Technical Development Manager-Bags and Accessories

Socket.dev; Lehi (UT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401k with employer matching

Paid Time Off

Maternity/Paternity leave

Fitness center

Job summary

Trove Brands is seeking a Technical Development Manager to own the technical design and development infrastructure for bags and accessories. You will collaborate with Product, Design, Supply Chain, Quality, and overseas factories to ensure designs are manufacturable and meet specifications.

Who you are: a seasoned professional with 7+ years in soft goods development, strong Illustrator/PLM skills, and the ability to lead teams across global partners. This is an in-office role in Lehi, Utah.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, Technical Design, Textile Design, or related field with equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years of experience in soft goods technical design or product development, with bags/accessories focus.
• Expertise in tech pack creation and construction specifications for manufactured bags and accessories at commercial scale.
• Deep understanding of soft goods construction methods including seam architecture, hardware, fabric finishing and trim integration.
• Experience managing full development cycle with Asian manufacturing partners.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator for technical flat drawings; PLM experience is a plus.
• Experience mentoring junior technical staff and developing others.
• Strong written and verbal communication for factory technical correspondence with global partners.
• Mandarin capability is a meaningful advantage given our Asia-based network.
• Passionate about soft goods construction and delivering products to high technical and commercial standards.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical design and development infrastructure for bags and accessories from first proto through final pre-production approval.
• Define and maintain construction specifications, tech packs, and technical standards translating briefs into precise, factory-ready documentation.
• Lead the Design to PD technical handoff, preserving design intent and manufacturability.
• Build and maintain a master technical specification library covering construction standards and quality thresholds.
• Lead technical reviews at each development sample stage and direct factory corrections as needed.
• Collaborate with Product Managers and CMF Developer to ensure materials and platforms are viable before brief commitment.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and overseas partners on vendor technical assessment during factory qualification.
• Oversee the Technical Product Developer, setting targets and coaching on evaluation and factory communication.
• Manage overseas factory communication on complex construction matters and drive issue resolution.
• Participate in seasonal development reviews and pre-production gates.
• Incorporate learnings from samples and market performance into future standards.
• Travel internationally several times per year to visit overseas manufacturing partners.

Skills

Soft goods tech design

Mentoring juniors

Vendor coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fashion/Technical/Textile Design

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

PLM system

Job description

Trove Brands is a privately-held house of brands including BlenderBottle®, Owala®, Whiskware®, and Eco-Brite®. Our patented and best-selling products are designed to simplify and improve everyday life with leading-edge innovation, incomparable quality, and aspirational style.

A career at Trove Brands is not about punching the clock. It’s about embracing exciting and fast-paced opportunities that sharpen your skills, drive innovation, and play an integral role in growing our global reach. Your work will not only impact the company, it will impact the lives of millions of people around the world. When you step up to a career at Trove, you step up to cutting-edge excellence. You sign up for bold action and invigorating synergy. You agree to face—and break through—new challenges every single day.

The Technical Development Manager owns the technical design and development infrastructure for bags and accessories within the Soft Goods PM and Development function. This role defines how products are built, how design intent becomes manufacturable specification, and how technical standards are upheld throughout the development lifecycle, from first proto through final pre-production approval.

This role partners closely with Product Managers, Designers, Supply Chain, Quality, and overseas manufacturing partners to ensure products are technically sound and executed to specification. At Trove Brands, Technical Development and Product Management work as close peers, together ensuring the right products are built to the right standard and reach consumers quickly and successfully.

How You'll Make an Impact

Every role at Trove Brands is critical to our success as a whole. Your specific responsibilities as part of the Soft Goods PM and Development team will include:

• Own the technical design and development infrastructure for bags and accessories from first proto through final pre-production approval
• Define and maintain construction specifications, tech packs, and technical standards that translate product briefs and design concepts into precise, factory-ready documentation
• Lead the Design to PD technical handoff, ensuring design intent is accurately translated into manufacturable specifications without losing aesthetic or functional integrity
• Build and maintain a master technical specification library covering approved construction standards, tolerance ranges, hardware specifications, and quality thresholds across all active and carry-forward styles
• Lead technical reviews at each development sample stage, evaluating construction execution, identifying specification deviations, and directing factory corrections with the authority to resolve complex construction issues independently
• Partner with Product Managers and the CMF Developer to ensure new materials and construction platforms are technically viable before brief commitment
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and overseas manufacturing partners on vendor technical assessment during factory qualification, contributing construction capability evaluation and sample quality assessment to the vendor approval process
• Oversee the Technical Product Developer, setting clear development targets, providing timely developmental feedback, and coaching technical evaluation and factory communication skills
• Manage overseas factory communication on complex construction matters, driving problem resolution with precision and clarity across global manufacturing partners
• Participate in seasonal development reviews and pre-production approval gates
• Incorporate learnings from sample evaluation and in-market performance into future construction standards and specification improvements
• Travel internationally several times a year to visit overseas manufacturing partners, conduct in-person factory assessments, evaluate development samples on the ground

What You'll Bring to the Team

We seek employees who are comfortable owning ambiguity and turning it into clarity through technical expertise and cross-functional collaboration. For this role we are looking for someone with the following skills and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, Technical Design, Textile Design, or a related field with equivalent professional experience
• 7+ years of experience in soft goods technical design or product development with a specific background in bags, accessories, or structured soft goods
• Demonstrated expertise in tech pack creation and construction specification for manufactured bags and accessories at commercial scale
• Deep understanding of soft goods construction methods including seam architecture, hardware systems, fabric finishing, trim integration, and production quality standards
• Experience managing the full development cycle from brief through bulk production with Asian manufacturing partners
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator for technical flat drawing and specification documentation, PLM system experience is a plus
• Experience managing or mentoring junior technical staff with a demonstrated ability to develop others
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for factory technical correspondence with global manufacturing partners
• Mandarin language capability is a meaningful advantage given our Asia-based manufacturing network
• Passionate about soft goods construction, material innovation, and delivering products that meet the highest technical and commercial standards

Our culture is passionate, entrepreneurial, and energetic. We value innovation through collaboration. And while we work smart and hard, we also connect and celebrate with equal gusto. We host team-building activities, athletic events, and seasonal celebrations to foster community and reward accomplishments. Bottom line? You’ll love it here.

Among the many benefits our team members enjoy are:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision care
• 401k package with employer matching
• Paid Time Off
• Maternity/Paternity leave
• Full indoor basketball/volleyball court
• Fully equipped fitness center (cardio, weights, functional fitness area, lockers and showers, etc.)
• Yoga studio
• Meditation/Nap room
• And much more!

Trove Brands is an equal opportunity employer.

This is a fully in-office position at our HQ in Lehi, Utah.