Product Development & Production Manager

Janessa Leoné; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Janessa Leoné in Los Angeles seeks a highly organized Product Development & Production Manager to own each style end-to-end, from initial concept through sample development to bulk production and on-time delivery.

This hands-on role requires strong factory relationships domestically in LA and overseas, import/logistics expertise, and the ability to coordinate with design, freight, and customs to bring designs to life.

Qualifications

• Luxury product development background required.
• Own end-to-end style ownership from concept to bulk shipment.
• Strong relationships with domestic and overseas factories.
• Hands-on import compliance, HTS classification, and logistics.

Responsibilities

• Meet with Design to review collections, timelines, material needs, and allocations across hats, leather goods, knitwear, and belts.
• Build and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs) for all SKUs.
• Manage prototype and sample development, tracking timelines and budgets.
• Lead each style's transition into bulk production and attend production fittings.
• Negotiate development and production costing to protect target price and margin.
• Oversee domestic (Los Angeles) and overseas factory partners to ensure timelines and budgets.

Skills

Luxury product development

Factory liaison

Import/logistics expertise

Project management

Attention to detail

Tools

PLM tools

Job description

Janessa Leoné is a Los Angeles-based luxury accessories brand founded in 2013, known for timeless design, meticulous craftsmanship, and a commitment to sustainable, regenerative materials. The collection spans hats (wool-felt, straw, and raffia), leather goods, knitwear, and belts — each designed for longevity, versatility, and effortless sophistication.

About Janessa Leoné

Janessa Leoné is a Los Angeles-based luxury accessories brand founded in 2013, known for timeless design, meticulous craftsmanship, and a commitment to sustainable, regenerative materials. The collection spans hats (wool-felt, straw, and raffia), leather goods, knitwear, and belts — each designed for longevity, versatility, and effortless sophistication.

Role Overview

The Janessa Leoné design team is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented Product Development & Production Manager to join our studio. This is a true hybrid role: one person carries every style from initial concept through sample development, bulk production, import, and on-time warehouse delivery — with no internal hand-off in between. Working closely with Design and both domestic (Los Angeles-based) and overseas manufacturing, freight, and customs partners, this person is the connective tissue that turns a design concept into product sitting in our warehouse, ready to ship, on schedule. Given JL's lean, hands-on studio structure, this role does much of the sample coordination, factory liaison, and shipping/customs work directly rather than through dedicated sample room, patternmaking, or logistics teams — genuine luxury product experience, strong and established factory relationships, hands-on import/logistics expertise, and the resourcefulness to bring any design vision to life by tapping the right partner, material, or process (however unconventional the ask) are all essential.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Collection Management

• Meet regularly with the Design team to review collections, timelines, material needs, and fabric/material allocation across hats, bags, knitwear, and belts.
• Build and maintain accurate Bills of Materials (BOMs) for all SKUs.
• Manage prototype and sample development, including tracking, timeline oversight, and development budget monitoring.
• Enter and maintain all line sheet data.
• Support fittings through note-taking, first-proto preparation, and follow-up communication with factories.
• Receive, check in, and organize all incoming samples; maintain the sample cabinet and seasonal fabric/trim libraries and binders.

Sample-to-Bulk Production Ownership

• Manage WIP directly and continuously across domestic (LA-based) and overseas factory partners, from first sample through bulk production — since one person carries each style the entire way, there's no internal hand-off between a "development" phase and a "production" phase.
• Track all sampling and production activities to ensure deadlines and seasonal milestones are met.
• Enter and update cost calculations; review, analyze, and maintain all cost sheets and BOMs within WIP tracking as a style moves from first sample into bulk.
• Personally lead each style's transition into bulk production and attend all production fittings.
• Serve as the single point of contact connecting Design's vision directly to our manufacturing partners

Factory & Vendor Management

• Send seasonal T&As to factories, clearly outlining due dates, deliverables, and expectations.
• Manage daily development and production communication with domestic and overseas factories; monitor timelines and execution from sampling through bulk shipment.
• Maintain trim, lining, and material libraries across all factory partners.
• Oversee domestic (Los Angeles) factory operations, ensuring adherence to timelines and budgets; travel to key suppliers (LA-based and international) as needed to strengthen partnerships and resolve issues in person.
• Bring an existing network of strong, trusted factory and mill relationships suited to small-batch, luxury-quality production — and the resourcefulness to identify new vendors, materials, or techniques whenever a design calls for something outside current capabilities.
• Negotiate development and production costing with mills, factories, and material vendors to protect target price and margin.
• Write, issue, and maintain data integrity for all raw material, trim, finished goods, and packaging Purchase Orders; manage vendor payables and weekly invoicing.

