Head of Accessories Product Development

alexanderwang llc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 165,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Clothing allowance

Healthcare coverage

FSA & commuter benefits

401(k) match

Summer Fridays

Job summary

Alexander Wang is seeking a Director of Product Development, Accessories in New York to lead development for handbags, SLG, and leather goods. You will own the development calendar and drive seasonal collections from concept through final handoff, ensuring costs, aesthetics, and quality targets are met.

You will lead and grow the Accessories Product Development team, coordinate with design and merchandising, and manage external partners and suppliers.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of global accessories product development experience, with a concentration in handbags, small leather goods, and leather goods.
• Experience with manufacturing and material partners across Asia and Europe.
• Strong aesthetic sense and deep construction knowledge in luxury leather goods and hardware.
• Proven experience leading and developing product development teams, with strong budget ownership and strategic planning skills.
• Effective cross-functional collaborator who drives on-time delivery, target costs, and appropriate quality and functionality.
• Excellent written and oral communication, interpersonal, and multitasking skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Outlook; experience with RLM preferred.
• AI fluency — comfort using AI tools to accelerate work such as calendar tracking, vendor correspondence, and reporting, with sound judgment about when to rely on them and when to verify.

Responsibilities

• Develop clear product development calendars for handbags, SLG, and leather goods that align with seasonal business needs and cross-functional milestones.
• Lead and grow the Accessories Product Development team, partnering with design and merchandising to create seasonal collections that satisfy aesthetics, cost, and functionality requirements.
• Own strategic planning for the accessories product development function, ensuring initiatives are executed from concept through final development handoff.
• Lead communication and alignment between internal partners (design, development, merchandising) and external partners (material, hardware, and component suppliers).
• Attend and drive decision-making in prototype, SMS, and BOM meetings to keep development on track and achieve departmental goals.
• Initiate clear directives with material and design teams to improve product quality and department profitability.
• Own the accessories development budget, ensuring initiatives stay within financial targets.
• Travel internationally to manufacturing and material partners, as needed, to expedite prototype development and resolve design or construction questions.
• Identify and build relationships with material, hardware, and component vendors to support sample development, quality, and innovation goals.
• Identify sourcing gaps and recommend new material and component suppliers to meet business objectives across handbags, SLG, and leather goods.
• Initiate seasonal hindsights with key departments and vendors to capture learnings and refine the development process.
• Seek opportunities to reduce development costs, shorten sample lead times, and increase process efficiency.
• Align with RTW product development leads on best practices and shared business objectives.
• Set and uphold aesthetic, construction, and quality standards across all accessories product development.

Skills

Leadership

Budget ownership

Calendar management

Cross-functional collaboration

AI fluency

Negotiation

Planning

Communication

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Outlook

RLM

Job description

Alexander Wang is seeking a Director of Product Development, Accessories in New York to lead development for handbags, SLG, and leather goods. You will own the development calendar and drive seasonal collections from concept through final handoff, ensuring costs, aesthetics, and quality targets are met.

You will lead and grow the Accessories Product Development team, coordinate with design and merchandising, and manage external partners and suppliers.