Product Manager

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Product Managers are responsible for creating quality private brand merchandise for Belk.  They serve as the liason between Buyers, QA, the Trend Merchandiser, and the Sourcing Manager.  They work closely with Buyers and DMM’s to determine the role of private brands in the assortment. They spec and design private brand merchandise and coordinate production with sourcing and technical. 

Specific responsibilities include:

• Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with Buyers and DMM’s to share information on current and future product development needs
• Facilitating the refinement of product design, specifications and costs
• Supervising all contacts on private label merchandise including garment specifications, packaging and labeling specifications, and quality control information (with QC team)
• Managing product flow and delivery dates to ensure merchandise arrives in accordance with corporate time and action calendar
• Shopping the market, visiting Belk stores and shopping competitors (with the Trend Merchandiser)

Behavioral Traits:

• Strong fashion sense and the ability translate merchant/ market input into highly salable products
• High degree of creativity
• Outstanding communication skills
• Willingness to be flexible in developing and modifying product to suit merchant/ customer needs
• Exhibits effective leadership by:
  • Maintaining professionalism in work relationships and habits,
  • Providing direction, counseling and coaching to staff
  • Developing creative solutions to business issues
• Ability to work effectively with Buyers and DMM’s

Management Practices and Business Applications:

• Coordinate the development of private brand product that meets merchant needs and required quality specifications
• Develop production flow charts on programs with factories and vendors to ensure compliance with the corporate time and action calendar.  Coordinate with Sourcing Manager
• Work with outside design agency to develop sketches and specs of private brand merchandise
• Create print/ color assortment by brand for each season
• Define the number and quantity of packs
• Ensure that all product materials are shipped to the appropriate factories to avoid production delays
• Track and monitor private brand shipments to ensure delivery in accordance with corporate time and action calendar
• Maintain accurate records of all style components including fabric swatches, color standards, print work, trims labels and specs
• Shop all competition in appropriate markets to benchmark Belk private brands versus the industry