Associate, Product Development (jewelry)

About Us

 

Centric Brands is a leading lifestyle brand collective that designs, sources, markets and sells high quality products in multiple segments, including women’s, men’s and kid’s apparel, accessories, entertainment and beauty. Centric Brands is focused on our customers and our brands that will drive the company’s future growth. We are defined by innovation as we seize new opportunities and thrive in an environment informed by creativity and thinking that is both analytical and outside the box. Centric Brands reflects a team built on respect, for others and for the hard work it takes to achieve our goals and build our bright future together.

 

Designer

What could be more exciting than putting your mark on some of the world’s most famous and well-loved fashion brands? As a designer for Centric Brands, you’ll use your skills and creativity to create designs based on style plans, sales needs and emerging trends. You will also ensure that your work can be transformed into a finished product in a timely manner and at an appropriate price point. This means working not only with our technical design and production teams, but also building collaborative relationships with outside vendors and other external stakeholders. The challenges are exciting and the possibilities endless – as you contribute your skills in a vibrant, customer- and people-centric culture that celebrates you as a valuable member of the team.

Specific Responsibilities Would Include

The Associate Product Development will create the seasonal product needs, in collaboration with a cross-functional team that includes Design, Merchandising, Production and our overseas offices (OSO's), to plan, create and execute product lines, profitably and on time for jewelry lines and brands like Coach.

 

Overview:  Strategy & Innovation

• Executes product plans set by supervisor for each brand, product category, season.
• Identifies and suggests new product and material opportunities and sources.

Development

• Reviews all specs (BOMs/tech packs) for accuracy, completeness, quality, affordability, viability in production, and compliance prior to release to factory.
• Recommends enhancements, construction and material options to elevate our brand while hitting financial requirements.
• Coordinates with development and cross functional teams to manage spec turnover within calendar to insure timely prototyping and finalization through to production.
• Manages the pass off of ‘clean’ specs to manufacturing partners on behalf of design, communicating daily with OSOs and direct suppliers on questions and changes to specs, standards, and aiding in interpreting design and manufacturing needs.
• Reviews all prototypes and market samples to insure faithful execution to spec.
• Schedules, monitors, tracks, and reports on all necessary sample materials and needs.
• Maintains all standards for issued for brand consistency including PLM records.
• Schedules and tracks all pre-production samples to insure exact execution of final design. Reviews and approves all production materials, addressing variances with suppliers, merchandising, design and production.
• Communicates and resolves style/material minimums, material costs, and lead times with supervisor and cross functional teams in development. Negotiates advantageous costs and terms for these items as well as finished goods costing based on shipping metrics and margin plans.

Product Integrity

• Instills quality in the product from onset of development through final production.
• Reviews all products for customs compliance needs prior to production.
• Assesses all components and constructions with an eye for quality and durability.
• Insures that all components and constructions used are compliant for performance and restricted substances prior to production. Works in tandem with quality, technical, and compliance to achieve these ends.
• Insures questionable materials and treatments are tested in development cycle for durability and compliance to prevent a lapse in product flow in production or customer returns.
• Maintains accurate compliance records.

Sourcing

• Works closely with supervisor and design teams on seasonal offering needs to provide options in materials, suppliers, techniques, and costs that are on brand.
• Partners with internal materials departments, direct sources, to execute materials that are viable for our brand, trends, costing, and quality.
• Creates direct relationships with manufacturers and material suppliers to build a tight factory partner base.
• With supervisor and design, awards business by allocating specs to factories that are advantageous to the brand fo