Summary:

The Product Manager will bring the vision of our Brand to life through designing and developing compelling, innovative, trend and brand-right designs that are saleable and meet the needs of the retailer and consumer. Synergize with product managers, sales and category management to meet growth objectives.

What you'll do:

• Create brand identity and distinctive product offerings, with a creative, innovative and progressive design vision, ensuring that product is consistent with market trends and business strategy and that have mass appeal.
• Build and continually improve innovative accessory competency across our categories with attention to detail at the levels of product development, presentation, and specification package creation.
• Responsible for the initial graphic design concepts and development process of the brand/category.
• Analyze current, past data to design effectively
• Anniversary programs to meet business objectives
• Meeting with trend forecasters each season to choose the appropriate design services
• Research/Shop/Develop- In global markets in order to identify new trends, innovation, fabrics, techniques, trims, colors, silhouette as well as competitive products and strategies deployed
• Attend trade shows, seminars and all other industry offerings that elevate business knowledge
• Developing innovative trend presentations for upcoming seasons and accounts.
• Establish the brand design integrity and a good, better, best strategy of the by delivering appropriate point of difference merchandise in line with the brand profile, collaborating with product managers, design peers, retailers and vendors.
• Execute seasonal/promotional and core line. In partnership with product and account management, analyzing core customer and the market to ensure constant evaluation and improvement of product to move the brand forward with national pushes to include design and development of product and strategies for Corporate Annual programs, Retailer specific programs as well as Quarterly Promotions for both.
• Developing the Line/Promotional Plan with the VP of Marketing targeting yearly initiatives. Plan and communicate the design vision to appropriate peers.
• Manage and provide training and mentoring to Assistant Designers by offering constructive criticism and guidance to include delegating appropriate tasks/ projects as well as monitor, and review progress.
• Daily correspondence with overseas vendors regarding product development.
• Keeping current with the costing challenges by understanding the pricing and mark-up structures to develop products that achieve appropriate retail price points and targeted GM objectives

• Product approvals for all new items ensuring all quality and design standards are met
• Hosting meetings with our overseas vendors during their trips to the US
• Annual sales workshop to educate the sales team on new items for the upcoming year
• Account presentations both in-house and off site. Create innovative design tools/strategies for presenting merchandise at meetings.
• Daily interaction with Account Marketing Managers on account projects to grow the business, to include understanding of core line opportunities and risks as well as seasonal challenges and successes within their role, and increase the understanding of each other's point of view.
• Manage the design communication among internal and external design partners, account managers, product managers, sales and vendors. Adhere to the time and action calendar.
• Daily interaction with product managers regarding product specifications, costing, quality and operational issues.
• Collaborating with the Creative department to develop concept packaging, displays, customer presentations and trend presentations
• Interacting with Sales and Category Management to ensure successful sell-through at the retail store level as well as building upon what is performing in the market

• Working with category management and brand marketing in developing new copy points as well as merchandising concepts
• Correspondence with our international offices on all new product launches
• Working with Inventors on possible product collaborations
• Working with Brand marketing to ensure the product, packaging and displays are in line with the Brand Strategy
• Working with the Brand Marketing and Creative on photoshoots

COMPETENCIES:.

• Creativity
  Comes up with new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
  
  
  
• Customer Focus
  Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal parties and external customers’ expectations; gets first-hand sales information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective key internal relationships and gains their trust and respect.
  
  
  • Dealing with Ambiguity
  Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn't upset when things are up in the air; doesn't have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
  
  
  • Drive for Results
  Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
  
  
  • Organizational Agility
  Knowledgeable about how organizations work; knows how to get things done both through formal channels and the informal network; understands the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices, and procedures; understands the cultures of organizations.
  
  
  • Perseverance
  Pursues everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.
  
  
  • Problem Solving
  Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn't stop at the first answers.
  
  
  • Self-Development
  Is personally committed to and actively works to continuously improve him/herself; understands that different situations and levels may call for different skills and approaches; works to deploy strengths; works on compensating for weakness and limits.
  
  
  • Time Management
  Uses his/her time effectively and efficiently; values time; concentrates his/her efforts on the more important priorities; gets more done in less time than others; can attend to a broader range of activities.

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision plans
• Generous Paid Time Off Programs
• Life & Disability Insurance
• FSA/HRA/Dependent Care FSA
• Profit Sharing
• 401k and company match
• Commuter Shuttle to/from Stamford train station