Apparel Product Development Lead (6-Month Temp)

Ivy City Co; Riverton (UT); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ivy City Co. Riverton, UT is seeking an Associate Product Development Manager for a 6-month temporary, hybrid role. You will own the product development process from design handoff to TOP sample approval and manage vendor relationships.

You will collaborate with Design and Technical Design teams, ensure on-time production, and balance aesthetic, cost, and quality to deliver great garments.

Qualifications

• 3 to 5+ years of apparel product development experience, ideally in women’s wear or dresses.
• Proven experience approving bulk production, including fabric, PP, and TOP samples
• Experience managing overseas vendors directly, including negotiating timelines and resolving quality issues
• Strong knowledge of garment construction, fit, measuring, and quality standards
• Adobe Illustrator experience preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, specifically Excel
• Experience with Airtable, Asana, Slack, and WhatsApp is a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communicator who gives clear, direct feedback to vendors
• Highly organized, detail oriented, and analytical, with the judgment to prioritize when everything feels urgent
• Collaborative, flexible, and calm under deadline pressure

Responsibilities

• Own the product development calendar from design handoff through TOP sample approval.
• Identify timeline risks and build recovery plans with vendors and internal teams.
• Gather and review weekly vendor reports, resolve delays directly with vendors, and escalation to management when needed.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for vendors, consolidating style details and communicating requirements and timelines for each style.
• Negotiate timelines, sample rounds, and quality resolutions with vendors.
• Track vendor performance, including on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness, and share trends with management.
• Send consolidated vendor comments within 24 hours of review for bulk swatches and within 48 hours for PP and TOP samples.
• Approve all styles to bulk production, including bulk swatch, PP sample, and fit sample review.
• Receive, check in, and review all bulk swatches, PP and fit samples, and TOP samples, logging comments and approvals in Airtable.
• Own QC issue resolution: identify the root cause, partner with vendors on corrective action, and keep management informed.
• Measure samples according to Technical Design’s needs.
• Strong understanding of fabric, trim, construction, fit, and finishing choices impact quality.
• Provide design-minded feedback during fittings, sample reviews, and development without overstepping Design.
• Balance aesthetic considerations with cost, quality, manufacturability, timeline, and commercial objectives.

Skills

Vendor management

Product development

Communication

Organization

Garment construction

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Excel

Airtable

Asana

Slack

WhatsApp

Job description

Ivy City Co. Riverton, UT is seeking an Associate Product Development Manager for a 6-month temporary, hybrid role. You will own the product development process from design handoff to TOP sample approval and manage vendor relationships.

You will collaborate with Design and Technical Design teams, ensure on-time production, and balance aesthetic, cost, and quality to deliver great garments.