Director, Production - Denim

True Religion; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with employer match

Merchandise discounts

Commuter benefits

Wellness programs

Employee assistance program

Job summary

True Religion is seeking a Director of Production for Denim in El Segundo, CA. This role leads bulk denim production from approved handoff to shipment, ensuring quality standards and on-time delivery while optimizing capacity, costs, and supplier performance.

The ideal candidate will own the production calendar, manage cross-functional teams, and drive continuous improvements in delivery reliability and efficiency across factory partners and internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in denim production and related manufacturing roles.
• 2-4+ years in a leadership position.
• Experience managing bulk production from handoff to shipment.
• Experience with capacity planning, scheduling, and on-time delivery.
• Ability to report status, risks, and recovery plans to leadership.
• Experience leading and developing production teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead denim bulk production from handoff to shipment.
• Validate factory capacity and production schedules against demand.
• Manage manufacturing partners and drive corrective actions for gaps.
• Own production calendars and critical path to avoid delays.
• Ensure factories meet approved specifications and quality standards.
• Protect product costs by managing changes and minimizing airfreight.
• Develop risk recovery plans with clear ownership.

Skills

Denim production

Leadership

Capacity planning

Quality control

Cross-functional collaboration

Progress reporting

Production leadership

Tools

ERP/PLM systems

Vendor scorecards

Production KPI reporting

Job description

Director, Production - Denim

Department: Corp HO

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: 63001 - Denim Production Corp HO (CA)

Reporting To: Vice President, Sourcing, Product Development & Production

Description

THE PURPOSE: This role is responsible for leading bulk production execution for True Religion’s denim business, ensuring approved product is manufactured to quality standards and delivered on time. The Director owns factory production performance, capacity planning, order execution, and the proactive resolution of risks that may impact deliveries or business commitments, working closely with Product Development, Technical Design, Merchandising, Logistics, and Sourcing to drive accountability across suppliers and internal teams. The ideal candidate will play a key role in improving delivery reliability through disciplined production management, strong factory partnerships, and continuous process improvement, and contribute to True Religion’s continued growth by protecting margins across the denim business.

THE ROLE (what you are accountable for):

• Production Ownership & On-Time Delivery: Lead denim bulk production from approved production handoff through shipment, ensuring purchase orders meet agreed quality standards, ship windows, and delivery commitments.
• Factory Capacity & Production Planning: Validate factory capacity, material readiness, and production schedules against seasonal and chase demand. Secure realistic production commitments and proactively address capacity constraints.
• Vendor Performance & Accountability: Manage manufacturing partners and hold factories accountable for accurate status reporting, production milestones, quality, and on-time shipment. Escalate performance gaps and drive measurable corrective actions.
• Production Calendar & Critical Path: Own production time-and-action calendars, monitor key milestones from purchase order placement through ex-factory, and resolve delays before they impact the distribution center (DC) delivery plan.
• Quality & Manufacturing Execution: Partner with Technical Design, Quality, and Product Development to ensure factories execute approved specifications, construction, washes, and finishing standards, and drive timely resolution of bulk production issues.
• Cost Protection & Operational Efficiency: Protect approved product costs by managing production changes, minimizing rework and avoidable airfreight, and identifying manufacturing efficiencies without compromising quality or delivery.
• Risk Management & Recovery: Identify risks related to fabric, trims, washing, factory output, inspections, and shipping readiness. Develop and execute recovery plans with clear owners, timelines, and business impact.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with Product Development, Merchandising, Planning, Technical Design, Sourcing, and Logistics to align on buy changes, reorder needs, production priorities, and delivery expectations.
• Reporting & Business Visibility: Provide timely, accurate updates on purchase order status, production forecasts, late-order exposure, factory performance, and recovery plans, communicating material risks early with actionable recommendations.
• Team Leadership & Process Improvement: Lead and develop the denim production team, including the Production Managers for Mainline and OP, establishing clear accountability and operating routines, strengthening factory management processes, and improving production reliability and speed to market.

YOU ARE: You bring a strong combination of denim manufacturing expertise and hands-on production leadership. You understand denim factory operations, wash and finishing processes, capacity planning, quality control, and the impact of execution decisions on cost and delivery. You are proactive, decisive, and highly accountable, with the ability to challenge factory commitments, anticipate risks, and drive solutions before they affect the business. You build strong relationships, lead teams with clear expectations, and thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

REQUIRED MINIMUM EXPERIENCE

10+ years of denim production experience, including 2-4+ years in a leadership role

Deep knowledge of denim manufacturing, including factory operations, wash and finishing processes, and quality control

Proven experience managing bulk production from production handoff through shipment, including time-and-action calendars and critical path management

Track record of holding factories accountable for capacity, quality, and on-time delivery

Experience protecting product costs by managing production changes, rework, and airfreight

Strong reporting skills, with the ability to communicate order status, risks, and recovery plans clearly to leadership

Experience leading and developing production teams

Ability to partner cross-functionally and make sound decisions quickly in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience developing both men's and women's denim programs, including core and fashion styles.
• Experience with international factory networks, wash facilities, and high-volume production.
• Familiarity with ERP/PLM systems, vendor scorecards, and production KPI reporting.

ADDITIONAL ROLE INFORMATION

• Compensation: The anticipated base salary range for this role is $150,000 - $180,000. This is a full-time, exempt position. This range represents the low and high end of the expected base salary range for this role based on the applicable location. True Religion reasonably expects to pay within this range in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including relevant experience, skills, knowledge, and internal equity.
• Perks: We offer a mix of benefits and perks to support our employees at work and beyond, including health benefits, a 401(k) with employer match, merchandise discounts, commuter benefits, wellness & employee assistance programs, and more.
• Work Model: This role is based in El Segundo, CA, and will initially require five days per week in the office to support onboarding, team integration, and cross-functional collaboration. Following the initial transition period, the role will move to a hybrid work model of four days per week in the office and one remote day, with an expectation of in-office presence on designated days to support collaboration and business needs.