Junior Product Developer
- Recruiter
- Wiggle
- Location
- Portsmouth
- Salary
- 15000.00 - 19999.00 GBP Annual + 20,000 - 29,999
- Posted
- 06 Aug 2017
- Closes
- 30 Aug 2017
- Sectors
- Travel & Tourism
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
Job Purpose:
To work with the within the development team and alongside The Development Manager, Product Manager and Designers to design, develop and manufacture ranges of products in line with range strategy and profit requirements of Wiggle. To ensure originality and effectiveness of all products through design and development.
Dimensions:
- Develop and produce a range of products for an assigned project for a defined customer type and season
- Number of designs
- Number of agreed products
- Target selling price,
- Target cost price
- Target margin
Context:
The Own brand team is undergoing expansion and now requires a Junior Product developer to help support this growth. Based in the London office the Junior Developer will work within the development team and alongside other departments and is responsible for taking products from development stages through to production.
Accountabilities:
- Build innovative and good quality products for our target customer, ensuring maximised profit margins.
- Manage supplier performance against agreed projects and agreed KPI's
- Negotiate costs with suppliers on an ongoing basis, for overall garments and value engineering as development progresses.
- Liaise with all aspects of the team over pattern, design translation, specific product details, as well as maintain aesthetics and commercial viability.
- Manage individual projects with supporting documentation, sampling & testing to a critical path for timely launch.
- Follow Critical Paths, from Inception to Factory Gate, ensuring all parties are updated with any divergence.
- Ensure all relevant samples are available in good time for sign off meetings and Go/No-Go decisions
- Create and grade size charts for bulk production - Creating and maintaining initial spec for garments, grading garments, fitting proto samples, size sets, and approving PP samples.
- Organise fit review meetings with design and sample measurements ensuring standardisation of size throughout the brand and specs maintained through the process.
- Build and maintain blocks for all silhouettes across the brand.
- Advise on-site content team on fit detailing and material specification for ranges.
- Selecting and approving trims
- Support the factory on technical aspects by ensuring that all sample garments are properly progressed and proven fit for customer's requirements.
- Liaise with Suppliers regarding minimum quantities, lead-times, fabric and trim availability
- Technically develop and engineer garments to maximise the manufacturing capabilities.
- Communicate with factories to ensure that production garments are fit for purpose
- Be responsible for colour continuity across each range, approving lab dips across supply base.
- Add value to products with packaging details, technical improvements, detailing, style or innovation.
- Support development of the supply base providing clear communication at all times.
- Develop & maintain global testing manuals.
- Review customer feedback across site to incorporate in future products.
- Review faulty/returned products to reduce any design/production related faults.
- Have a keen awareness of relevant sports brands
KPI's:
Seasonal Range launch - on time, in full
Full technical specification and design records maintained in full
Meet all key development stage gates per seasons
Product sales
Net retained margin by supplier, in GBP's and %
Customer NPS score by product and brand.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
- Experience in a technical product developer role, with a proven background of taking commercially strong products to market. Previous experience working with a sportswear brand would be an advantage
- Knowledge of garment technology, industrial production procedures, pattern cutting and grade would be advantageous but not essential
- Knowledge and understanding of production and design, including fabrics, patterns cutting, size specifications and garment construction
- Proven experience of using Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft office
- A keen awareness of relevant sports brands
- Degree in a relevant field
- Ability to demonstrate strong communication skills and liaise with all members of the business including Senior Managers
- Strong negotiation skills
- Experience of working/communicating with Far Eastern cultures
- Ability to travel
- Strong attention to detail with a strive for excellence in delivery
- Ability to manage and coordinate changing priorities, understand 'what good looks like', and capable of multi-tasking
- Ability to be flexible
- Creative flair
- Interest in either Cycling, Running or Swimming is desirable
- Experience/knowledge of Far East business culture is an advantage
- Ability to speak Italian or Chinese as an additional language to English is an advantage
- A love of sports!
Competencies:
- Product Development, garment production and manufacturing knowledge
- Fabric (and trim) market knowledge
- Creative design capability
- Commercially numerate
- IT skills in relevant software packages
- Negotiation skills
- Presentation writing and delivery skills