Senior Apparel Product Development Lead, Ready-to-Wear

SIMKHAI; West Hollywood (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

FSA

401(k)

PTO

Clothing allowance

Employee discount 50%

Job summary

SIMKHAI is seeking a highly experienced Senior Product Development Manager, Apparel to lead the development of Ready-to-Wear collections from concept through production handoff. You will partner with Design, Technical Design, Merchandising, and Production to translate creative vision into commercially viable, high-quality product.

The role demands strong organizational skills, factory relationships, and the ability to balance creativity with cost, quality, and delivery in a fast-paced

Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years in apparel product development, preferably in contemporary luxury fashion.
• Strong knowledge of apparel construction, fabrics, trims, garment wash, embellishment, and manufacturing processes.
• Proven experience managing product development from concept through production handoff.
• Understanding of costing, margins, MOQs, lead times, and factory capabilities.
• Experience working with Design, Technical Design, Merchandising, and Production teams.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills with multiple categories and deadlines.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to identify problems quickly and develop practical solutions.
• High attention to detail and commitment to product quality.
• willingness to travel internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end development process for assigned apparel categories from initial concept through production handoff.
• Partner with Design to translate concepts into commercially and technically viable product while protecting design intent.
• Review sketches, tech packs, construction details, fabrics, trims, and prototypes for opportunities and challenges early.
• Manage proto, SMS, and approval sample development, ensuring progress per seasonal calendars.
• Drive timely resolution of development issues related to fit, construction, materials, quality, and manufacturability.
• Ensure accurate and complete product information is maintained throughout development.
• Partner with Technical Design for a clear handoff from development to technical execution.
• Manage and own Bill of Materials, ensuring accuracy of product.
• Work closely with Production to ensure products are production-ready before order placement.
• Serve as a key Product partner to Design, Technical Design, and Production.
• Establish clear handoffs, ownership, and communication across product lifecycle stages.
• Collaborate with Production to improve quality, lead times, costing, and execution.
• Proactively communicate risks and provide solutions, not just escalations.
• Help create a culture of accountability, transparency, and collaboration across Product.
• Own and manage development costing with factories and internal teams.
• Review costs and identify opportunities to achieve target margins without compromising quality.
• Negotiate with vendors on development costs, materials, construction, minimums, and other terms.
• Partner with SVP of Product Development & Production on cost optimization opportunities.
• Bring understanding of fabric, construction, labor, and manufacturing implications to decisions.
• Develop and maintain relationships with apparel factories, mills, and strategic vendors.
• Clearly communicate SIMKHAI's expectations on quality, timing, costing, and execution.
• Holding vendors accountable to development calendars and quality standards.
• Own seasonal development calendars and proactively manage milestones.
• Align development with costing, fabric commitments, sample approvals, order placement, and production dates.
• Identify timeline risks early and establish recovery plans.
• Continuously improve product development processes, systems, and cross-functional workflows.
• Maintain seasonal reporting and visibility into development status, issues, and risks.

Skills

Product Development

Apparel Construction

Fabric & Trims

Costing & Margins

Cross-functional Collaboration

Project Management

Negotiation Skills

Attention to Detail

Travel Internationally

Job description

SIMKHAI is seeking a highly experienced Senior Product Development Manager, Apparel to lead the development of Ready-to-Wear collections from concept through production handoff. You will partner with Design, Technical Design, Merchandising, and Production to translate creative vision into commercially viable, high-quality product.

The role demands strong organizational skills, factory relationships, and the ability to balance creativity with cost, quality, and delivery in a fast-paced