
• Financial acumen including budgeting and business case development.
• Stakeholder alignment and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational excellence across product creation supply chain functions and integrate Advanced Concepts (AC) innovation.
• Accountable for seasonal delivery, process optimization, and integrating AC early-stage innovation into processes.
• Operate at the intersection of product development, materials, and sourcing.
• Partner with the Innovation Incubation squad to accelerate validated concepts into pilot, commercialization, and scale.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment within Product Creation and Advanced Concepts teams.
• Lead seasonal I2C delivery across product development, materials, sourcing, and planning teams.
• Develop governance models, KPIs, and tracking systems for incubation programs.
• Oversee portfolio planning, resource allocation, and budget (CAPEX & OPEX).
• Enable project teams with clear frameworks, RACI structures, and execution rigor.
• Manage external partnerships and innovation ecosystem relationships.

Skills

Innovation Management

Project Management

Product Development

Financial Acumen

Stakeholder Alignment

Tools

RACI Structures

Tracking Systems

Portfolio Planning Tools

Job description

• Drive operational excellence across product creation supply chain functions and integrate Advanced Concepts (AC) innovation
• Accountable for seasonal delivery, process optimization, and integrating AC early-stage innovation into processes
• Operate at the intersection of product development, materials, and sourcing
• Partner with the Innovation Incubation squad to accelerate validated concepts into pilot, commercialization, and scale
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment within Product Creation and Advanced Concepts teams
• Lead seasonal I2C delivery across product development, materials, sourcing, and planning teams
• Develop governance models, KPIs, and tracking systems for incubation programs
• Oversee portfolio planning, resource allocation, and budget (CAPEX & OPEX)
• Enable project teams with clear frameworks, RACI structures, and execution rigor
• Manage external partnerships and innovation ecosystem relationships

Requirements

• 8+ years’ experience in innovation management, product development, or operations in an apparel creation environment
• Proven experience in project management with a diverse and highly cross-functional portfolio
• Proven experience influencing senior leadership in cross-functional environments
• Strong understanding of the product creation environment
• Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing, and product lifecycle
• Financial acumen including budgeting and business case development
• Stakeholder alignment and communication skills
• Proactive in identifying the root cause of issues and developing solutions
• Flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity
• Ability to balance autonomy and collaboration
• Inspiration for breakthrough thinking and continuous improvement
• Commitment to seek the best solutions, doing what is right

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in innovation management and product development within the apparel creation environment, with a strong focus on operational excellence, project management, and stakeholder alignment. Proven ability to drive process optimization and integrate advanced concepts into product creation workflows.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Innovation Management
• Project Management
• Product Development
• Financial Acumen
• Stakeholder Alignment

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Process Optimization
• Product Lifecycle Management
• Budgeting
• KPI Development
• Governance Models

Soft Skills

• Communication Skills
• Problem-Solving
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Leadership

Industry Keywords

• Apparel Creation
• Materials
• Manufacturing
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Innovation Ecosystem

Tools & Technologies

• RACI Structures
• Tracking Systems
• Portfolio Planning Tools