Ralph Lauren Senior Product Development Manager, Sweaters & Knits, Purple Label

Company Description

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Position Purpose and Scope: The Senior Product Development Manager is responsible for translating design vision into commercially viable, technically sound, and production-ready sweater and knit product for Purple Label. This role serves as the primary technical expert and strategic partner to Design, Product Management, Sourcing, Quality Assurance teams, ensuring products are executed to Ralph Lauren's standards for fit, construction, quality, and craftsmanship. Leveraging deep expertise in yarn technology, sweater construction, knitting techniques, and manufacturing processes, the Product Technician oversees technical development from concept through bulk production. This role partners directly with global factory and vendor teams to drive technical excellence, ensure consistency across manufacturing partners, resolve construction challenges, and deliver products that maintain brand integrity while meeting cost, quality, and calendar objectives.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

Key responsibilities: Factory Partnership & Design Execution

• Partner directly with Design, Product Development, and global manufacturing teams to translate creative concepts into executable, production-ready garments.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison to factories, ensuring design intent is accurately interpreted and maintained throughout development and production.
• Collaborate with vendors and manufacturing partners to identify technical solutions that preserve aesthetic integrity while supporting manufacturing ability, scalability, and cost.
• Review and validate construction methods, stitch structures, knit techniques, trim applications, and finishing processes to ensure alignment with brand standards.
• Partner with factories to understand knitting machine capabilities, programming requirements, gauge specifications, and production constraints.
• Provide technical guidance to improve garment execution, construction quality, and production consistency across suppliers.
• Support troubleshooting and resolution of technical challenges throughout development and production cycles.
• Drive timeline of garment execution to maintain calendar milestones Yarn Construction & Technical Expertise
• Lead technical oversight of yarn specifications, including yarn count, gauge, composition, spinning method, ply construction, and performance characteristics.
• Evaluate the impact of yarn properties on garment appearance, fit, dimensional stability, hand feel, and overall product performance.
• Partner with suppliers and factory technicians to establish appropriate machine settings, yarn handling procedures, stitch structures, and knitting parameters.
• Direct development, review, and approval of tension swatches and knitted prototypes to ensure expected fabric performance and garment outcomes.
• Analyze and validate construction standards to optimize fit, quality, consistency, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Provide subject matter expertise on sweater engineering, knit structures, yarn performance, and technical innovation opportunities.
• Ensure technical specifications are accurately documented and communicated across all development stages. Technical Development & Product Lifecycle Management
• Oversee the technical development process from concept through production approval.
• Review and approve technical packages, construction details, specifications, grading, and measurements to ensure readiness for manufacturing.
• Manage prototype, fit sample, and pre-production sample evaluations, identifying risks and driving corrective actions.
• Establish technical standards and best practices to ensure consistency across classifications and manufacturing partners.
• Partner cross-functionally to balance design intent, product quality, commercialization, cost targets, and production timelines.
• Monitor development milestones and proactively identify risks that could impact product delivery, quality, or performance. Quality Assurance & Production Readiness
• Partner with Quality Assurance teams to establish inspection standards, measurement protocols, and garment evaluation criteria.
• Conduct pre-production meetings with suppliers to review technical packages, construction requirements, quality expectations, and production readiness.
• Ensure factories fully understand quality standards, fit requirements, construction specifications, and critical-to-quality details.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective action planning when quality, fit, or production issues are identified.
• Monitor bulk production readiness and support implementation of preventative measures designed to minimize defects and improve consistency.
• Evaluate factory execution and recommend opportunities for continuous improvement in quality and manufacturing performance.
• Supplier & Relationship Management
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with global suppliers, factory technicians, and manufacturing leadership teams.
• Influence and collaborate with external partners to deliver products that meet company standards for quality, consistency, and craftsmanship.
• Foster a culture of accountability and technical excellence across vendor partnerships.
• Facilitate technical discussions, development reviews, and problem-solving sessions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Support supplier capability assessments and identify opportunities to elevate manufacturing performance and technical execution.
• Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership
• Coach and develop design team members, fostering technical expertise and continuous growth.
• Drive alignment across Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Sourcing, Production, and Quality teams.
• Establish and improve technical development processes, tools, and workflows to increase efficiency and consistency.
• Champion innovation in sweater construction, yarn technologies, and product execution methodologies.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and technical expert throughout the product lifecycle. Experience:
• Past experience in sweater technical design, product technical development, apparel engineering, or knitwear manufacturing.
• Deep expertise in sweater construction, yarn technology, knitting processes, machine capabilities, and garment engineering.
• Strong understanding of global manufacturing processes, fit development, quality standards, and product commercialization.
• Experience partnering directly with domestic and international factories and suppliers.
• Proven ability to manage multiple product categories and complex development calendars.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence cross-functional partners and external vendors in a fast-paced environment Starting base salary equal to € 76.000 (full-time). Once the successful candidate is selected, the salary offer will be based on objective and gender-neutral criteria such as experience, skills, responsibilities, and location. Contractual level: CCNL Commercio - Level Quadro. Meal Vouchers: €8.65/day per worked day of at least 6 hours.