Head of Product Development (Womens, Seamless & Accessories)

The Head of Product Development- Womens, Seamless & Accessories lead product development teams and oversee all activities of the entire process of the Womens, Seamless (Mens and Womens) and Accessories categories.

This leadership role is key to ensure on-time development of high quality products matching Gymshark Standards and requirements, while forstering a culture of continuous improvement.

The Head of Product Development will have a strong focus on developing high-performing teams, enhancing processes for increased quality and efficiency, and collaborating effectively with cross-functional technical teams, departments and vendors.

By overseeing the entire development process, this position helps to ensure that Gymshark's products meet customer expectations and contribute to the company's overall success.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Product Categories Oversight:
  Oversee the entire product development lifecycle, from design brief to hand-over to production ensuring all above mentioned product categories are developed on time and to the highest standards. He/She tracks progress and manage resources effectively to meet deadlines and budget constraints.
• Leadership and Team Development:
  Lead, mentor, and inspire high-performing product development teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Provide expertise, guidance, coaching, and professional development opportunities to team members.
• Product Strategy & Planning:
  Work closely with senior leadership to define and execute the product development strategy, ensuring that product initiatives align with business goals and market needs. Develop and manage product roadmaps and timelines.
• Collaboration with Cross-functional Teams:
  • Collaborate and coordinate with various functions in the technical department (Raw Material, Colour, Product Integrity, Fit and Quality) to ensure smooth and efficient product development processes.
  • Share best practices and align development processes with mens development team.
  • Collaborate and maintain strong relationships with various departments and key stakeholders (buying, merchandising, design, brand, production and supply chain, retail) to drive cross-functional alignment.
  • Maintain strong relationship with vendors and mills
• Process Improvement & Innovation:
  Continuously evaluate and improve development processes to enhance efficiency and quality, participating actively to reduce the overall time-to-market. Develop and foster efficient new ways of working across teams to optimize workflows and enhance productivity. Stay current on industry trends, garment technology advancements, and emerging technologies to keep the product development team at the forefront of innovation. Implement innovative tools and technologies to streamline the product development and validation processes.
• Garment Technology & Quality Assurance:
  Leverage his/her garment technology expertise to ensure that products are developed with the latest technical innovations, from fabric selection to garment construction. Ensure all products meet company standards for quality, performance, usability, and customer satisfaction. Identify potential risks or roadblocks in garment production and proactively implement solutions to mitigate them.

• Stakeholder communication and reporting:
  Regularly communicate report on progress, challenges, and outcomes to senior leadership. Analyze product performance and post-launch feedback to drive future product improvements. Utilize data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess department performance and implement strategies to meet and exceed operational targets.
• Vendor Relationship Management:
• Maintain high collaborative relationships with our vendor base to ensure strong communication, timely deliverables and consistent quality. Foster long-term partnerships with vendors to drive mutual success.
• Resolve any challenges that arise during the development and anticipate issues during manufacturing processes.
• Study opportunities to delegate some responsibilities guaratying the same level  of quality but improving efficiency.
• Provide technical support, evaluate  and train development teams at vendors.
• Monitor supplier performance and provide feedback to ensure that product development is done on-time and right first time.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Timely Delivery of product collections:
  • Accountable for ensuring all product collections are developed and handed-over on time, meeting production start date and launch date.
  • Ensure that all product timelines, from design brief to black seal approval, are adhered to, and any delays are managed effectively.
• Team Performance & Development:
  • Accountable for building, leading, and nurturing a high-performing product development team.
  • Responsible for providing continuous feedback, guidance, and professional development opportunities to team members.
  • Drive team engagement and retention by fostering a collaborative and motivated work environment.
• Efficiency & Quality Improvement:
  • Accountable for continuously improving product development processes to optimize quality, reduce costs, and reduce time-to-market.
  • Lead initiatives for enhancing efficiency and productivity, ensuring all development activities are carried out in the most cost-effective manner without compromising product quality.
• Financial Oversight:
  • Accountable for ensuring that product development projects stay within budget and are financially efficient.
  • Oversee resource allocation to ensure cost-effective product development, and optimize spending across different stages of the development process.
• Sustainability & Compliance:
  • Accountable for ensuring product development aligns with sustainability goals and complies with relevant regulatory standards (e.g., environmental, safety).
  • Work to integrate sustainability initiatives into the product development process, such as sourcing sustainable materials or ensuring ethical manufacturing practices.
• Reporting & Stakeholder Communication:
  • Accountable for providing accurate, timely, and comprehensive reports on the status of product development to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
  • Ensure transparency and regular communication on progress, risks, challenges, and milestones to keep stakeholders informed.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Essential Skills:

• High garment technology skills.
• Good technical understanding of other development processes (colour, raw material) and as well good knowledge of fit evaluation and pattern making.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve collective goals.
• Demonstrated success in developing and managing high-performing teams, with a focus on mentorship and professional development.
• Experience in continuously improving development processes to enhance quality, efficiency and time-to-market.
• Risk management and problem solving.
• Close attention to detail, analytical and critical thinking.

Preferred Skills:

• Strong ability to work on multi-tasks simultaneously
• Responsible, self-motivated and collaborative
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite.

KEY SKILL REQUIRED TO ESSENTIAL IN THIS ROLE IS: What experience have you had, at Gymshark or elsewhere, that evidences the use of performance management and reporting for your team or department?

Please note: As part of your application form you will be asked a question that will require you to provide an example of how you have used this in your work to date. 

***CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Friday 4th July***