Apparel Production Manager

Key Responsibilities

Production Management and Vendor Relations

• Manage end-to-end production from costing through shipping; maintain daily tracking and follow-up on all open orders
• Manage WIP and CAP reports; conduct weekly vendor calls via Zoom/Teams to troubleshoot issues and ensure on-time delivery
• Send cost inquiries to vendors; review allocations with Director of Sourcing/Production to align with IMU requirements
• Present open order status at weekly production meetings with senior leadership

Purchase Orders, Costing, and Systems

• Complete style setup, PO creation, and Costing Sheet submission in AMT; issue POs to factories and internal teams for tech pack distribution
• Review and update shortage/overage charts; adjust POs accordingly
• Assist Director of Production with costing projects

Quality Control and Compliance

• Oversee T&A calendars for all open production; work with tech and design on garment callouts and issues
• Monitor Inline and Final Inspection timelines; review and comment on inspection reports to assess shipping readiness
• Review test reports from third-party labs (Intertek, Bureau Veritas, SGS) for fiber content, care instructions, and attribute testing
• Work with overseas QC teams and factories to resolve quality issues before shipment

Shipping and Logistics

• Follow up on ship requests for FOB and DDP shipments; communicate delivery issues to Sales and Operations
• Approve vessel bookings; monitor container bookings with steamship lines and freight forwarders; update shipping charts
• Send monthly open shipment reports to the Hong Kong sourcing team

Trims, Samples, and Packaging

• Submit comments for UPC stickers, carton stickers, ticket layouts, care labels, polybag stickers, hangtag placements, and packing/folding instructions
• Review TOP and AD samples for labeling/trim accuracy; track and process production samples (FIT, PP, AD, TOP) per order timelines
• Order trims for domestic orders and price tickets via Fineline/PaxTag; send production packages to customers as required

Customer, Portals, and Financial

• Communicate with private label and non-private label customers on approvals, status updates, and portal submissions
• Upload customer attributes and tracking information on retailer portals (Kohl’s, BJ’s, Marks, licensed brand accounts, and others)
• Review customer compliance manuals and create internal cheat sheets for each account
• Process commercial invoices and chargebacks; maintain master invoice and chargeback tracking charts by season
• Follow up on all invoice payments for import and domestic factories

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of hands-on apparel production management experience, preferably in men’s or young men’s categories
• Demonstrated experience managing the full production cycle from costing through shipping
• Strong knowledge of import/export processes, FOB and DDP terms, and freight logistics
• Experience working directly with overseas factories, vendors, and QC teams
• Proficiency with retailer compliance portals and customer requirements
• Strong understanding of garment construction, trims, labeling, and packaging
• Excellent organizational skills; ability to manage multiple seasons and accounts simultaneously
• Strong communication skills for vendor, customer, and cross-functional coordination
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel for tracking and reporting

Preferred

• Experience with AMT (Apparel Management Technology) system
• Experience managing production for major national retailers (e.g., Kohl’s, BJ’s, Burlington)
• Familiarity with third-party testing labs and testing protocols