Senior Manager, Private Label Product Development

About the RoleWe are looking for a highly creative, product-minded leader to help drive the next stage of growth of our Private Label business.This is a unique hybrid role at the intersection of account management, merchandising, product development and creative direction. The ideal candidate understands what buyers want, knows how to translate that into compelling and commercial product, and has the product-development knowledge to move an idea from inspiration through sampling and execution.You will serve as the primary bridge between our buyers, Creative Director, CAD artists and product development teams. You’ll own key buyer relationships while helping shape assortment and product direction, lead seasonal and ongoing development, and manage a small team.Most importantly, we’re looking for someone with taste, initiative and an entrepreneurial mindset. You should be able to look at a buyer brief or inspiration deck and do more than simply execute it—you can identify the opportunity, develop a point of view and help the team create products that feel fresh, relevant and right for the customer.As a small, growing company, we value people who are comfortable moving between strategy and execution, who take ownership, communicate clearly and genuinely enjoy building something together.Key ResponsibilitiesOwn Private Label accounts and buyer relationships. Serve as the primary day-to-day buyer-facing lead across current and prospective PL accounts; understand each retailer, customer, aesthetic, price point and business opportunity.Translate buyer needs into product opportunities. Lead kickoff meetings, inspiration reviews and development conversations, turning buyer direction, trend information and whitespace opportunities into actionable product strategies.Bring a strong creative and merchandising POV. Partner closely with our Creative Director to develop compelling, trend-right and commercially relevant product while increasingly owning day-to-day creative decision-making for the PL business.Help protect the Creative Director's time. Distinguish between development that requires high-level creative direction and product that can be confidently initiated, directed or approved by the PL team.Lead assortment thinking. Look beyond individual requests to identify category opportunities, best sellers, reorders, extensions and new concepts that can grow each account organically.Oversee the development process. Work closely with Product Development and Design/CAD from concept through samples, revisions and buyer approval, ensuring product reflects the intended creative direction, price point and timeline.Manage and mentor a small team. Set priorities, delegate effectively, provide creative/product feedback and develop the team's ability to make strong decisions independently.Create clarity between buyer-facing, creative and factory-facing teams. Ensure information moves efficiently and accurately between all parties without unnecessary layers or bottlenecks.Drive timelines and follow-through. Maintain visibility across active developments, samples, buyer requests and key deliverables; anticipate issues rather than simply reacting to them.Build scalable processes. Help improve how we organize accounts, communicate development direction, track projects and manage PL as the business grows.Think like an owner. Balance creativity with commercial realities including pricing, margin, timing, customer needs and operational capacity.Contribute to a culture of integrity, ownership, creativity, collaboration and care—values already reflected in your PL operating model.What We're Looking ForQualifications7+ years of relevant experience in private label, merchandising, product development, account management, design or a combination of these disciplines, ideally within fashion, accessories, lifestyle or a related consumer-product category.2+ years of experience managing, mentoring or leading a small team.Demonstrated experience working directly with retail buyers and/or private-label accounts.Strong merchandising instincts with an ability to understand what will be both creatively compelling and commercially viable.Strong visual taste and trend awareness; able to contribute meaningful creative direction rather than simply manage a process.Working knowledge of product development, including sampling, revisions, materials/construction, costing, timelines and factory communication.Ability to review CADs, samples and product concepts and provide clear, actionable feedback.Experience managing multiple accounts, categories and development calendars simultaneously.Strong communication and presentation skills; confident leading buyer meetings and internal creative conversations.Highly organized, proactive and accountable, with excellent follow-through.Comfortable operating in a small, entrepreneurial company where roles aren't rigid and teams are collaborative.Collaborative leadership style—someone who can elevate the people around them without creating unnecessary hierarchy.Able to move fluidly between big-picture strategy and detailed execution.The person who will thrive here: You are equal parts merchant, relationship-builder, product person and creative thinker. You have taste, but you're commercial. You're organized, but not rigid. You can lead a buyer meeting in the morning, give thoughtful feedback on the product in the afternoon and then step back to ask where the account should be six months from now.You naturally take ownership, enjoy mentoring a small team and are energized by the opportunity to help build the next chapter of a growing business.