Director Product Development

Come work at a place where we take pride in creating a workplace environment that values hard work, commitment, and growth.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field of study or equivalent years of related work experience required
• Master in Business Administration degree preferred

Work Experiences:

• 8+ years of related work experience required
• Experience in private label product development for apparel, footwear, or hardgoods and global sourcing
• Experience with quality assurance best practices in product testing, product performance standards, and product safety

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal communication and presentation skills, with the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels
• Lead through vision and values by keeping the organization's mission and values at the forefront of the team member decision making and action
• Inspire creativity by leveraging experience and out-of-the-box thinking to achieve brand and financial objectives for the assigned divisions of merchandise
• Ability to set high goals for personal and group accomplishment; using measurement methods to monitor progress toward goals; tenaciously working to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous improvement
• Strong negotiation skills to present vision, ideas, and directives to influence others to action in service of our customer
• Raw material knowledge for apparel, footwear, and hardgoods categories
• Maintain the customer perspective as a driving force behind business decisions and activities
• Knowledge of best practices for product development and design
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel and PowerPoint
• Proficiency with design software (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Tools
• Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize tasks effectively

Responsibilities:

• Drive and oversee the development of all Private Brands and develop short and long-term goals for the department and allocate team resources as appropriate
• Partner with GMM on providing direction on all stages of development and design while monitoring calendar timing to meet company goals and initiatives. Identify challenges while strategizing action plans for Product Development to work towards
• Lead the product development teams through the execution of product development strategy with the Buying team, as well as interface with Global Sourcing on sourcing and supplier strategy matrix
• Drive Product Development to follow established supplier matrix
• In partnership with Director of Sourcing, communicate on global sourcing strategies to Product Development team
• Troubleshoot product execution, and quality issues through interaction with Quality Control and Sourcing operations, to establish corrective action plans
• Ensure all products are developed/engineered and produced in accordance with all specifications, including compliance and quality standards, while meeting cost targets and overall financial goals
• Coordinate raw material and production leverage opportunities with Sourcing & Raw Materials and drive to execute through product development techniques
• Provide strong leadership to Product Development
• Hire, train, motivate and coach team members; ensure performance appraisals and goal setting are completed annually; guide team to set and accomplish goals that are in line with company initiatives
• Execute on development strategy and guide direction for product based on current business, trends, and ensure direction is aligned with corporate goals, brand and sourcing strategies
• Develop, leverage, manage internal and external partnerships to maximize achievement of business goals by collaborating with key stakeholders in the development execution, and evaluation of appropriate business plans and initiatives
• Required to learn company policies, procedures and safety rules
• Duties may change and associates may be required to perform other duties as assigned

Physical Requirements & Attendance

• Acceptable level of hearing and vision to perform job duties
• Adhere to company work hours, policies, procedures and rules governing professional staff behavior
• Regular attendance required
• Up to 15% domestic and international travel required
• Ability to work flexible hours such as evening, weekends, and holidays as necessary

Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate with regard to employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.