Product Development & Design Associate

Tai Apparel; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Tai Apparel, a fast fashion knit and woven apparel manufacturer, is seeking a Product Development & Design Associate to manage the early to mid stages of product life cycles and ensure accurate data across PLM, BOMs and cost sheets.

You will collaborate with US-based design/sales and overseas development/production teams to meet calendars, deadlines and cost goals while supporting CAD, artworks, and sample hand-offs.

Qualifications

• Experience in apparel product development processes and workflows.
• Familiarity with sourcing, costing and production challenges.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines with cross-functional teams.
• Understanding of sales operations and product data management.
• Willingness to adapt to overseas collaboration and varied time zones.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate hand-off of new fabric developments to overseas PD team.
• Ensure CADs and artworks are prepared for processing by the CFT.
• Develop CAD presentations for upcoming meetings and style numbers.
• Maintain data accuracy in PLM, BOMs and cost sheets.
• Collaborate with designers and merchandisers on cost options.
• Track samples, delays and shipments to ensure deadlines are met.
• Update trims, labels and color specs in materials and PLM.
• Support data packaging for costing teams and pre-order hand-off.
• Assist with post-meeting follow-ups and status updates.

Skills

Apparel product development

Sourcing & production

Deadline-driven

Sales operations

Learning mindset

Execution-focused

Self-motivation & collaboration

Feedback-oriented

Accuracy & efficiency

Flexible hours for overseas partners

Detail-oriented

Problem-solving

Tools

Excel

Word

Adobe Illustrator

PLM systems

Job description

TITLE: Product Development & Design Associate

ABOUT TAI APPAREL:

• Apparel manufacturer with US-based Design/Sales teams, and China and Guatemala-based Development/Production teams driving a fast fashion speed to market business model.
• Specialize in knit and woven apparel
• Design team specializes in trend, fabric, technical spec/fit, sketches, fit approvals, CADs, graphics, art separations and art strike offs.

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

The Product Development Design Manager is responsible for ensuring a smooth transition through various product life cycle stages. This ranges from the beginning of the life cycle through the culmination of the cycle/order. They will need to adhere to internal and customer calendars, understand deadlines, and be willing to find creative solutions when working with cross functional teams. They will also be responsible for ensuring that materials, product details, and general systematic data is accurate.

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES:

• Passionate about the apparel industry product development
• Innate understanding of sourcing, product development & production
• Ability to deliver under tight deadlines
• Knowledgeable in sales operations
• Quick and eager to learn
• Driven to execute
• Self-motivated with a collaborative attitude
• Operates well within feedback culture and strives to develop in role
• Passionate about driving accuracy and efficiency
• Open to flexible hours to allow for communication with overseas partners
• Detail-oriented and customer-driven attitude
• Self-starter & problem-solving oriented

TECHNICAL ABILITY:

• Proficient in Excel, Word, and Adobe Illustrator
• Generally, technology savvy
• Extensive knowledge of product with the ability to problem solve and create solutions surrounding sourcing, costing or execution challenges
• Previous experience in PLM systems

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Hand off any new fabric developments to overseas PD team. Able to successfully communicate needs and cost goals when communicating

• Facilitate and ensure artworks & CADs are handed off to CFT for processing (art seps, creating Sample Request, etc.
• Sample Handoff :
• Partner with designers to hand over TP’s to Tech team
• Develop CAD presentations for upcoming meetings.
• Partner with Assistant Design to assign style numbers for all new silhouette
• Ensure that deliverables post meetings are being met
• Artwork updates
• CAD updates
• CFT partners updated/kept in the loop
• Follow-ups/status updates on progress
• Build BOMs & TPs in PLM
• Ensure trim and label canvases and materials are up to date
• Assist in adding or building our new and specialty color specifications
• Ensure BOM placements are accurate.
• Assist with adding color specs to materials where applicable for style development – including but not limited to trims, artwork, materials, etc.
• Work with the Product Development Manager & Design team to ensure Data Packages and SR’s are ready for the costing team to pull
• Validate that data is correct in cost sheet and BOMs
• Partner with overseas PD team to ensure sampling questions are answered & samples stay on deadline
• Closely follow sample tracking and package arrival; track receipt in PLM. Notify team if there are any delays or issues

Pre Order Hand-off

• Coordinate with Sales, Design, Cost and PD teams to ensure all data is correct in PLM. This includes ensuring final cost options are reflected in the style BOMS.
• Work with art team to ensure all final art sheets are loaded to materials within PLM. Cross-checking and ensuring that the art printing techniques match to the final cost sheet
• Cross check that license art in PLM aligns with concept approval
• Cross check that final design CAD images align with colorways in PLM (correct CAD/body/art)

Misc/Ongoing Projects

• DESIGN
• LEARN:
• Learn the internal Tai product design and development process
• Fabric, Silhouette, Wash Techniques, Style #, Technical Design Process, Sampling Process, Sketching & Project Management Process
• TREND & DESIGN DEVELOPMENT:
• Assist in comp shopping the market, online, Instagram, WGSN – finding inspiration everywhere
• Assist in developing product, in partnership with development designer based on market trends/retailer needs & white space.
• Constantly brainstorming newness, in partnership with design.
• Regularly pull art inspiration for graphic artists.

Growth in position goaling toward:

• Research and provide trend insight from the market to architect a product strategy/assortment.

Identify key item/white space/emerging trends with regards to silhouettes, fabric, color, techniques and trims to ensure product is consistently relevant and evolving with the market through trend shopping, online research (WGSN), etc.

• Ability to translate pre-peak trends to mid-tier/mass retailers
• Meet with Sales Team to strategize upcoming needs/meeting goals & approach.

Assist Designer in organizing, prepare, pack apparel line for upcoming meeting.Time management skills

Assist Designer/Merchandiser in presenting apparel concept and product lines (via CADS & samples) to various retailers

Assist sales with follow up meeting/narrowed CAD decks for retailers (as needed)

Communicate design meeting follow-up/ changes to internal and external groups (US design, overseas team, sales, merchants, TD team, as needed)

Own design/art follow-ups post retailer meetings.

Responsible for prioritizing needs for design team in partnership with sales team to ensure prompt response.

Help drive urgent/one off chase requests

Flexible work hours due to conference calls overseas, Skype chat.

Positive attitude and always looking to work smarter, not harder

Be open to new ways of doing things - different – better – more efficient