Vice President of Product Development - American Textile Company : Job Details

JOB SUMMARY:

The Vice President of Product Development is responsible for leading product strategy, design, and initial sourcing. By leveraging trends, consumer, and competitive data, the Vice President will lead the development of products that drive increased sales and margin. This individual will lead a small team of product development and design experts and work cross-functionally to shape and execute ATC's product strategy. The Vice President plays a critical part in building a strong innovation pipeline and ensuring that new products align with business goals, support brand positioning, and meet customer expectations.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Leadership

• Recruits, mentors, and develops a high-performing product development team, and sets clear goals and expectations aligned to company objectives.
• Fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement and encourages the team to explore new technologies and streamline development processes.
• Drives the Digital Transformation program in Product Development by utilizing Centric PLM integrated with Salesforce CRM and Bynder DAM.

Vision and Pipeline

• Studies fiber and fabric trends to define a clear vision and innovation pipeline for each product category in collaboration with Marketing and Merchandising.
• Partners with internal and external teams to bring the pipeline to market—through product design, prototyping, and manufacturability.
• Collaborates with commercial teams to introduce new collections at Spring and Fall Home Textiles Market.
• Communicates product plans, progress, and results to executives and stakeholders, and builds confidence in the product pipeline.

Product Design and Development

• Conducts competitive analysis and models market opportunities.
• Leads the Product Development team in creating new products and enhancements.
• Oversees value engineering and drives cost reduction through technical change initiatives that increase sales and margins.
• Guides the creation of detailed Product Specifications in Centric PLM, produces Tech Packs for costing by internal and external suppliers, and aligns with internal Pricing team.

Development and Sourcing Partnership

• Collaborates with domestic and international teams on the development of prototypes, production samples, and commercial-ready products that adhere to Tech Packs.
• Coordinates with vendors to negotiate new item costs and meet margin targets.
• Supports the Sourcing team by providing specifications and data for existing programs.
• Partners with vendors to gather cost analysis data, negotiate pricing, and break down costs.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborates cross-functionally with Merchandising, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Sourcing, and other departments to achieve sales and margin targets.
• Partners with Quality and other teams to resolve vendor-related challenges.
• Helps establish vendor performance tracking and reporting of key KPIs.
• Contributes to continuous improvement efforts and drives process enhancements.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in business or related field required; MBA preferred
• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in Product Development, preferably in the bedding, soft home, or apparel industry, with demonstrated ability to deliver innovation
• Consistent record of delivering sales driving and margin accretive product innovation
• Technical expertise in fabrics, fiber fills, and textile manufacturing
• Experience implementing and using Centric PLM or similar Product Line Management system strongly preferred
• Ability to forge strong relationships with key partners including Merchandising, Sourcing, Pricing, Marketing, and Sales
• Strong communication skills in various settings including with Senior Leadership, retail customers, and suppliers
• Passion for understanding the bedding category, as well as textile and fiber fill technologies, and for translating consumer insights into new and meaningful products
• Ability to communicate and influence across the organization by articulating a position, alternative approaches, and recommendations
• Deep curiosity and desire to learn about the bedding category and textile technology

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Ability to travel both nationally and internationally
• Ability to withstand prolonged periods sitting at a desk
• Frequent use of upper extremities to perform keyboard functions and work on a computer
• Ability to occasionally stand/walk