Product Approval Manager

Haddad is a privately held family business with 100 years’ experience in the children’s apparel & accessories industry. A leader in the children’s wear industry, Haddad Brands is the exclusive global licensee for the most iconic brands in the world, which include Nike, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, Levi’s, Polo, Abercrombie and Fitch, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Huggies. Supported by a team of professionals skilled in design, sourcing, production, sales, marketing & distribution of premium quality children’s wear, Haddad distributes globally to 100+ countries and maintains sales and sourcing offices in 22 cities globally, including New York, Paris, Hilversum, Shanghai, Egypt, Bangkok, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, London and Montreal. 

Overview:

The Product Approval Manager will oversee the approval process for a category or brand and work closely with Sourcing and overseas factories to drive product execution and on-time deliveries.

Key Accountabilities:

• Provide direction on all approvals for the brand/category including fabric qualities, wash, lab dips, artwork, accessories, trims and pre-production samples in a timely manner
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with Design and Sourcing to elevate the product standards and meet all deadlines
• Partner with overseas offices and vendors to ensure timely delivery of all submissions, pre-production and production issues and approvals; execute and resolve issues effectively
• Create pre-season risk assessment for categories owned and develop game plan to ensure risks are mitigated
• Manage the tracking system, Time & Action calendars and PSR reports to ensure all target deadlines are achieved to meet scheduled delivery dates
• Meet regularly with overseas teams to resolve issues
• Communicate with overseas vendors regularly to build relationships and efficiently problem solve
• Provide input on each vendor’s pre-production approval performance to support the Balanced Scorecard Rating per vendor
• Work closely with the Production and Sourcing teams to review all pre-productions samples and placements to address any callouts and issues prior to final production
• Work cross functionally with Design and development teams to review all fabric and trim standards by season
• Organize, review and send QRS samples to License Partners
• Manage seasonal/directive assortments by program
• Recruit, train and develop team members to drive business results
• Special projects as assigned

Required Skills/Abilities/Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Product Management, Fashion Merchandising or related field
• 3+ years of experience in related field, (children’s wear experience a plus)
• Knowledge of garment manufacturing, fabric construction, finishes, trims and print technique
• Proven ability to work with international business partners to drive results
• Excellent organizational and communication skills with attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast paced environment

Consistent in-office presence is vital to the role as it is for all Haddad Brands team members, so that we all have a full appreciation, aesthetically and tactilely, of the qualities that define our brand partners’ products and set them apart from their competitors.