Senior Manager Textile Development and Product Innovation

Creare Group LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited vacation

401(k)

Contributory medical plan

Company sponsored health insurance

Profit sharing

Safe Harbor after 1 year of employment

Job summary

Creare Group is a New York-based fashion and product development company. We are seeking a Sr Manager to lead product development and innovation across 40–50+ client brands, driving strategy from concept through commercialization.

You’ll own the full development cycle—from sourcing fabrics and suppliers to merchandising seasonal collections and presenting finished work in-person to clients four times a year.

Qualifications

• 5-8+ years in textile/apparel product development or merchandising.
• Proven fabric and textile expertise.
• Experience sourcing fabric and managing supplier relationships.
• Strong presentation and client-facing communication skills.
• Willingness to travel for meetings and events.
• Understanding of tech packs and garment production cycles.

Responsibilities

• Develop and merchandise fabric and garment collections for existing accounts and new business opportunities.
• Source new fabrics and suppliers and build relationships with mills and factories.
• Collaborate with factory and mill partners to create seasonal collections for U.S. market sales presentations.
• Present curated collections to client teams during seasonal meetings.
• Coordinate with design teams to monitor trends and market demands across 40–50 client brands.
• Manage product assortment and sales plans, with monthly or weekly updates.

Skills

Fabric knowledge

Textile knowledge

Product development

Presentation skills

Client relationship

Sourcing

Travel readiness

Project management

Education

Bachelor's in Textiles

Job description

We're looking for a Sr Manager to lead product development and innovation across a portfolio of 40–50+ client brands. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can drive strategy from concept through commercialization — with the ability to walk into a room with mills and factories and speak the language fluently, and just as comfortably present curated collections to client Design, Product Development, and Sourcing teams.

You'll own the full development cycle: from sourcing new fabrics and suppliers, to merchandising seasonal collections within our existing network, to presenting finished work in-person to clients four times a year.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and merchandise fabric and garment collections for existing accounts and new business opportunities
• Source new fabrics and suppliers, and build relationships with mills and factories to support seasonal development
• Collaborate with existing factory and mill partners to create and curate innovative seasonal collections that support U.S. market sales presentations
• Research and identify emerging trends, fabric innovations, yarn developments, and new technologies to bring forward-thinking solutions to clients
• Maintain daily communication with mills and factories to ensure timely execution and follow-up on all development projects
• Recommend fabrics, garment styling, and product solutions based on customer needs, sales forecasts, target pricing, and market direction
• Present curated fabric and garment collections to client Product Development, Design, and Sourcing/Production teams during seasonal in-person meetings (four times annually)
• Partner cross-functionally with sales, design, sourcing, and production teams to develop and execute seasonal market strategies
• Coordinate with design teams to monitor sales trends, customer preferences, and market demands across a portfolio of 40–50+ client brands
• Manage product assortment plans, sales plans, and sell-through analysis, proactively introducing new developments on a monthly or weekly basis depending on project timelines
• Analyze account performance and identify future business opportunities to support sales growth and strengthen customer relationships
• Attend customer meetings, trade shows, and market appointments to strengthen relationships, showcase collections, and generate new business

What You’ll Bring

• Strong product development and strategic planning skills, backed by deep fabric and textile knowledge — quality, hand-feel, construction, and development
• Comfort presenting to and building relationships with client teams at the Design, Product Development, and Sourcing level
• Experience working directly with mills and factories to bring seasonal collections to life
• A sharp eye for emerging trends and the ability to translate them into client-ready solutions
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple accounts and project timelines simultaneously

Requirements

• 5-8+ years of experience in textile/apparel product development, merchandising, or a related field
• Proven fabric and textile expertise
• Experience sourcing fabric and managing supplier relationships
• Strong presentation and client-facing communication skills
• Willingness to travel for client meetings, trade shows, and market appointments
• Understanding of tech packs and how garments are constructed (training available for the right candidate) and production cycle

Nice to Have

• Existing relationships with mills, factories, or fabric suppliers
• Experience managing a large portfolio of client accounts (40+)
• A degree in technical textile would be preferred but not required

What We Offer

• Compensation: $110,000-140,000
• Unlimited vacation
• 401(k)
• Contributory medical plan
• Company sponsored health insurance
• Profit sharing
• Safe Harbor after 1 year of employment

Our Values

Creare Group is a New York-based fashion and product development company at the intersection of design, innovation, technology, and global manufacturing. Founded in 2008, Creare brings together more than 100 years of combined industry expertise and works with leading brands and retailers around the world.

Our unique value lies in our end-to-end approach to product creation—from trend, design, and fabric innovation through product development, sourcing, manufacturing, and commercialization. With a carefully curated network of global manufacturing and textile partners, Creare provides clients with access to innovative fabrics, technical expertise, vertically integrated production, and differentiated speed-to-market capabilities.

As a small, highly experienced team, we offer an entrepreneurial and collaborative environment where individuals have meaningful influence and the opportunity to work directly with brands, factories, mills, and senior industry leaders.

Creare is continuously pushing the boundaries of fashion, fabric innovation, sustainability, and digital product development, helping brands create products that are both commercially relevant and differentiated in the marketplace.