Product Development Assistant

What you’ll do:

In-Office Collaboration: Work in person from the Manhattan HQ office Tuesday through Thursday to support real-time sample review and approval, Men’s seasonal development, and cross-team special project coordination.

Sample Tracking & Logistical Ownership

End-to-End Tracking: Manage the tracking, logistics, and approval pipeline for pre-production, marketing, and special project samples to guarantee 100% visibility.
Timeline Management: Ensure timely delivery of samples for seasonal photoshoots, marketing campaigns, and cross-functional reviews.
Physical Asset Management: Organize and maintain the physical sample archive, ensuring products are labeled and accounted for.

Category Development Support

Product Lifecycle Management: Own the full development lifecycle for assigned apparel categories from initial design hand-off through to pre-production approval.
Specification Maintenance: Support the team during sample reviews; ensure Tech Packs and Bills of Materials (BOMs) are meticulously organized, accurate to physical samples, and aligned with production standards.
Status Updates: Partner closely with core Product Development teams to align on development statuses and streamline the approval workflow.

Cross-Functional & Vendor Collaboration

Daily Communication: Act as a daily point of contact for internal stakeholders (Design, Fabric, Merchandising, Production) and international factories to monitor timelines.
Issue Resolution: Proactively communicate real-time updates and collaborate with factories to troubleshoot and mitigate production or sample delays.

Data Integrity & Systems Management

System Maintenance: Keep all product data, tracking logs, and development milestones accurate and up to date within the PLM system.
Single Source of Truth: Ensure digital tracking tools match physical sample statuses to support seamless cross-team decision-making.

What you’ll have:

Industry Experience: 1–3 years of experience in Product Development, Sourcing, Production or Fashion Merchandising within the apparel industry.
Organizational Mastery: Exceptional time-management and data-tracking skills, with a proven ability to manage high volumes of physical product and digital data simultaneously.
Product Knowledge: A foundational understanding of garment construction, textiles, and trim development.
Communication: Clear, proactive verbal and written communication skills; comfortable follow-up with international vendors and internal teams.
Technical Literacy: Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and familiarity with PLM software or development tracking systems.
Education: Bachelor’s degree or ongoing coursework in Fashion Merchandising, Apparel Design, Business or a related field is preferred.