Product Development Associate

Alpha Industries, Inc.; Virginia; Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Alpha Industries, Inc. in Virginia is seeking an Associate Product Developer to lead the full development lifecycle from concept through order placement, ensuring product integrity, margins, fit, and calendar adherence.

This hybrid role requires collaboration with Design and Merchandising to deliver samples on time for seasonal collections. The ideal candidate will manage tech packs, engage in fittings, and coordinate with factories to maintain design vision while meeting cost and schedule

Qualifications

• Experience managing the full product development cycle from concept to order.
• Strong knowledge of seasonal calendars and milestone adherence.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and solution-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Strong garment construction knowledge and fit evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Lead development lifecycle from tech pack handoff to order placement.
• Collaborate with Design and Merchandising on cost-effective options to maintain design integrity and meet margins.
• Manage garment, trim, and strike off approvals during development with compliance to design, fit and quality standards.
• Drive cross-functional weekly team meetings on development status and approvals to ensure calendar milestones.
• Utilize PLM for line sheets and vendor allocation management.
• Oversee sample ordering, receiving, hanging, and reporting with Production.
• Lead fit sessions, provide feedback on substitutions, and update size specifications and gradings.
• Communicate with factories at all stages of sample development to align with tech packs and vision.
• Source materials, trims, and components within cost goals and communicate lead times and MOQs to factories.
• Support Senior Designer across the total product line as needed.

Skills

Product development lifecycle

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Organizational skills

Garment construction knowledge

Fit evaluation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles

2-3 years apparel product development

Tools

PLM system

Tech pack management

Job description

The Associate Product Developer will lead the development process from initial concept through order placement, ensuring product integrity, margin targets, fit standards, and calendar adherence. The candidate will ensure product is executed to the Design team’s vision and work with Designers and Merchandising on delivering on time product for samples and production for Seasonal collections.

This is a hybrid position, in-office 4 days a week with potential for less during slower periods.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Execute on full development lifecycle from tech pack handoff to order placement.
• Collaborate with Design and Merchandising on re-engineering styles, cost-effective options to maintain design integrity and meet margin requirements.
• Manage, track and execute garment, trim and strike off approvals during development phase, ensuring compliance with design, fit and quality standards.
• Drive cross functional weekly team mtgs on development status and approval status to ensure deliverable are met for calendar.
• PLM system experience for management of line sheets and vendor allocation.
• Oversee sample ordering, receiving, sample hanging, and reporting, in conjunction with Production.
• Manage fit sessions, providing immediate feedback on any substitutions or changes to both internal and external partners. Responsible for measuring samples before fit sessions and keeping track on full size spec updates reviewing gradings.
• Lead at all stages of sample development to communicate with factories.
• Work with the Designers to ensure that the product execution is consistent with original tech pack and vision.
• Make sample (proto, SMS, PPS, TOP) and trim comments to factory.
• Coordinate the development process according to time and action deadlines
• Communicate with Design for receiving edited tech packs and partner to review and track those tech pack revisions, ensuring factory is updated accordingly.
• Source appropriate materials, trims and components based on design and cost goals, communicate cost updates, lead times and MOQs with factories to meet margin goals.
• Support Senior Designer in all aspects of total line as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven experience managing the full product development cycle, from design concept through order placement.
• Strong understanding of seasonal calendars and ability to adhere to key milestones.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with a track record of driving cross-functional alignment and issue resolution.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and solution-oriented professional with strong organizational skills.
• Strong garment construction knowledge and fit evaluation skills.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles or related field
• 2-3 years of product development in Apparel field across Outerwear, tops and bottoms.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• This position is largely sedentary; however, it does work with product, which would require the ability to lift and pack boxes, hang and steam product and bend or stand as necessary.