Manager, Product Development, RTW Sweaters

Tapestry; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Coach in New York is seeking a Product Development Manager for RTW Cut & Sew and Knitwear. You will lead end-to-end development from concept to bulk handoff and partner with Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and Technical Design to deliver on quality, cost, calendar, and aesthetics.

The role requires strong PLM/BOM skills, fabric/yarn development experience, and a track record of coordinating global development with vendors. Excellent project management and collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in apparel product development with expertise in Cut & Sew and/or Knitwear categories.
• Experience developing fabrics, yarns, and materials with mills and suppliers.
• Advanced PLM, BOM management, Excel, and product development systems experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development for Cut & Sew and Knitwear across Runway, Runway Takedown, Collection, Multi-Channel, and Outlet businesses.
• Coordinate development calendars, milestone reviews, and ongoing status with cross-functional teams.
• Lead fabric development for Cut & Sew and yarn development for Knitwear, from concept to production.
• Manage Bills of Materials (BOMs) within PLM and ensure timely development handoffs to production.
• Monitor costs, target costs, and supplier partnerships to meet quality and calendar objectives.
• Drive seasonal development strategies and partner with Design, Merchandising, and Materials Management to achieve goals.

Skills

Apparel product development

Cut & Sew

Knitwear development

Tools

PLM BOM management

Job description

Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in. Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible. A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity. Coach is a leading design house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle collections, with a long-standing reputation built on quality craftsmanship. Defined by a free-spirited, all-American attitude, the brand approaches design with a modern vision, reimagining luxury for today with an authenticity and innovation that is uniquely Coach. All over the world, the Coach name is synonymous with effortless New York style. Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands powered by optimism, innovation, and inclusivity. Manager, Product Development RTW – Cut & Sew & Knitwear Primary Purpose The Product Development Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end product development process for Cut & Sew apparel and Knitwear (Sweaters) from initial design concept through bulk handoff. This role partners cross-functionally to deliver product that meets quality, costing, calendar, aesthetic, and material development objectives. The position is responsible for fabric development and sourcing support for Cut & Sew categories and yarn development and ordering for Knitwear. This role serves as a key partner to Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and Technical Design to achieve seasonal product goals. Production ownership resides outside of Product Development The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Product Development to... Lead product development for Cut & Sew and Knitwear categories across Runway, Runway Takedown, Collection, Multi-Channel, and Outlet businesses. Serve as a key cross-functional partner to Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and Technical Design throughout the development lifecycle. Execute seasonal product development strategies and priorities established by the Director. Partner with Design to deliver product that achieves aesthetic intent while meeting quality, cost, and calendar objectives. Monitor seasonal development calendars and proactively manage milestone deliverables. Analyze Design Cards and coordinate development launch activities with internal cross-functional teams and external development partners. Coordinate distribution of development packages, materials, trims, yarns, and fabrics to sample facilities and development vendors. Manage the timely development and delivery of Prototype, Line Opening, Fit, and SMS samples. Coordinate workload, communication, and development direction with domestic and overseas development partners. Lead weekly Product Team Meetings, fittings, and cross-functional milestone reviews. Coordinate development meetings with Technical Design, Merchandising, Materials Management, and supplier partners to drive timely decision-making. Partner with cross-functional teams to create and maintain Bills of Material (BOMs) within PLM. Lead fabric development for Cut & Sew categories, partnering with mills and suppliers to develop fabrics that achieve design intent, quality standards, performance requirements, and target costs. Manage seasonal fabric development calendars, submissions, testing requirements, approvals, and fabric commitments. Partner closely with Materials Management to identify and develop new fabric opportunities and innovations. Lead yarn development activities for Knitwear, including yarn sourcing, submissions, approvals, and seasonal yarn strategy recommendations. Manage seasonal yarn ordering to support sampling and development timelines. Maintain fabric and yarn development tracking tools and communicate status, risks, and opportunities to cross-functional teams. Costing & Business Management Create and maintain comprehensive seasonal costing charts, consolidating target costs, actual costs, material costs, supplier information, development milestones, and key business updates. Develop category costing strategies and establish seasonal style target costs in partnership with the Director. Collect, analyze, and negotiate garment, fabric, and yarn costs throughout the development process to achieve target cost objectives. Prepare detailed costing analyses and recommendations to support seasonal business decisions. Submit and maintain Working Costs within PLM throughout development milestones. Order seasonal sample yardage, development fabrics, yarns, and trims based on Design selections and development needs. Attend seasonal buy review meetings to support development planning, material commitments, and MOQ decisions. Support identification, onboarding, and development of new vendor, mill, and yarn supplier partnerships. Prepare seasonal development recaps and business analyses. Partner with Production, Sourcing, Materials Management, and external suppliers to ensure a seamless handoff from development into production." Qualifications The accomplished individual will possess... 5+ years of experience in apparel product development with expertise in Cut & Sew and/or Knitwear categories. Experience developing fabrics, yarns, and materials with mills and suppliers. Strong understanding of garment costing, fabric costing, and yarn costing. Knowledge of knitwear construction, yarn specifications, gauges, and development processes. Ability to work in a collaborative team environment and communicate cross-functionally with all levels of the organization. Strong negotiation and influencing skills. Excellent organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities. Advanced PLM, BOM management, Excel, and product development systems experience. Our Competencies for All Employees Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results. Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect. Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings. Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably. Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything. Perseverance: Pursues everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks. Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty. Our Competencies for All People Managers Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans. Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in his/her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team. Managerial Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary. Coach is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Coach at www.coach.com. Our Competencies for All Employees Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary. Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings. Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect. Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty. Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results. Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably. Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything. Our Competencies for All People Managers Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans. Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder. Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team. Coach. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or [e-mail] Visit Tapestry, Inc. Base Pay Range $90,000.00-$100,000.00 Here are some of the benefits that we offer: Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401 (K), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits. Our growth is creating great opportunities! Our team is expanding, and we want to hire the most talented people we can. Continued success depends on it! So once you've had a chance to explore our current open positions, apply to the ones you feel suit you best and keep track of both your progress in the selection process, and new postings that might interest you! Thanks for your interest in working on our team!! Our Work Experience is the combination of everything that's unique about us: our culture, our core values, our company meetings, our commitment to sustainability, our recognition programs, but most importantly, it's our people. Our employees are self-disciplined, hard working, curious, trustworthy, humble, and truthful. They make choices according to what is best for the team, they live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference, and they make us the #1 Top Workplace in the area. At Tapestry, we bring together the iconic brands of Coach and Kate Spade New York—uniting bold ideas, diverse voices, and boundless creativity to stretch what’s possible. Driven by dreamers and makers, we turn passion into progress. By embracing differences and pushing boundaries, we create with purpose, uplift one another, and shape a more inclusive, sustainable future—together. Our Brands Spark Personal and Emotional Connections Our brands go beyond products—they inspire confidence, encourage self-expression, and build lasting emotional connections with consumers. Through constant innovation and deep customer insight, we anticipate where shoppers are headed and adapt to meet them with personalized, seamless experiences. Our digitally powered, unified shopping journey allows our brands to become part of people’s lives—meeting them when, where, and how they choose to shop.