On - Head of Apparel Development - Zürich

Team for Career Site

Apparel & Accessories Product Creation

In short

The Head of Apparel Development is a pivotal leader within the product creation pod, encompassing Design, Product Management, and Development. This role requires a deep commitment to product excellence, with a strong focus on the technical craft of apparel, including garment engineering, pattern making, and fit. The ideal candidate will not only lead long-term development strategy but also bring hands-on expertise to ensure the highest standards in garment construction, apparel innovation, and product buy-readiness. This role is crucial for driving game-changing innovation and building cohesive teams that excel in technical product development.

Your mission

– Lead and Execute Technical Excellence: Co-create and execute a long-term apparel development vision and strategy that prioritizes product craftsmanship, ensuring technical excellence in garment construction, pattern making, and fit excellence. This vision should push the needle in terms of both innovation and technical precision.
– Hands-on Technical Leadership: Actively engage in the technical development process, from the concept stage through to manufacturing readiness. This includes attending fit sessions, pattern reviews, and material selections, ensuring that the end product meets the highest standards of quality, fit, and function.
– Champion Apparel Engineering: Collaborate with the Apparel Engineering Lead to drive fit, sizing, and construction initiatives, ensuring a coherent and superior consumer experience across all apparel categories.
– Advanced Garment Technology: Stay at the forefront of the latest garment technologies, processes, workflows, equipment, and software. Implement these innovations to maintain and advance the company’s cutting-edge position in the market.
– Product Quality: Work closely with the Head of Apparel Product Integrity and the Testing Lead to ensure all apparel products meet rigorous quality, garment, and wear testing standards. Engage directly with global suppliers to explore and introduce new technologies and materials that elevate product outlook.
– Product Development Leadership: Represent product development within the product creation pod, driving both innovation, technical and PLM accuracy in every product. Ensure a seamless coordination of cross-functional alignment pertaining to creation calendar deliverables (milestones and timelines) across inline, in-season, brand collaboration, and innovation projects.
– Team Leadership with Technical Focus: Lead, mentor, and develop the apparel development team with a focus on technical skill-building. Empower your team to excel in craftsmanship while fostering an environment of continuous learning and innovation.
– Process Optimization: Continuously evaluate and refine development processes, with a particular focus on technical accuracy, efficiency, workmanship, buy-readiness, and cost engineering. Set clear guidelines and lean processes to improve the team’s technical capabilities and speed to market, while ensuring the highest product quality.
– Supplier Innovation: Build and maintain strong relationships with global T1 suppliers, with a focus on introducing new garment manufacturing technologies that enhance the product’s aesthetic, performance, and technical attributes.

Your story

– Deep Product Development Expertise: Minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in apparel development, with a strong emphasis on garment engineering, cost engineering, pattern making, fit, and product testing & quality. Experience working with a wide array of global suppliers and manufacturers is essential.
– Leadership in Technical Development: At least 10 years of experience leading highly technical teams, with a demonstrated ability to mentor and develop technical talent. The ideal candidate should have a strong track record in elevating the technical skills of their team.
– Proficient in Apparel Craftsmanship: Extensive knowledge of garment construction, materials science, and the product creation lifecycle.
– Must have a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of fit and finish, with a proven ability to translate design concepts into technically sound products.
– Collaborative Problem Solver: Experience working directly with designers and product creation teams to solve complex technical challenges. Ability to bring innovative thinking to the table while ensuring practical and technically accurate execution.
– Advanced Technical Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate technical goals and objectives clearly. Proficiency in digital product creation tools and software is highly desirable.
– Educational Background: Bachelor’s Degree in Product Development, Design, Product Management, Sourcing, or a related field from a globally recognized university.
– Detail-Oriented and Organised: Highly attentive to detail, with the ability to organise and lead technical reviews and strategy discussions. Must be able to balance creativity with technical discipline in a fast-paced environment.
– Interpersonal Skills with Technical Focus: Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse, cross-functional teams, maximizing the technical productivity of the apparel development team.

Meet the team

We are engineers that steer ideas into reality. Development is a mindset, not a department – and every team member is empowered to make decisions, with the understanding that failure is part of the learning process.
As an integrated function in the design and briefing process; we are detail, execution and solution-oriented – guiding products with tight timelines and the highest possible product quality, both on the shelf and in use.