PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER – SALTY CREW

Globe Europe; Seignosse; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Globe Europe is seeking a Product Development Manager – Salty Crew to own the development calendar from concept to production of outerwear, garments and accessories. You will translate sketches into tech packs, define construction, manage lab dips and trims, and drive protos to production-ready samples.

You will collaborate with Design, Sales and Sourcing, ensuring quality, cost and timing targets are met while sustaining the Salty Crew identity across all styles.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in apparel product development, ideally in technical garments, outerwear and accessories.
• Strong knowledge of fabrics (woven, knit and technical materials), trims and components, including test methods and test reports.
• Solid understanding of technical garment construction, fit and pattern corrections.
• Proven experience managing the development calendar and critical path, and working directly with mills, trim suppliers and factories.
• Hands-on experience with lab dips, strike-offs, protos, fit and salesman sampling through to production.
• Experience building accurate Tech Packs and BOMs, and managing style costings and supplier negotiations.
• Extremely organised, with high attention to detail and the ability to manage many styles in parallel.
• Full competency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Illustrator.
• Excellent communication skills, able to work closely with designers and partners in English and French.

Responsibilities

• Own the seasonal development calendar and critical path, from design handover through to range sign-off, salesman samples and production release.
• Track every style through each development stage, ensuring protos, fit samples and salesman samples land on time for key range reviews, sell-in and launch dates.
• Coordinate the flow of information between Design, Sales, Sourcing and factories, flagging risks and delays early and driving solutions.
• Translate designers’ sketches and concepts into accurate, detailed Tech Packs — specifications, construction details, measurements, graded specs, BOMs and artwork placements.
• Define technical garment construction (seams, finishes, stitching, insulation, waterproofing and functional details), balancing design intent with performance, manufacturability and cost.
• Lead fittings and style reviews, managing fit comments and pattern corrections through each sample round until fit and construction are approved.
• Source, develop and approve fabrics — wovens, knits and technical materials — working with mills and vendors on quality, handfeel, performance and testing.
• Develop and approve trims and components (zips, snaps, buttons, labels, patches, drawcords, embroidery and branding details) that are consistent with the Salty Crew identity.
• Manage lab dips, colour standards, strike-offs and print/artwork approvals, ensuring colour and print accuracy across fabrics and trims.
• Review test methods and test reports, ensuring materials meet quality, durability and compliance requirements.
• Manage proto, fit, SMS (salesman) and pre-production sampling with factories, reviewing every sample against spec, design intent and quality standards.
• Drive costing and margin assessment with Sourcing, negotiating with suppliers and proposing material or construction alternatives to hit target costs without compromising the product.
• Hand over clean, production-ready packages and support QA and Sourcing in resolving production issues quickly.
• Research new fabrics, trims and construction techniques, and drive continuous improvement across the development process

Skills

Apparel product development

Fabric knowledge

Tech packs & BOMs

Lab dips & strike-offs

Costing & supplier negotiations

Critical path management

MS Office & Illustrator

Bilingual: English & French

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Microsoft Excel

Job description

ABOUT US

Globe Europe is part of Globe International, publicly listed and backed by over 30 years of experience in purpose-built apparel, footwear, skateboards, street fashion, outdoor and workwear, with products sold in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Globe upholds the ethos of unemployable. Unemployable represents a mindset to create your own work in which to work and flourish, rather than conforming to a corporate world in which you do not fit. Holding the belief that your aspirations are best met not by a set path, but by designing your own entrepreneurial or creative path.

THE ROLE

The Product Development Manager – Salty Crew owns the development calendar and is responsible for turning our designers’ concepts into real, technically sound, commercially viable product across outerwear, garments and accessories.

Working hand-in-hand with the design team, you will take each design from sketch to finished sample — sourcing and developing fabrics and trims, defining technical garment construction, managing lab dips and strike-offs, and driving protos, fit samples and salesman samples through to production-ready product.

Critical to success is disciplined calendar and critical-path management, strong technical and material knowledge, and seamless collaboration with Design, Sales, Sourcing and our factory partners to deliver product that stays true to design intent while meeting quality, fit, cost and timing targets.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the seasonal development calendar and critical path, from design handover through to range sign-off, salesman samples and production release
• Track every style through each development stage, ensuring protos, fit samples and salesman samples land on time for key range reviews, sell-in and launch dates
• Coordinate the flow of information between Design, Sales, Sourcing and factories, flagging risks and delays early and driving solutions
• Translate designers’ sketches and concepts into accurate, detailed Tech Packs — specifications, construction details, measurements, graded specs, BOMs and artwork placements
• Define technical garment construction (seams, finishes, stitching, insulation, waterproofing and functional details), balancing design intent with performance, manufacturability and cost
• Lead fittings and style reviews, managing fit comments and pattern corrections through each sample round until fit and construction are approved
• Source, develop and approve fabrics — wovens, knits and technical materials — working with mills and vendors on quality, handfeel, performance and testing
• Develop and approve trims and components (zips, snaps, buttons, labels, patches, drawcords, embroidery and branding details) that are consistent with the Salty Crew identity
• Manage lab dips, colour standards, strike-offs and print/artwork approvals, ensuring colour and print accuracy across fabrics and trims
• Review test methods and test reports, ensuring materials meet quality, durability and compliance requirements
• Manage proto, fit, SMS (salesman) and pre-production sampling with factories, reviewing every sample against spec, design intent and quality standards
• Drive costing and margin assessment with Sourcing, negotiating with suppliers and proposing material or construction alternatives to hit target costs without compromising the product
• Hand over clean, production-ready packages and support QA and Sourcing in resolving production issues quickly
• Research new fabrics, trims and construction techniques, and drive continuous improvement across the development process

ABOUT YOU

• 5+ years’ experience in apparel product development, ideally in technical garments, outerwear and accessories
• Strong knowledge of fabrics (woven, knit and technical materials), trims and components, including test methods and test reports
• Solid understanding of technical garment construction, fit and pattern corrections
• Proven experience managing the development calendar and critical path, and working directly with mills, trim suppliers and factories
• Hands-on experience with lab dips, strike-offs, protos, fit and salesman sampling through to production
• Experience building accurate Tech Packs and BOMs, and managing style costings and supplier negotiations
• Extremely organised, with high attention to detail and the ability to manage many styles in parallel
• Full competency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Illustrator
• Excellent communication skills, able to work closely with designers and partners in English and French