Developer, Product Development

Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, Kate Spade New York has always been colorful, bold, and optimistic. Today, it is a global lifestyle brand that designs extraordinary things for the everyday, delivering seasonal collections of handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, home décor, and more. Known for its rich heritage and unique brand DNA, Kate Spade New York offers a distinctive point of view and celebrates communities of women around the globe who live their perfectly imperfect lifestyles. 

Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Primary Purpose:
The Product Developer will be in charge of developing the product in meeting design requirement within timeline. This individual will co-operate with service providers (SP), 3rd party vendors & local cross-functional teams to develop required design product. Partner with engineering & cross-functional team to maintain the high-quality product and ensure product integrity.  

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency to...

• Assist in the product development process from early development until commercialization through all types of sampling: prototypes, line presentation sample, Brand Activation sample. Ensure timely delivery execution as required by design.
• Support to handle special technique; printing, laser, emboss….and all special product executions.
• Follow up all leather/material/components/hardware with cross-functional teams, liaise with factories throughout the product development process.
• Work closely with the engineering team to enforce the quality standard for the products. Check quality and execution of samples before sending to NY. Work out potential risk issues and help set up testing and trials when necessary to prevent problems in an early stage.
• Build connectivity between cross-functional team such as Strategy costing team, LM team, Materials team, Hardware team and Production team to exchange information during the whole development process. Ensure samples use correct materials and components that meet Brand Quality standards.
• Lead handover meetings with cross-functional teams; PM-, costing-, and engineering to provide design details, potential quality risks, special executions and long lead time collections on each intro.
• Update all necessary reports to the specified deadlines in EC-Vision system.
• Check planning team for allocation- and monthly transfer list to ensure these are accurate, handle transfer development.
• Visit SPs to cross check all the samples execution to ensure all samples are correct before send.

The accomplished individual will possess...

• Bachelor’s Degree with minimum 3 years of handbags, wallets or footwear industries. Branded experience preferred.
• Hard working, well organized, proactive, team and result-orientated, flexible and capable of following design requirement independently and effectively.
• Good communication, negotiation, cooperation and problem-solving skills. Attentive to details and problem mindset is prerequisite
• Good knowledge in bag or fashion accessories making process and familiar with fabric and leather as a plus.
• Ability to work in a collaborative team environment with multi-cultural members.
• Good computer skills including excel, word and power point.

Key compentencies

• Problem solving unforeseen quality issues in production lines and at finish goods inspection is a routine part of this role.
• Analysis & Decision making to acceptability of products due ship is a routine part of the role and must take account of Brand’s quality standards.

Our Competencies for All Employees
Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
 
Our Competencies for All People Managers
Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their 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 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 the 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.
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