
Director Product Development - India Franchise
- Bangalore, Karnataka
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Develop exclusive products for the local franchise market, and work in partnership with the Franchise Product teams in creating assortments that meet market-specific customer needs, grow market share, and are aligned to the overall brand strategy
- Build and strengthen strategic relationships with franchise partner and successfully collaborate across varied functions and levels with stakeholders to drive results and influence strategic sourcing direction
- Own end-to-end product development process for locally sourced products, from fabric development through to order placement, ensuring alignment with brand aesthetic, quality standards, and service level agreements.
- Develop and implement scalable processes that support product excellence, technical design, product integrity, and safety compliance.
- Influence vendor strategy and sourcing initiatives to drive responsive capabilities to support partner's business needs for closer in-market decisions and replenishment
- Develop fabric strategy initiatives with partner to support responsive supply chain, differentiated market needs while aligning with global aesthetic and standards
- Partner closely with franchise business partner to monitor and influence local sourcing initiatives, ensuring timely product approvals and vendor onboarding.
- Serve as the primary liaison between partner, Gap Inc.'s strategic vendors and GIS leadership, facilitating domestic production to support key product initiatives tailored for the local market
- Support the design team in aligning locally sourced products with brand vision and quality expectations.
- Work with Sourcing central teams to ensure quality assurance, technical design, and compliance standards are met across all locally sourced products.
- Serve as a key member of the cross-functional leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and execution of growth initiatives.
- Previous experience in retail/apparel license and wholesale businesses
- 12+ years of experience, including significant apparel sourcing, fabric development, product development, and/or production experience
- Thrives in a highly collaborative environment, working with diverse cultures, and influencing people
- Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills
- Strong project management and communication skills as well as ability to work successfully with peers, teams, and executives in a matrixed organization
- Strong change management, strategy, and operational experience
- Strong influencing skills to both internal and external stakeholders
- Strong oral, written and formal presentation skills including the ability to communicate complex ideas in a simple way
- Strong interpersonal skills, works well as a part of a cross-functional team and can influence and interact at all levels of the organization
- Ability to work in and bring structure to ambiguous environments
- One of the most competitive paid time off plans in the industry
- Comprehensive health coverage for employees, same-sex partners and their families
- Health and wellness program: free annual health check-ups, fitness center and Employee Assistance Program
- Comprehensive benefits to support the journey of parenthood
- Retirement planning assistance