Sr. Product Development and Production Coordiantor - Swim
22 hours ago
Philadelphia
The Sr. PD & Production Coordinator for Free-Est Swim drives the end‑to‑end development and production process for all Free-Est swimwear, serving as the primary liaison between Free People and our third-party domestic swimwear factory partner. This role supports the Associate PD Manager and ensures execution of design vision, adherence to calendar deadlines, and alignment between Design, Buying, Sourcing, Tech, and our third-party domestic swimwear factory partner. The role requires strong communication, detailed organization, and the ability to proactively manage a unique product lifecycle across dual calendars (U.S., Brazil, and Asia). Key Responsibilities • Own development and production workflow for all Free-Est swim styles from concept through final approval., • Act as our third-party domestic swimwear factory partner liaison—driving communication, ensuring clarity of milestones, and holding all partners accountable to Deadlines & TNA., • Manage seasonal calendars and proactively resolve changes, delays, or issues to maintain seasonal actualization., • Work hand and hand with management to re-assess and re-build calendar to better support product and brand milestones., • Support fabric process in partnership with FP Movement Fabric Team; track fabric decisions, timing, minimums, and raw material risks., • Drive pre‑development and development process, ensuring smooth WIP management, sample tracking, fit submissions, and cross‑functional alignment., • Attend Sketch Reviews and clarify design intention, construction details, and material needs., • Manage costing: initiate, track, negotiate, and adjust target costs; ensure cost alignment before adoption under guidance of manager., • Support offshore strategy development for long‑term wholesale growth while protecting core our third-party domestic swimwear factory partner partnership., • Facilitate production approvals: PP, TOP, lab dips, colors, materials, trims, and bulk confirmations., • Support quality control needs for domestic (LA) production when applicable., • Maintain material libraries, sample archives, and weekly WIP tools., • Communicate proactively with internal and external partners to resolve development and production issues quickly and efficiently. Job Requirements • 4+ years experience in apparel product development and/or production with swim-specific background., • Strong multitasking, organization, and problem‑solving skills., • Clear and confident communication across vendors, cross‑functional partners, and leadership., • Ability to manage complexity, maintain accuracy, and work within tight timelines., • Strategic and solutions-oriented mindset with strong attention to detail., • Proficiency in Microsoft Office and PLM systems. Reporting & Structure • Reports to: Associate Product Development Manager, Free-Est – URBN Sourcing., • Location: Philadelphia, PA., • Travel: Occasional domestic travel may be required.