Product Developer Apparel (Future City)

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization

Manage the product development process for assigned styles from seasonal kickoff through commercialization. Collaborate with internal teams and suppliers to provide an effective transition from brief and design through development and buy-ready commercialization, on time, within agreed margin parameters, and at required quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Communicate necessary information to Marketing, Design, Suppliers, and LO/OC to ensure effective and efficient product creation.
• Align target prices and product designs through predictive costing; review, validate, and approve T1 costing information throughout the creation process.
• Manage the handover from design to T1 and ensure all information is complete.
• Manage T1 feedback to design and marketing and incorporate improvements to quality or cost without sacrificing product aesthetics.
• Ensure timely and accurate T1 data entry for AD/BOM, costing, and other required data at calendar milestones.
• Evaluate prototypes for compliance with AD, manage fit approval and size specifications, approve colors, accessories, and materials, and manage comments to T1.
• Ensure materials, accessories, and prototypes are tested and comply with adidas quality, safety, and A01 standards.
• Manage quality exceptions with senior management as needed.
• Review size sets for measurement accuracy and merchantability, including logo placement and fit, when required.
• Review and sign off sealing samples with complete AD and related documents before buy-ready dates.
• Ensure conformity to published policies and a legally compliant final AD for the finished product.
• Research innovations in garment construction, pattern and fit, embellishment, and trims, and work cross-functionally to implement them in product creation.

Key Relationships

Design, Marketing, Brand Operations, Development, Materials, Costing, Pattern Making, T1 Merchandising and Patternmaking, LO/OC Merchandising, Technical Services, and Costing.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of material construction, testing, wear testing, physical product testing, garment construction, and manufacturing.
• Ability to fit garments and communicate required changes to T1.
• Knowledge of costing and ability to negotiate.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills.
• Understanding of brand vision and strategy and ability to communicate success criteria to sourcing and T1 teams.
• Fluent written and spoken English.
• Strong IT skills, including MS Office and Product Data Management Systems.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• College or university degree in clothing technology and/or manufacturing, or comparable education.
• Minimum 2–3 years of work experience in the garment or textile industry.

Company Culture

adidas promotes a winning culture based on courage, ownership, innovation, teamplay, integrity, respect, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.