Tapestry Senior Manager, Product Development

About Tapestry

Tapestry is a New York–based house of modern luxury, uniting the distinctive worlds of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. As an employer, the group offers the scale and sophistication of a global fashion leader while preserving the creative spirit and heritage of its iconic brands. Tapestry cultivates an inclusive, purpose-driven culture where design, craftsmanship, digital innovation, and commercial excellence intersect. Its teams are encouraged to think boldly, grow continuously, and contribute to a more responsible future for fashion, making Tapestry a compelling environment for talent seeking impact, creativity, and international opportunity.

Role & Responsibilities

• Manage and lead the Product Development team to ensure product aesthetic, quality, construction, cost and timeline from prototype through product approval
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create synergies and maintain high-quality products while meeting corporate timelines throughout early development to commercialization
• Oversee product design aesthetics, quality standards, costing and margin goals, sample timeline management, and team workload management
• Manage day-to-day product development operations based on priorities aligned with PD Lead strategy
• Lead in-season communication regarding design updates, standards, and product consistency
• Identify issues and risks in development processes and lead conversations with sample facilities, engineers, and corporate teams for solutions
• Guide the team to collaborate with Material Management and engineering teams on new material testing and best practices
• Lead the team working with supply partners and outsourcing suppliers on finished goods testing to meet Tapestry requirements
• Collaborate with Planning and Production teams on leadtime and timeline discussions
• Anticipate and drive issue resolution to ensure consistency, aesthetics, and integrity of products
• Drive innovation by elevating new techniques and ideas identified during market research and supplier visits to Product Development Lead
• Serve as main contact person for suppliers regarding development questions and coordinate information transmission across teams
• Drive costing strategies and develop approaches to meet or exceed margin requirements while preserving aesthetic integrity
• Assist Product Development Lead on cost-saving initiatives through data and ideas
• Lead collaboration with Packaging Team on packaging instruction finalization to ensure proper transit protection while meeting design intent
• Lead handover meetings with Production teams and suppliers to ensure design intent is understood and followed
• Build strong partnerships with suppliers and effective relationships with Material and Production teams
• Manage and maintain information in tools required by cross-functional teams
• Provide accurate sample and cost data by season and milestones to Product Development Lead
• Collect performance metrics on sample facilities, outsourcing suppliers, and supply partners for KPI reporting
• Work on complexity and difficulty ratings for new products to enable effective Planning allocation
• Develop and create high-performing teams
• Establish talent development goals aligned with Product Development Lead strategy and track progress in team meetings
• Manage team workload in line with Product Development Lead's sampling planning and timelines
• Identify, build, coach, and develop talent among team members
• Partner with engineering to use Engineering manuals as a development tool for elevating team product-making knowledge
• Develop outsourcing strategies considering capability, capacity, leadtime, and costing at the beginning of development
• Oversee product consistency across seasons
• Monitor cost margins on top products every season and identify cost-saving opportunities
• Continuously review processes and provide practical recommendations for streamlining and improving efficiency

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience managing product development teams
• Deep knowledge of product development processes from prototype to commercialization
• Strong understanding of product aesthetics, quality standards, and construction techniques
• Experience with costing, margin management, and cost-optimization strategies
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex cross-functional collaborations
• Excellent supplier and stakeholder relationship management skills
• Strong analytical and data management capabilities
• Experience in fashion or luxury goods product development preferred
• Track record of driving innovation and continuous process improvement

Skills

Experience

Candidates should possess extensive experience in product development leadership roles, ideally within the fashion, luxury goods, or consumer products industries. Prior experience managing product development teams through multiple seasons, working with global suppliers, and driving cost optimization while maintaining aesthetic and quality standards is essential. Experience with both in-house and outsourced manufacturing is valuable.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, Product Development, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field. Advanced degree or specialized certifications in product management, supply chain, or design is a plus.

Workplace

Culture

Tapestry fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, craftsmanship, and consumer insight come together across its portfolio of iconic fashion and lifestyle brands. As an employer, it encourages entrepreneurial thinking, global perspective, and continuous growth, empowering teams to shape meaningful brand experiences while contributing to a culture of innovation and belonging.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.