Jewelry Product Manager

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren’s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration. Position Overview The Jewelry Product Development Manager is an integral player on a team that is expected to provide thebest overall global valueand quality for the W&J Category by realizing ideas into desirable products that meets the consumer expectations.Handle thedevelopment and execution of the Collection & Fine Jewelry Product Strategy for the Brand to create thebest overall value in terms of product, price, lead-time, and quality. Drive Bill of Material (BOM) creation and proactive development at componentlevel to meet the Product needs and tosecure product development and costingto meet desired Milestones, Product Architecture, Authenticity, Quality, and results. Timekeeper of the project, and bridge between Merchandising, Design and Sourcing.The Jewelry Product Development Manager ensures all the steps of product development from finalized designs to final prototypes, to deliver the best expression of the Jewelry products, in precious and non-precious materials, for seasonal and core collections, at the right Cost and Quality. Product Development Drive self and partner departments to timely develop quality products that meet design and business objectives.Involve management when delays jeopardize milestone achievements. Work with merchandising on obtaining seasonal and long-term product launch plans. Leverage previous productions and trends to optimize SKU productivity, material choice, color, and construction. Act as an advisor to internal design team to avoid developments that are not achievable within timing or pricing objective and that could potentially jeopardize the relationships with the suppliers. Attend briefing and assist with factory allocation and begin product development process. Work with design to understand and execute product specifications. Manage creation of complete proto and market sample specs/ BOMSin FLEX PLM (internal software training will be provided Work with material Manager (Master Data & Merchandising) to set the specifications, status of all material and key components for both submits and samples. Gain understanding of accurate definition, costing, and production lead times. Challenge cost engineering to meet cost goals, including maximizing construction opportunities while minimizing liabilities. Identify where costing objectives are out of sync with manufacturing or supplier trends. Create costing worksheet and establish target prices with Merchandising, including a close monitoring of R&D and prototyping/samples costs. Communicate product definition to merchandising team to support accurate line sheet/ GFE upload. Manage Sample ordering, tracking, check in, reporting and hand-offs- including but not limited to Protos, Market, PR, and Samples. Support the showroom set-up and product availability for the Seasonal looks and design approvals, up to the commercial presentation (Line Opening) with Merchandising Create a close and trustable relationship with suppliers and factories, in a context of heavy demand from main players, we must manage an agile and smooth relationship to maximize efficiency. Travel to suppliers, factories, offices as needed, in Florence, Valenza, and attend relevant meetings in NY, Geneva or Milano Manage the R&D and proto budget, monitor expenses with finance and alert on any budget risk or non-compliant operations. Develop seasonal pre-production milestone calendar, including long lead times.Drive self and partner departments to maintain schedule to produce quality product on time that meets design and business objectives.Involve management when delays jeopardize timely milestone, costs, or quality achievements. Work with design to comment on market samples to be Product Ready and communicate to vendors in a timely manner.Participate and animate all product meetings with the parties to maximize communication flow and time to market efficiency. Manage creation of complete and accurate production specs. Schedule customs compliance team product review.Prepare and pass off spec details that support accurate HTS classification. As requested by compliance to verify HTS codes, prepare PO’s, send product to lab for analysis and communicate lab results to compliance team and production ops team. Lead weekly WIP meetings and drive all items and milestones towards timely approval.Identify gaps that could lead to delays and involve manager and production operations counterparts as soon as possible to work toward solutions. Provide required documentation, standards, and samples to QA as foundation for audits in relation to confirmation samples. Coordinate and dispatch any labeling material to suppliers (sketch/UPC). Experience, Skills & Knowledge · Demonstrated Product Development experience in the Jewelry Category · Demonstrate skills needed to manage communication with cross functional partnerships. · Strong organizational skills with detailed attention to product information. · Proven ability to quickly pivot and problem solve utilizing innovative solutions. · Clear and strong communication skills · Operational Knowledge (Systems) · Languages : Italian & English required; French is a plus J-18808-Ljbffr