Senior Product Development Lead — Apparel (Wovens/Knits)

Emerging Blue, Inc.; Greensboro (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Emerging Blue, Inc. is seeking a Senior Product Development Manager to lead from concept through SMS approval.

You will partner with design, technical design, merchandising and production to drive the development calendar and ensure on-time, on-cost, and quality deliveries. This role serves as the bridge between our creative team and factories, coordinating with internal and external partners across multiple seasons.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of product development experience in women's contemporary or advanced contemporary apparel.
• Deep knowledge of woven and knit garment construction, fabrics, prints, dyeing and finishing.
• Established factory and mill relationships in China and/or India, with strong negotiation skills.
• Proven track record managing development calendars across multiple seasons and deliveries.
• Strong understanding of costing, fit, testing standards and US compliance requirements.
• Experience with a PLM (Centric a plus) or ERP system and advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the seasonal development calendar for design, PD and tech, setting milestones and sign-off points.
• Lead development across categories from tech pack handoff through protos, fittings and SMS.
• Lead PLM integration with design to ensure information is clear and organized for internal and external partners.
• Manage lab dips, strike-offs, trim, and fabric development with mills and factories.
• Drive costing from proto stage, negotiating with vendors to meet target margins with Production.
• Source and onboard new factories and mills in China and India as we expand into new categories.
• Partner with production to ensure a smooth handoff from development to bulk, including testing and compliance requirements.
• Identify risks early and present solutions to leadership.
• Manage all day-to-day vendor communication.
• Partner with cross functional teams to develop and streamline processes/create SOPs.
• Mentor and develop junior PD team members.

Skills

Product development

Communication skills

Organized

Multi-tasking

Mentorship

Tools

Centric PLM

ERP system

Advanced Excel

Job description

Emerging Blue, Inc. is seeking a Senior Product Development Manager to lead from concept through SMS approval.

You will partner with design, technical design, merchandising and production to drive the development calendar and ensure on-time, on-cost, and quality deliveries. This role serves as the bridge between our creative team and factories, coordinating with internal and external partners across multiple seasons.