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Salary: USD 152,000 - 192,000 / annual
Rothy's is seeking a Senior Manager of Product Development (Footwear) to lead end-to-end footwear development from concept through commercialization. You will serve as both a trusted technical expert and people leader, guiding a team of developers while driving the strategies, processes, and decisions that shape how the company builds product.
Reporting to the Director of Footwear Product Development, you will help drive department strategy and partner with leaders across Product Design, Merchandising, Sustainability, Production, and the factory to deliver sustainable, high-quality footwear that delights customers and launches on time and on margin. This role requires occasional meetings outside standard office hours to coordinate with factory and vendors across time zones, as well as domestic travel 1–3 times per year and quarterly international travel.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own footwear development across the portfolio from concept through commercialization, delivering on aesthetic, fit, quality, cost, and timeline goals
- Partner with Product Design, Merchandising, and Sustainability leaders on seasonal planning and strategy, translating design intent into technically sound, manufacturable footwear
- Make key technical decisions on bottoms, components, upper patterns, knit constructions, and materials, balancing fit, performance, durability, cost, and manufacturing needs
- Drive the footwear development calendar, managing milestones across all sample rounds (prototype, development, fit, confirmation, TOP) and resolving risks before they impact launch
- Lead cost strategy for the portfolio, including CBD and yield reviews and factory negotiations, and influence senior leaders on tradeoffs to meet margin targets
- Shape and uphold brand fit standards and last library practices to strengthen fit consistency and comfort across categories and seasons
- Help drive department strategy and lead the build and rollout of stage gate criteria, PLM practices, and development playbooks that scale with the business
- Set long-term team objectives and strategy, manage team resources and budget, and delegate to meet goals
- Build and lead a high-performing team, knowing each person's strengths and aspirations and creating opportunities for their growth
- Strengthen factory and supplier partnerships, keeping communication open and transparent between corporate and factory teams
- Solve significant, ambiguous development challenges and find ways to improve product integrity, efficiency, cost, and speed to market across departments
Rothy's is a sustainable consumer brand that transforms ocean-bound marine plastic and single-use plastic bottles into signature thread for footwear and accessories. The company combines 3D knitting technology and handcrafted assembly to create machine-washable styles, and operates wholly-owned factories alongside retail stores.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 10+ years of hands-on footwear product development experience, including experience leading teams
- Bachelor's degree in biomechanics, engineering, kinesiology, textile science, or a related technical field; equivalent experience will be considered
- Deep knowledge of footwear construction, materials, knitting, tooling, lasts, testing, and costing
- Proven experience reviewing CBDs, analyzing yields and testing data, and negotiating costs to meet margin targets
- Deep understanding of the footwear development and commercialization process, with experience improving calendars, sample gates, and PLM practices to support growth
- Advanced knowledge of last and fit development, including shape, proportion, grading, and fit standards
- Experience working directly with Asia-based factories and vendors
- Strong systems proficiency, including PLM, BOM management, and Google Workspace; Adobe Illustrator experience a plus
- Accessories or handbag experience a plus
