This job has expired, please see additional jobs below
Director of Product Development
Rent the Runway
New York, NY, United States
Job Details - this job has expired, please see similar jobs below
Director of Product Development
About Rent the Runway:
Rent the Runway is disrupting the $1.7 trillion global fashion industry by introducing clothing rental as a utility in women’s everyday lives and empowering women to feel like their best selves everyday. We have pioneered the Closet in the Cloud and believe that every person globally will soon have a subscription to fashion. Since our launch in late 2009, we have raised $190M from top-tier investors and built one of the most beloved brands on earth. We are proud to be both a profitable and high-growth business, with a loyal 6MM-strong customer base who share the experience of renting as being empowering and smart.
Our 1000+ employees have a revolutionary spirit that permeates our culture. We’ve built - proprietary technology, a one-of-a-kind reverse logistics operation, stores of the future, a viral brand, relationships with hundreds of fashion brands - and we are obsessed with continuing to game change our customer experience. We are also trying to revolutionize entrepreneurship itself - proving that diverse teams produce outsized impact. The Rent the Runway Foundation, which our two co-founders launched together in 2015, helps tens of thousands of female entrepreneurs build and scale their own businesses with the mission of founders more clearly representing the demographics of this country.
Position Overview:
Rent the Runway is looking for an experienced director with buying, merchandising, and product development expertise to lead and grow the development of multiple categories for the Rent the Runway brand. You will be key to developing and leading the execution of product strategies and production for private label. You will partner cross-functionally to innovate the way we procure our inventory, execute merchandise strategies, and achieve financial targets.
Responsibilities:
• Partner with merchandise planning and analytics team for intelligent growth in key merchandise categories
• Prepare presentations for delivery previews and style-out sessions
• Work closely with manufacturing and vendor partners due pre-production and production
• Work closely with cross-functional teams including marketing, planning, operations, creative, and finance to bring products to market that meets our customer’s needs while being true to our brand positioning and hitting financial targets
• Cultivate strategic creative relationships with existing and new suppliers
• Responsible for identifying new manufacturers that match the company’s long term creative vision, turnaround time, and operational requirements
• Identify potential production, quality and costing issues across different partners
• Make recommendations to ensure fit standards and quality while maximizing lifetime value of a unit
• Develop long, mid and short term key item strategies that support subscription strategic priorities
• Lead seasonal development and investment processes to meet financial wholesale targets
• Leverage insights from planning and analytics for product life cycle planning to ensure balance between new and replenishment purchases
• Ensure compelling product/value/quality relationship across product offering
Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university required.
• Proven track record of high level performance with a minimum of ten years experience in product development for a multi-vendor/category business.
• Direct experience working in dynamic teams, driving process, interacting with vendors and key partners to ensure delivery of projects against aggressive timelines.
• Demonstrated analytical abilities and negotiating skills
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively at all levels in the organization and with suppliers to manage multiple projects and changing business needs.
• Responsible, dependable, self-starter/proactive with strong initiative.
• Willing and able to travel as needed - domestic and international.