Product Development Operations Manager

CALPAK; Gardena (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K w/ company matching

Life insurance & Disability coverage

Accrued paid time off & floating HOLID

Monthly wellness credits

Dog friendly office

Job summary

CALPAK, a Los Angeles-based travel lifestyle brand, seeks a Product Development Operations Manager to own the execution layer of product development including BOMs, packaging, licensing, and data integrity. This role works with the Director of Product Development to keep programs on track, escalate risks early, and ensure audit-ready documentation across all categories.

The ideal candidate brings 5–8+ years in product development/operations within travel goods or consumer products, with strong

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of experience in Product Development, Product Operations, Production Coordination, or PLM in accessories, luggage, or consumer products.
• Experience building, maintaining BOMs, product specs, and data across categories.
• Proven ability to support data accuracy and workflow execution within PLM, ERP, or other systems.
• Experience coordinating packaging development, documentation workflows, and retailer packaging requirements.
• Familiarity with licensed product approval workflows and licensor portals is preferred.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• BOM Management: build, update, and version control BOMs across categories.
• Licensed product coordination: track licensor submissions, approvals, and milestones.
• Packaging development: manage packaging workflows, approvals, and revisions.
• Testing & compliance: track testing needs, GCC docs, and compliance across categories.
• PLM & workflow support: maintain data accuracy and monitor milestones across programs.

Skills

BOM management

Product data integrity

Licensing coordination

Packaging coordination

PLM systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

PLM software

ERP systems

Licensor portal management

Job description

CALPAK is a Los Angeles-based travel lifestyle brand designing bags and luggage that are functional, iconic, and built to move. With a product line spanning handbags, small leather goods, luggage, and accessories, we hold our product to a high standard from concept through launch.

The Product Development Operations Manager owns the execution layer of our product development process: BOMs, packaging coordination, licensed product workflows, compliance, and product data integrity across all categories. The right person for this role keeps documentation accurate and audit-ready, meets licensing and compliance deadlines without being chased, and catches milestone risks before they become launch problems. This position works closely with the Director of Product Development and Product Development Manager, with a clear mandate to escalation proactively and keep every program on track.

Key Responsibilities:

BOM Management & Product Data

• Build and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs), ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely updates across all product categories
• Execute BOM revisions, version control, and change management throughout the product development lifecycle
• Maintain product data integrity and consistency across PLM and internal systems, ensuring alignment across cross-functional teams
• Monitor data discrepancies, workflow exceptions, and system gaps, proactively resolving issues and escalating risks as needed
• Ensure adherence to product data standards, naming conventions, classification structures, and system governance protocols
• Support PLM data accuracy, process discipline, and ongoing system optimization initiatives

Licensed Product Coordination & Portal Management

• Coordinate licensor portal submissions, uploads, approvals, and status tracking
• Track approval milestones and revision cycles
• Maintain licensed product documentation and requirements
• Communicate delays, bottlenecks, and approval risks

Packaging Development and Coordination

• Manage packaging development workflows, coordinating submissions, approvals, revisions, and execution across internal teams and external partners
• Define, track, and enforce retailer, channel, and program-specific packaging requirements to ensure full compliance and consistency
• Maintain packaging standards, specifications, documentation, and version control across all product categories
• Monitor packaging milestone adherence and proactively elevate risks, delays, or compliance issues impacting product launch readiness

Testing & Compliance Coordination

• Track and manage product testing requirements, ensuring timely communication of testing protocols, GCC documentation requirements, and compliance standards to Production and vendor partners
• Coordinate testing submissions, compliance documentation follow-up, and record maintenance across all product categories
• Maintain testing and compliance records, ensuring documentation is complete, accurate, and audit-ready within internal systems
• Monitor testing timelines and documentation status, proactively identifying risks and escalating missing approvals, failed submissions, or compliance gaps

PLM & Workflow Support

• Maintain PLM data accuracy, completeness, and system integrity across all active product development workflows
• Monitor development calendar milestones and due dates across all active programs, ensuring cross-functional adherence to established timelines
• Track milestone status, proactively identifying delays, bottlenecks, and workflow exceptions that may impact launch readiness
• Support execution and enforcement of established product development processes
• Support ongoing PLM process optimization, workflow discipline, and system adoption initiatives
• Provide any additional support as needed.

Requirements:

• 5–8+ years of experience in Product Development, Product Operations, Production Coordination, or Product Lifecycle Management within accessories, handbags, luggage, travel goods, or consumer products
• Strong working knowledge of product development workflows, milestone calendars, commercialization timelines, and stage-gate processes
• Experience building, maintaining, and managing Bills of Materials (BOMs), product specifications, and product data across multiple categories
• Proven experience supporting product data accuracy and workflow execution within PLM, ERP, or other product lifecycle management systems
• Experience coordinating packaging development, documentation workflows, and retailer or channel-specific packaging requirements
• Familiarity with licensed product approval workflows, licensor portal submissions, revision cycles, and approval milestone tracking preferred
• Working knowledge of product testing, compliance documentation, GCC requirements, and third-party testing coordination preferred
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent deadlines across cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated ability to identify operational risks, monitor development timelines, and elevate issues proactively
• Exceptional attention to detail with strong process discipline and documentation management capabilities
• Strong cross-functional communication skills with experience partnering across Product Development, Design, Production, Sourcing, and external vendors

Why CALPAK: Benefits & Perks:

• 401K w/ company matching
• Life insurance & Disability coverage
• Accrued paid time off & floating holidays
• Monthly wellness credits
• Dog friendly office
• Benefits and incentive compensation may be subject to other requirements and conditions