Import Compliance & HTS Optimization

• Classify and maintain accurate HTS codes for all raw materials, trims, and finished goods across hats, leather goods, knitwear, and belts.
• Proactively identify HTS optimization opportunities — correct classification review, first-sale valuation, free trade agreement/duty preference eligibility, duty drawback — to minimize landed cost and duty spend.
• Partner with customs brokers to prepare and review import documentation (commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, ISF filings) for accuracy and compliance.
• Monitor evolving tariff policy and trade regulations (Section 301, country-specific duty changes, etc.) and adjust sourcing, classification, or costing strategy as needed to protect margin.
• Maintain organized, audit-ready import records in line with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recordkeeping requirements.

Shipping, Freight & Logistics

• Own end-to-end shipping logistics for all domestic and international shipments — booking ocean, air, and domestic ground/LTL/parcel freight, and selecting the most cost- and time-effective mode and carrier for each shipment.
• Negotiate and manage Incoterms (FOB, EXW, DDP, etc.) with factories and freight forwarders to control cost and risk transfer points; secure freight and confirm terms prior to placing POs.
• Track shipments from factory pickup through customs clearance to warehouse receipt; proactively flag and resolve delays, customs holds, or documentation issues.
• Maintain a working understanding of all landed cost components (freight, duty, tariffs, insurance, broker fees) and ensure they are reflected accurately in product costing, BOMs, and FOB pricing.
• Communicate daily with domestic and overseas supply chain partners, freight forwarders, and warehouses to track raw materials and finished goods; advise on ETAs and provide/gain approvals.

Warehouse Delivery & On-Time Performance

• Coordinate with warehouse/3PL partners to ensure accurate ASN (advance ship notice) submission, PO compliance, and complete, on-time receipt of goods.
• Build and maintain shipment and delivery calendars, working backward from key wholesale, retail, and e-commerce delivery dates to set factory ship dates with appropriate transit buffers.
• Monitor and report on on-time-in-full (OTIF) delivery performance; identify bottlenecks anywhere in the supply chain and drive corrective action with factories, forwarders, or warehouse partners.
• Prepare and manage incoming and outgoing packages and shipments to/from local and overseas vendors and the warehouse.

Process Optimization

• Contribute to the improvement and implementation of WIP, development, and logistics tracking systems/PLM tools.
• Continuously refine development, production, and shipping processes to support product quality, efficiency, cost optimization, and on-time delivery.

About You

• Genuine luxury product development background required, ideally within accessories categories (hats, leather goods, knitwear) rather than general RTW.
• Comfortable owning a style end-to-end, solo - from first sketch through bulk shipment — rather than handing pieces of the process to separate development and production teams.
• Deep, established relationships with factories and mills - domestic (ideally LA-based) and overseas - built through hands-on sourcing and small-batch, artisanal production experience.
• Hands-on experience with import compliance and HTS classification/optimization, and a working understanding of landed cost, Incoterms, and duty/tariff strategy.
• Experience managing freight forwarders, customs brokers, and 3PL/warehouse partners to get goods delivered complete and on time.
• Resourceful and solutions-oriented - able to bring any design concept to life by tapping a wide network of vendors, artisans, mills, and specialty resources, no matter how complex or unconventional the ask.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities across teams, vendors, and time zones.
• Clear communicator who thrives in a lean, cross-functional studio environment and is comfortable wearing multiple hats - from sample room to customs paperwork to warehouse follow-up.
• Solutions-oriented, proactive, and comfortable adapting to evolving needs and seasonal pressures.
• Passion for craftsmanship, product excellence, and the creative process.
• Experience working with factories that provide small productions across hats (wool-felt, straw/raffia), leather goods, and knitwear, both domestically (Los Angeles) and overseas.