Director of Product Development

Company Overview:

Launched in 2016 and founded by Santa Barbara-born sisters, Margaret and Katherine Kleveland, and a Collective of partners, DÔEN is a digitally-led, multi-channel fashion and lifestyle brand. Our mission is to create lasting, beautiful collections while supporting individuals in all aspects of their organization, supply chain, and community. We work with domestic and international partners who share our values and commitment to gender and social equality as well as giving back by partnering with foundations that directly benefit our employees and surrounding communities.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Description of Duties:

Title: Director of Product Development
Classification: Exempt
Salary Range*: $130,000-$160,000 
Reports to: VP of Sourcing and Product Development
Location: HQ (Van Nuys, CA) 4 days a week, 1 day remote
Schedule*: FULL TIME - Hybrid, Monday through Friday 9:00AM-6:00PM (minimum in office 4 days/week)

Position Overview
The Director of Product Development supports the full lifecycle of product development—from Design Pass Off through Photoshoot Sample handover to ensure each style meets design intent within key calendar milestones. This role drives cross-functional alignment, builds operational consistency and ensures accountability across Design, Product Development, Fabric R&D, Merchandising, and Production. A skilled communicator and problem-solver, the Director acts as a key operational link between Creative, Pre-Production, Production and Technical Design teams. A decisive and detail-oriented project manager, the Director will support the organization of all development touch points to deliver on-time collections that meet the brand’s standards of quality, craftsmanship, and cost.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive the Product Development Calendar
• Build, manage and continuously refine the seasonal product development calendar.
• Ensure all cross-functional partners (Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, PD, Marketing & Content)understand milestone requirements and deadlines.
• Monitor progress and proactively identify risks to timeline, adjusting plans and coordinating solutions.
• Participate in weekly calendar or milestone check-ins to ensure alignment and issue resolution.
• Communicate milestone changes, issues and blockers to stakeholders in real time.
• Ensure vendors understand calendar expectations and deliverables.
• Follow up on delays and negotiate revised timelines where necessary.
• Identify inefficiencies in the development workflow and recommend improvements.
• Use Airtable as a tracking dashboard to enhance timeline visibility and speed.
• Participate in post-season calendar reviews and incorporate learnings into future cycles.
• Liaise with Director of Pre Production on Production Handover and BOM Oversight
• Oversee the transition from development to production handover, ensuring all style information from design and product development is complete, accurate, and released on schedule to meet delivery deadlines.
• Validate Bills of Materials (BOMs) for precision in fabrics, trims, and finishing details, upholding the brand’s luxury quality standards.
• Lead seasonal Production Handover meetings to verify material readiness, final approvals and accurate execution of design details.
• Work closely with Pre-Production and Production Directors to escalate any unresolved materials or trims that risk impacting delivery milestones.
• Engage, schedule and participate in pre-production meetings (including but not limited to Design Scrub) to confirm readiness and ensure every stakeholder, internal and external, is aligned on deliverables and timing.
• Uphold brand standards of craftsmanship, quality, and timeliness, ensuring every production and over supports both the creative vision and business delivery goals.
• Support Content, PR and Marketing Teams in Management of Marketing & Photoshoot Sample Pipeline
• Support the Sr. Product Coordinator in planning and tracking of all samples required for marketing campaigns, e-commerce shoots, social content and PR.