UMENCO is recruiting a Product Developer for a contemporary womenswear brand who create styles which are luxurious and timeless with an emphasis on construction and draping.

This role will report directly to the Head of Design and will provide essential project management support. The responsibilities include managing timelines, coordinating product development and ensuring clear communication with factories. The Product Developer will serve as the ‘product guardian’, maintaining records for the design team, leading the costing negotiation and ensuring that all samples and swatches align with the brand vision and meet seasonal deadlines.

The successful talent will prepare and maintain various documents including WIP, samples trackers and costing masters. This role will also involve generating style codes, assisting with populating design bibles and managing communication with factories regarding product and fabric/trim development. As the primary point of contact for suppliers, the successful talent the Product Developer will ensure smooth communication and keep track of product development issues. Additionally, the successful talent will manage the development timeline, report weekly to the design team on key upcoming dates and maintain accurate records of all submissions, both physical and digital.

The Product Developer will support the design team by ensuring that all submissions and samples meet the brand’s standards and seasonal goals. The talent will balance the needs of the design team with commercial objectives, this will include overseeing SMS fabric approvals, being across all costings, coordinating sample racking, assisting with key design reviews and ensuring everything is in place for sign off by the Creative Director. The successful talent will also work closely with and mentor the Assistant Design Coordinator helping them to grow within the role.