Director, RTW Operations

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I. Primary Purpose :

The Director, RTW Operations, is responsible to provide effective, efficient and appropriate support for the development, production and after-market requirements of Tapestry RTW product. Reporting into NY and partnering closely with NY and Asia regional teams, this role covers multiple disciplines, with support being provided for Materials Management, Product Development, Technical Design, Bulk Production and Quality.

In addition to these key responsibilities, the role also includes risk management and strategic planning, project management as required, factory sourcing and the development of good Service Provider relationships.

As leader of the Regional Support Team, Asia, this role serves as a critical link between internal RTW teams and external Service Providers in Asia region and beyond.

II. Key Responsibilities :

• Partner with the NY RTW Teams to gain a full understanding of the brands design intent, the desired fit and the correct aesthetic interpretation, and to ensure that the Regional Support Team and Service Providers have a clear understanding of the required standards and expectations.
• Lead, mentor and support the Regional Support Team members to ensure that all expectations are met in a timely manner and that and efficient and effective level of support is able to be provided as needed at all times.
• Maintain full awareness of the brands time / action calendars and the SP’s adherence to the agreed timelines and call out all known or anticipated risks.
• Communicate any deviations from calendar, facilitate solutions with the SP’s and ensure that all issues are satisfactorily resolved.
• Ensure that all communications with the SP’s are fully aligned with the agreed Tapestry standards and expectations.
• Ensure that all technical directions given to the SP’s are soundly aligned with the best technical practice for modern garment production, and share with the team any knowledge of new and advantageous advancements gained from site visits.
• Ensure that all potential technical or product-related challenges are known, fully discussed and resolved.
• Escalate all important issues to the VP Product Development, RTW, as necessary.
• Conduct frequent site visits to the SPs to ensure that the brands requirements are fully understood and that the execution of product meets the agreed expectations.
• Provide advice and instruction the SPs and challenge them when necessary.
• Attend SP pre-production meetings, conduct inline inspections and oversee pre 3rd party inspections as necessary.
• Support the onboarding of new SP’s to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the required processes and quality standards.
• Ensure full compliance to the agreed brand quality standards at all times.
• Lead or support specialist technical projects to enhance and elevate product as required.

Tactical :

III. Dimensions :

Reports to the VP Product Development, RTW.

Interacts with :

IV. Education & Experience Requirements :

Bachelor's degree in Fashion or equivalent industry experience preferred.

15+ years’ experience in apparel or related industry with a concentration in product design & development, product engineering, construction and manufacturing.

Excellent co-ordination and strong communication skills in written and oral English.

Luxury brand background.

Good connections with partners in the wider industry, such as factories, tanneries, mills, etc..

High attention to detail.

Proficiency in Web PDM, PLM, Illustrator and Outlook.

Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure.

Ability to undertake frequent travel throughout Asia.

Knowledge of AQL and quality control systems.

V. Key Competencies.

Proven leadership skills in terms of small team management.

Ability to work in a collaborative multi-cultural team environment.

Excellent communication skills.

Initiative / Pro-activeness.

Analysis / Decision Making.

Customer focus and Ownership.

Good understanding / appreciation of modern production systems.

Our Competencies for All Employees

Our Competencies for All People Managers

and spirit in his / her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Tapestry, Inc. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Tapestry, Inc. at