Randa Apparel & Accessories
Product Developer
Randa Apparel & Accessories is one of the world’s leading fashion clothing and accessories companies, operating across 11 countries with a portfolio of 30+ iconic brands, including Haggar, Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Totes, Isotoner, and Columbia Sportswear. With over 100 years of industry leadership, RAA continues to produce exceptional products and services, delighting customers and empowering partners worldwide. From the #1 dress pant brand in North America to the #1 belt and wallet, RAA sets the standard for excellence and innovation
We empower our associates, create growth opportunities at every level, and strive to make RAA the best place to build a career.
Want to work at a diverse, equitable, & inclusive workspace where associates are encouraged to bring their true, authentic selves?
Apply today and fashion your future with RAA.
Location: Rosemont, IL
Salary Range: $70,000 - $76,000
Schedule: Hybrid Schedule 3 days in office, 2 days remote
Position Summary
The Product Developer owns development execution for assigned products from initial development through production readiness. This role is accountable for accurate product information, product feasibility, sample evaluation, issue resolution, and the cross-functional actions required to deliver products that meet design intent, quality, cost, manufacturability, and timing objectives.
Working across internal global teams, Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, suppliers, and factory partners, the Product Developer applies product and technical judgment to identify risks early, recommend practical solutions, drive follow-through, and ensure products are ready to support established business commitments.
Essential Job Functions
- Own day-to-day development execution for assigned products from initial development through production readiness.
- Maintain and evaluate accurate style setup, Bills of Materials (BOMs), product records, specifications, and development documentation.
- Ensure product information is complete, accurate, and aligned across systems, suppliers, factories, and internal teams.
- Evaluate product construction, materials, components, fit/specifications, workmanship, and manufacturing feasibility throughout development.
- Partner with Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, suppliers, and factories to balance design intent, quality, cost, manufacturability, and timing.
- Identify material, construction, and manufacturing solutions that support product, quality, and cost objectives.
- Troubleshoot product, material, construction, quality, cost, and manufacturing challenges and recommend practical solutions.
- Evaluate development, pre-production (PP), and top-of-production (TOP) samples against approved product direction, specifications, workmanship, and established quality standards.
- Drive sample corrections, approval cycles, revisions, and documentation required to achieve production readiness.
- Maintain visibility to customer, licensor, factory, business, and production deadlines, dependencies, open actions, and risks.
- Identify development or execution risks early, determine appropriate recovery actions, and escalate issues requiring cross-functional or leadership decisions.
- Partner with Sourcing and factory teams to assess manufacturing capabilities and identify appropriate construction methods and development solutions.
- Own accurate documentation, tracking, follow-up, and development-to-production handoffs for assigned products.
- Make informed product-development recommendations and drive actions needed to protect product readiness and established business commitments.
- Share product-development knowledge, reinforce established best practices, and provide guidance to Associate Product Developers.
- Identify recurring execution challenges and use PLM, analytics, reporting, automation, AI-enabled tools, and emerging technologies responsibly to improve consistency, quality, speed, and productivity.
Qualifications
- Experience in Product Development, sourcing, supply chain, merchandising, technical product development, or another related product-creation role.
- Strong knowledge of product construction, materials, components, style setup, product information management, BOMs, specifications, samples, approvals, factory communication, and production readiness.
- Experience owning products through development, PP and TOP sample evaluation and approval, commercialization, and production handoff.
- Ability to evaluate product feasibility and workmanship, troubleshoot product and manufacturing issues, recommend solutions, and drive cross-functional follow-through.
- Ability to balance design intent, quality, cost, manufacturability, and timing when making product-development recommendations.
- Strong organizational, communication, product judgment, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple product-development priorities and seasonal deadlines.
- Ability to work independently, escalate appropriately, and influence internal teams, suppliers, and factory partners.
- Experience using PLM, reporting, analytics, automation, AI-enabled tools, and emerging technologies to improve product-development execution and processes.
What Success Looks Like
A successful Product Developer owns the readiness of assigned products from initial development through production handoff. The role maintains accurate product data and documentation, evaluates construction and samples, resolves product and manufacturing issues, and makes sound recommendations that balance design intent, quality, cost, manufacturability, and timing. Success is demonstrated through production-ready products, effective PP/TOP approvals, complete handoffs, strong cross-functional partnership, increasing independence, and continuous improvement.
