Director of Product Development, Retail

This position is the visionary + day-to-day leader of our retail product development function. He/She supervises a team of direct reports and leads the department with the shared common goal of developing product lines to support the company’s sales initiatives. The role also keeps Outdoor Cap on the forefront of the headwear industry with quality innovation and a clear vision for category whitespace. Involvement is at every phase of the product development process including collaboration internally and externally. This role creates a culture of empowerment for each team member and accountability for the projects from start to finish. This person will be accretive to a company culture that is family-based, inclusive, fun and people first.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Upholds Outdoor Cap's Mission-Vision-Values and Founder’s Pillars by acting with integrity; working together as a team; treating each other with respect. 
• Manages, leads, and motivates a team of employees towards goals and objectives.
• Manages and leads with a collaborative spirit supporting teamwork across the organization.
• Mentors, educates, and develops staff.
• Guides team members through change, clearly communicating purpose, plan, and value.
• Leads with a strong desire of incorporating one team, all programs so the customer sees high quality product and experiences elite customer service. 
• Collaborates daily with cross functional teams including but not limited to Design, Sales, Production, Warehouse, Custom Order Processing, etc.
• Demonstrates a robust knowledge of Outdoor Cap’s brands, products, and systems. 
• Promotes and supports staff development training regarding technical proficiency, creative thinking, and an increased working knowledge of headwear development.
• Negotiates pricing with factories for programs and large developments as needed.
• Orchestrates the efficient and effective work of all direct reports.
• Communicates and manages ongoing project expectations.
• Oversees program or product conversions to new factories.
• Highly organized, managing time and changes to project priorities.
• Is customer service oriented: reacts in a timely fashion to requests that may require quick turnaround to meet a deadline or exceed expectations.
• Interacts effectively to define and resolve problems quickly and appropriately.
• Invested in the development of self and others, participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining personal & professional networks, plus trade visits.
• Drives strong performance management commitment, documenting professionally and timely.
• Maintains all required HR documentation.
• Utilizes performance reviews to motivate and achieve results.
• Employs a project management system to maintain progress on assigned projects.

Skills & Competencies

• Customer Service {Demonstrates commitment to our customers and represents Outdoor Cap in a professional manner. Provides exceptional service and responds to customer needs with urgency, thoughtfulness, and diligence. Maintains operational awareness. Effectively presents Outdoor Cap’s strengths, capabilities, offerings, and value proposition. Establishes vision and strategy with the customer and develops joint business plans that capture key goals and priorities.} 
• Leadership {Ability to manage, lead and motivate teams towards goals and objectives. Creative and critical thinking driven by advanced knowledge of product development processes.}
• Strategic Capacity {Reimagines the future and connects it to the present in ways that others can understand and own. Establishes focus and sets goals and priorities. Effectively communicates vision and strategy. Maintains a high level of awareness and understanding of the marketplace, industry trends and competition. Analyzes opportunities and offers innovative and practical solutions to bring innovative ideas to market. Formulates action plans and considers organizational and systematic implications.} 
• Teamwork and Collaboration {Demonstrates commitment to team members and engages in collaborative, detail-oriented communication across all departments. Effectively sets priorities and manages timelines to get work done through others. Shows respect, builds trust, and manages conflict with transparency and careful consideration. Analyzes situations, thinks before acting and uses sound judgment when making decisions and offering solutions.} 

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent education experience
• 10+ years of relevant experience, Apparel Manufacturing background a plus
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Possesses excellent communication skills (written and oral) 

Physical/Mental Requirements 

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position (seated) 80% of the day and occasionally reach, bend, and move inside the office to access files and product. 
• Domestic and/or international travel up to 25% 
• Required to have close visual acuity to perform computer tasks and operate other office machinery.
• The person in this position frequently communicates with internal and external customers and must be able to exchange accurate information in a clear manner. 
• Ability to move 10-20 lbs. occasionally throughout day.
• Able to hear a telephone ring.
• Color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors)

 Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.