Director, Product Development Operations

Who We Are:

Kontoor Brands, Inc. (KTB) is the parent company of Wrangler®, Lee® and Rock & Republic®, with owned manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Nicaragua. Kontoor also owns and operates over 140 retail stores across the globe. Our global company employs more than 15,000 people in 65 countries, with world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, and regional headquarters in Geneva and Hong Kong.

Job Posting:

Director, Product Development Operations

As the Director, Product Development Operations (PD Ops) you will be responsible for the overall operational excellence of the Design and Product Development process from calendared Product Direction, Product Creation through Product Launch. This role leads Kontoor’s Go-To-Market (GTM) calendar creation and maintenance for Wrangler and Lee brands with competitive speed and efficiency.

As the Director you will enforce our Kontoor Global Ways of Workings across product teams and assist in establishing process mapping, roles, and responsibility clarity. The Director advances information transparency and data integrity; and reports overall KPI performance for Product Development and Technical Design to drive continual productivity improvements. This includes driving efficacy enhancements for Product Development/Technical Design systems and efficient working tools.

You will oversee project management for Kontoor special collaborations, chase initiatives and special projects that drive incremental volume and brand heat. As the Director, you will also supervise over Asia-Trims liaison coordination and product receipt/organization of key milestone samples.

Responsibilities:

Oversees timely creation of all seasonal go-to-market (GTM) calendars and scheduling management. Ensures cross-functional alignment on milestone cadence and clear objectives whilst hind sighting to drive competitive speed and efficiency.

Organize and manage all PD Ops’ initiatives and projects and timing. Includes establishing process and RACI mapping and identifying business opportunities and challenges.

Establish, report, and provide analysis of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with season-to-season success metrics /improvements. This includes On-Time adherence on key milestone samples, tech pack deliverables, sampling accuracy, and tracking to sustainability corporate goals.

Lead continuous efficiency enhancements by driving process improvements, standardizing effective tools and system optimization through ongoing assessment, feedback solicitation and change management.

Govern and maintain Product Development and Technical Design data platform to provide information transparency & accessibility to GTM calendars, technical manuals, standard operating procedures related to materials management (Bills of Materials), technical construction, Labelling & Packaging manuals, and Folding guides.

Oversees all Kontoor Collaborations (Lee and Wrangler) and special process projects with realistic time and action calendars to meet brands’ business needs.

Directs sample receipt coordination for Design/Product development. Supervises Asia-sourced Trims liaison coordination. Assists as problem-solving technical expert in product development and technical design operations to proactively resolve issues in pre-production stage.

Manage and train own teams to deliver balanced, service-oriented quality follow-up and timely communication.

Requirements:

10+ years of extensive Apparel supply chain experience with knowledge in Operations/Project management, GTM calendar management, and product lifecycle processes/systems.

10+ years of in-depth technical knowledge in E2E product manufacturing processes, product development processes and systems, and sourcing offices/vendors/suppliers management.

5-8 years of experience managing a medium-sized team.

Bachelor's Degree, in Business Administration/Management, Industrial Engineering, or Fashion Merchandising

Keys to Success:

Exceptional leadership and managerial skills, ability to motivate result-driven, high-performing teams.

Strategic and analytical out-of-the-box thinker who challenges the status quo for optimal results.

Excellent communication/presentation skills with adept ability to influence leaders and drive alignment.

Solid organization skills to delegate, multi-task to prioritize meeting deadlines, follow-through to achieve set objectives.

Expertise in MS Office apps: PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Teams, and Smartsheet.

Why Kontoor Brands?

At Kontoor, we offer a comprehensive benefit package to fit your lifestyle and our benefits are crafted with the same care as our products.

When our employees are healthy, secure and well, they bring their best selves to work. Kontoor Brands supports you with a competitive benefits program that provides choice and flexibility to meet your and your family’s needs – now and in the future. We offer resources to support your physical, emotional, social and financial wellbeing, plus benefits like discounts on our apparel. Kontoor Brands also provides four weeks of Paid Parental Leave to eligible employees who are new parents, Flexible Fridays and tuition reimbursement.

Our Kontoor D&I Mission

At Kontoor, we believe that D&I is a key enabler to a culture that empowers us to work with passion and confidence, shaping our brand and future.

Our Kontoor D&I Commitment

Create a global workforce of high-performing teams that both unlocks our individual uniqueness and harnesses our collaborative talents

Ensure an equitable environment that attracts & promotes diverse workforce

Foster inclusivity, ensuring employees feel they can bring their whole selves to work

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