Senior Director of Product Development & Sourcing, Universal Music Group
Famehouse
Salary not provided
Illustrator
Excel
Senior and Expert level
London
Ability to travel
Office located in Kings Cross, London
Music-based entertainment
Be an early applicant
Music-based entertainment
1001+ employees
B2CMusicEntertainment
Be an early applicant
Salary not provided
Illustrator
Excel
Senior and Expert level
London
Ability to travel
Office located in Kings Cross, London
1001+ employees
B2CMusicEntertainment
Company mission
To shape culture through the power of artistry.
Role
Who you are
- Solid experience in Apparel and Accessories Production and/or Product Development Production/Buying/Sourcing experience
- Diverse market segment background (men’s, juniors, and children's wear, accessories)
- Strong costing and product engineering skills
- Established vendor base and relationships for apparel (cut and sew knits, sleepwear and loungewear) and accessories
- Detail oriented with strong follow through skills
- Extensive technical knowledge of raw materials, garment constructions, wash and print processes
- Microsoft Suite and Adobe proficiencies (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Illustrator)
- Ability to work in a demanding, fast-paced environment
- Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communicator with the ability to build and maintain relationships
- Flexible and adaptable; priorities change frequently based on business demands, the ability to change direction quickly is critical
- Strong long-term strategic planning capability
- Experience ingesting requirements and adapting workflows to accommodate those requirements
- Music Merch Production experience a plus
- Bachelor’s degree (US or foreign equivalent) in Product Development, Textile Science, Fashion Design or Sourcing
- Extensive factory manufacturing process experience including production timeline management, fact-based costing, and pricing
- Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills
- Detail oriented but capable of developing and executing strategies as well
- Strong negotiation skills
- Proven ability to manage and develop teams
- Works well under pressure
What the job involves
- The Director Product Development & Sourcing will be an essential part of the Famehouse team, helping to drive execution of merchandise needs for Retail, E-commerce, Tour and Popup development in UK and EU markets This position will report directly to the VP of Product Development in the US and work very closely with the regional department heads in support of all commercial channels
- The position will collaborate with the EU markets to ensure resources are optimized to support local and regional market demands
- This is a fast paced, high-volume position that requires tenured PD & sourcing experience for many different product categories, including Apparel, Hardline and Softline Accessories
- The ability to establish partner relationships with the current vendor base and to source new suppliers is critical for the role
- Focusing on competitive pricing, new ideation, quick turn times, quality control and on time deliveries is key
- The Director Product Development & Sourcing is responsible for establishing, developing and directing the PD strategy for merchandise and accessories and effectively directing the business relationships with finished product suppliers
- Front facing position, working closely with Brand Management and Label Partners
- Develop/source new and existing fabric, trims, washes/dyes vendors for all upcoming development
- Develop and maintain libraries for fabric and wash developments
- Leverage trade tools to stay updated with trends. Foresee new product opportunities. Identify new factories or expand facilities of existing factory base in the growing countries
- Direct the Technical Design Team and Creative Team to ensure complete technical package is done to initiate development
- Initiate time and action calendars. Drive activity alongside cross-functional teams as well as Artist Management to remain on schedule
- Management of pre-production/development timelines, reviewing reports and recommending solutions to exceptions
- Manage all details regarding the development process, managing the sampling submits. Be responsible for effectively communicating all design comments to vendors to ensure product meets expectation. Work alongside Technical Design to ensure proper FIT comments are sent
- Work collaboratively with the Brand Management and Creative Teams to develop a final assortment that is executable in production
- Negotiate and cost engineer products with vendors across multiple programs and communicate needs to the design team to ensure product is being built around retail price point targets and margin requirements
- Manage overall pricing and P&L analysis along with Finance to ensure margin targets are met for new products and category introductions
- Initiate weekly development touch bases with cross-functional meetings for potential order issues as appropriate
- Develop and manage process workflow improvements
- Work alongside Production counterparts to ensure products being developed align with deadlines in mind to ensure seamless transition of production scheduling and output
- Manage supplier’s product integrity and order specification compliance details including dye lots, wash effect, hand feel and shade bands. Provide risk assessment analysis based on complexity of design
- Work alongside the Compliance team to ensure new products developed meets global requirements
- Handle all eCommerce product set up details and work with the Store Management Team for product details inclusive of fabrication, SKUs, and overall design details that are necessary for marketing and product descriptions
- Work alongside Tour team to ensure all product details and costing is supplied
- Liaise with suppliers to provide technical advice and give direction for problem solving. Manage fabric or blank selection process, confirm fabric and trim materials are available for prototype development via direct communications with suppliers
- Manage liability of raw material supplies to ensure it can be utilized in product that can be sold and minimize financial exposure. Work with Design Team to create future designs to utilize the excess raw materials
- Attend Concept, Design Review and Selection meetings to understand upcoming styles to work with the appropriate vendors to create the product
- Promote collaboration, communication, and teamwork within the brand between Merchandising, Product Development, Production, Creative and Tour Merchandising
- Lead and Manage a PD team and collaborate on process improvements with both US team and Cross functional teams
Salary benchmarks
Our take
Universal Music Group (UMG) was founded in 1998 and it has grown rapidly and steadily since, now establishing a position as one of the "Big Three" record labels (alongside Sony Music and Warner Music Group).
UMG differentiates itself from competitors with its internal links across business functions. Each artist can access the best recording technologies, merchandising services, management services, and live music services, as well as much more. This is not provided by other smaller and even larger companies, meaning UMG is in a unique position to build each artist’s “brand”.
UMG became a publicly traded company in late 2021 and has used funds to finance its international expansion. Valued at over $49.8 billion, this global music leader looks to remain in a strong position for years to come.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
7% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company HQ
Santa Monica, CA
Leadership
Lucian Grainge
(CEO & Chairman)Worked in the music business for his entire career. He has been named the most powerful person in the music business on four occasions in the 2010s by Billboard.
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