Product Development Associate, Footwear & Raw Materials

Company History
From its origins in New York in 2002, rag & bone instantaneously distinguished itself by combining their British heritage with directional, modern design. Today, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville's brand has become synonymous with innately wearable clothing that innovatively melds classic tailoring with an edgy yet understated New York aesthetic.

Inspired by a desire to create beautifully constructed clothes, with no formal fashion training, the expats immersed themselves in the time-honored techniques of supremely skilled, local manufacturers at some of the oldest factories in the country. The importance of quality, expert craftsmanship and attention to detail resonated deeply, informing rag & bone's core philosophy.

With a downtown sensibility, signature clean silhouettes and an inherent integrity - each piece is impeccably crafted from the finest materials available and approached from a form and function design standpoint - rag & bone continuously redefines urban style.

Overview
rag & bone is currently looking for a Product Development Associate, Footwear. In this critical role, the PD Associate will play a key role in making our design team's footwear concepts come to life through a strong understanding of footwear from construction to materials and the ability to communicate efficiently with factories to make it happen. This person will support all product and sourcing functions from initial creation into final SMS approval.

This role will collaborate daily with Design, Merchandising and Production to ensure all product information, deadlines and quality standards are being met.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Developing Samples
Manage WIP files daily for:
a) Prototypes
b) Material trials and approvals
c) SMS

• Manage Specs from SMS into Production, ensuring all information is accurate at all times.
• Monitor SKU counts by category and update each sample round
• Participate in proto and SMS Fittings.
• Recap Merchandising and Production on any Design/construction changes from SMS into production.
• Attend cross functional meetings to ensure any changes to product are addressed in a timely manner.
• Responsible for sample tracking and communicating delivery status to cross functional teams.
• Participate in product reviews and note changes in design, material or cost
• Call out any product concerns to Merch and Design during development and production stage
• Manage Seasonal Product Knowledge for Market Wedge & E-commerce

rag & bone is currently looking for a Product Development Associate, Footwear. In this critical role, the PD Associate will play a key role in making our design team's footwear concepts come to life through a strong understanding of footwear from construction to materials and the ability to communicate efficienty with factories to make it happen. This person will support all product and sourcing functions from initial creation into final SMS approval.

This role will collaborate daily with Design, Merchandising and Production to ensure all product information, deadlines and quality standards are being met.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Developing Samples

• Manage WIP files daily for:

a) Prototypes
b) Material trials and approvals
c) SMS

• Manage Specs from SMS into Production, ensuring all information is accurate at all times.
• Monitor SKU counts by category and update each sample round
• Participate in proto and SMS Fittings.
• Recap Merchandising and Production on any Design/construction changes from SMS into production.
• Attend cross functional meetings to ensure any changes to product are addressed in a timely manner.
• Responsible for sample tracking and communicating delivery status to cross functional teams.
• Participate in product reviews and note changes in design, material or cost
• Call out any product concerns to Merch and Design during development and production stage
• Manage Seasonal Product Knowledge for Market Wedge & E-commerce

Material Development

• Responsible for developing and sourcing all raw materials, development through to production. This includes leather, textiles and trims.
• Owns daily communication with material suppliers
• Manage seasonal color standards and approvals from proto into production
• Prepare and own sending all…