Fabric & Sample Development Specialist

Golden Touch; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 71,635,000 - 93,126,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Golden Touch in New York is seeking a Product Development Associate to own the day-to-day sample yardage and development, coordinating between design, costing, and overseas partners to secure the right fabric and samples on time. You will manage calendars, track progress in PLM, lead two associates, and ensure accurate records while supporting line plans and handoffs from development to costing.

This hybrid role trains strong judgment and cross-functional collaboration to deliver on season

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Textiles, Fashion, or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience in apparel product development, raw materials, or sourcing.
• Experience managing development calendars and meeting fixed delivery milestones.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including with overseas partners.
• Proficiency in Excel and PLM or a comparable PD system.
• Experience with mass/value retail, fabric costing, overseas mills, or mentoring others (preferred).
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook); PLM a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the sample yardage pipeline end to end from request to receipt.
• Maintain the sample yardage chart as the reference for requests and receipts.
• Partner with overseas mills and suppliers to secure yardage against development deadlines, escalating where commitments slip.
• Flag yardage constraints early enough to influence fabric selection rather than after the fact.
• Manage the development sample calendar across designers, consolidating competing requests into a single prioritized schedule.
• Issue clear, realistic due dates to the overseas sample team and hold the line on them.
• Track samples through make and delivery, and confirm they arrive complete and correctly presented.
• Capture and route structured feedback on sample accuracy and workmanship so recurring issues are addressed rather than repeated.
• Support tailoring samples and seasonal development milestones alongside the broader team calendar.
• Own the sample yardage closet, including how it is organized, maintained, and kept current.
• Own the upkeep of the fabric showroom.
• Support the fabric boards, which are owned by the fabric side of the team.
• File all submits and approvals back into the books, keeping the physical records complete and retrievable.
• Manage two direct reports: the Knit Sample Yardage Development Associate and the Woven Sample Yardage Associate.
• Run regular one-to-ones, set weekly priorities, and balance workload across the pair.
• Develop the team's product development judgment, not only their execution speed.
• Serve as first escalation point before issues reach the VP.
• Maintain accurate development records in PLM, treating it as the single source of truth.
• Produce recurring development status reporting for the VP and wider team.
• Coordinate daily with the overseas fabric and sample teams across time zones.
• Partner with Design on line plan needs and with Costing on the handoff from development into costing.
• Support seasonal development calendars and key account milestones.

Skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Team leadership

Project management

Overseas collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Textiles, Fashion, or related field

Tools

PLM

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Golden Touch in New York is seeking a Product Development Associate to own the day-to-day sample yardage and development, coordinating between design, costing, and overseas partners to secure the right fabric and samples on time. You will manage calendars, track progress in PLM, lead two associates, and ensure accurate records while supporting line plans and handoffs from development to costing.

This hybrid role trains strong judgment and cross-functional collaboration to deliver on season