Senior Product Development Lead — Apparel & Manufacturing

URBN; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Employee discounts

Paid time off (PTO)

Retirement savings plans

Job summary

Free People is seeking a Sr. Manager of Product Development to lead end-to-end commercialization from hand-off to buy-ready samples for sales and bulk production.

You will own calendars, quality, functionality, and profitability, collaborating with Design, Buying, Tech Design, Materials, Production, and external partners. You will drive cost analysis, partner on materials testing, and maintain clear communications to ensure on-time, high-quality market-ready products with sustainable practices

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design, Product Development, Textile Science, or related field.
• 12 years of experience developing soft wovens.
• Strong understanding of functional garment construction, fabrics, and technical specifications.
• Experience with global sourcing, manufacturing, and the costing process.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Design, Buying, Tech Design, Materials, Production, and external partners to execute product development and IMU goals.
• Develop and foster a partnership with factories to facilitate production for assigned styles according to critical dates, end use, sustainability, quality, and margin goals.
• Provide expertise with Materials on end-use requirements including quality, sustainability, and costing needs.
• Analyze cost breakdowns and manage costing data in PLM; identify opportunities for cost savings and efficient manufacturing.
• Ensure consistent, accurate information and communication to support product execution.
• Partner with Materials & suppliers to facilitate testing and ensure testing meets brand expectations.
• Plan, follow and communicate development calendars with partners; hand-off to production vendors.
• Present and execute alternative construction options to meet margin goals while maintaining design intent.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design

Textile Science

Tools

PLM systems

Microsoft Office

Adobe software

Job description

Free People is seeking a Sr. Manager of Product Development to lead end-to-end commercialization from hand-off to buy-ready samples for sales and bulk production.

You will own calendars, quality, functionality, and profitability, collaborating with Design, Buying, Tech Design, Materials, Production, and external partners. You will drive cost analysis, partner on materials testing, and maintain clear communications to ensure on-time, high-quality market-ready products with sustainable practices