Manager, Design Operations (Product Development)

We are seeking a highly organized, strategic, and process-driven Manager, Design Operations to support our growing design organization. This role serves as the operational bridge between Design, Product Development, Sourcing, and Production, ensuring seamless execution from concept through production while driving consistency, efficiency, and accountability across the product lifecycle.

The ideal candidate is a strong cross-functional leader who thrives in a fast-paced apparel environment and possesses a deep understanding of product development workflows, technical design documentation, and operational processes. This individual will oversee the Tech Pack team, managing workload allocation, prioritization, and execution while ensuring design concepts are translated into accurate, production-ready development packages.

Success in this role requires a combination of leadership, organization, technical expertise, and the ability to balance creative objectives with business and operational needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Tech Pack team, including workload planning, prioritization, resource allocation, and performance management.
• Oversee the creation, accuracy, and execution of tech packs and development documentation, ensuring consistency across all product categories.
• Partner closely with Design leadership to translate creative vision into actionable development plans, timelines, and deliverables.
• Evaluate incoming design workload and strategically distribute projects across the Tech Pack team to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and timely execution.
• Oversee and optimize the end-to-end product development process from concept through production, ensuring alignment across Design, Product Development, Sourcing, and Production teams.
• Manage seasonal development calendars, milestone tracking, and key deliverables to ensure projects remain on schedule.
• Serve as a central point of communication between Design, Product Development, Sales, Sourcing, and overseas vendors.
• Monitor costing updates and development status, ensuring visibility across cross-functional stakeholders.
• Collaborate with sourcing partners and factories to support material development, costing initiatives, and production feasibility.
• Partner with Product Development and Sourcing teams to balance design intent, margin objectives, and production requirements.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and implement scalable solutions that increase efficiency, improve accuracy, and reduce development timelines.
• Develop and maintain best practices, SOPs, training materials, and process documentation related to tech packs, PLM usage, development tracking, and cross-functional workflows.
• Drive adoption and optimization of PLM and other development management systems.
• Ensure data integrity, accuracy, and consistency across all development documentation, systems, and reporting tools.
• Provide mentorship, coaching, and professional development opportunities to team members while fostering a collaborative and solutions-oriented culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 5–8+ years of experience in Design Operations, Product Development, Technical Design, Sourcing, Production, or a related function within the apparel, accessories, or consumer goods industries.
• Previous people management experience, including overseeing workload distribution, team development, and performance management.
• Strong understanding of the full product lifecycle, including design, development, sourcing, costing, and production processes.
• Experience creating, reviewing, and managing technical product documentation and tech pack workflows.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and cross-functional priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with overseas factories, vendors, and sourcing partners.
• Advanced proficiency in PLM systems, Excel, and product development tracking tools.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and build relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to balance creative priorities with operational excellence and business objectives.
• Detail-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset and a passion for process optimization.

Hybrid Work Schedule

*4 days a week…